Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1908-04-25

crstructure which Prohibitionists
are seeking to erect will not stand
unless 1t is founded upon the rock
Of character and that rock is pro-
ducod by persuasive, rather than by
coercive, influences.
hope that | am not laying myself
open to the accusation of returning
evil for evil when say of extreme
Prohibitionists that they are Puri-
tans. Perhaps they will forgive me
for calling them names II acknow-
ledge that Puritanism in itself is
good thing. But unfortunately in
all ages Puritans have manifested a
fatal tendency to compel rather than
to persuade people to be good. The
Fharisees. the Inquisitors, of both
the Roman and Protestant types, and
the Abolitionists were Puritans; so
are Prohibitionists.
Now Puritanism, like the church
and the state, has its sects. There
always have been and probably there
always will be at least two sects of
Puritans both having the same end
In view, the promotion of righteous
ness, but the one seeking to accom-
plish this by compulsion and the
other by persuasion.
In the temperance movement | can
go the full length of the way with
any company of persuasionists and
while going can practice what |
preach; but | cannot go many steps
with compulsionists. Puritanical
Prohibitionists in my humble judg-
ment can no more do away with slav-
cry of intemperance by compulsion
than Puritanical Abolitionists could
prevent the slavery of scrvitude by
compulsion. Until the Ieaven of per-
suasiye righteousness has done its
work there will continue to be u
great deal of industrial slavery in
this country and so | am fully per-
suaded It will go with the slavery of
intemperance.
Reasons for Opposing Prohibition.
1t was indeed true that the great
Commandments of our Holy Scrip
lures, upon which the laws of the
most highly civilized portion of man
kind are largely based. are in a great
part prohibitory in character, but II
is equally true that they seek to pro1
mote righteousness by an appeal 10
the will and interests of the indiyid
unl rather than by making indulgcn-
ces In the evil an impossibility.
And, gentlemen, believe that. IL
you viii go deep enough below the
shallow surface of things, you will
agree with me that. paradoxIcal as
II may at first thought seem, good
| and evil are essential and INSOFAR
able concomitants In the sphere OF
morality, and that IT is really impos.
sible that evil should be annihllated
without the humiliation of the good
with 1t. II seems to me that the
Parable OF the Tares contains a pro-
found truth which is being overlook
ed by many Prohibitionists.
Nor should II be forgotten that
while the removal of all intoxicating
drinks and edibles would indeed pre-.
vent intemperance and inebriation,
1t would at the same time also de-
priye the sentient world of some OF
the most necessary remedies for the
Ills OF both body and mind OF man
and beast as well as rob us OF the
virtues OF temperance and sobriety.
l have long been of the opinion
that gluttony is quite as much of a
vice as drunkenness. Indeed | be.
lieve that a careful inquiry would
show. 1t to be the, consensus of opin.
ion among medical men that intern.
perance In eating really has a more
wide spread and deleterious effect OF
stupifaction upon mind and body
and carries a greater number of PEG,
pie to premature and obscure graves
than drunkenness. Now, this beinl
the case the drink Prohibition party
has about as much ground in com
mon sense to stand upon as the foot
Prohibition party would have.
Social impurity is certainly 9
greater evil as source of deadl,
sin, sickness, degradation, sorrow
and death, than social drinking
But where is the Prohibitionist VIII,
will recommend the destruction O
one sex in order that the other ma,
be pure?
Money Is the root OF many of Tn,
greatest among evils. Perhaps thi
is especially true of our age an
country; but show us the Prohibi
ZIONIST who advocates the doinl
away with money.
AS a result of such consideration
| sometimes find myself on the verg
OF concluding that 1t really woul,
be misfortune rather than a bless
Ing II any Prohibition party shout,
succeed In the cause which they hay
at heart, and. human nature and his
| tory being what thpv ara ~ 10 I'm