The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1909-06-25

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Galilee. And both Jesus
was called and his disciples to the
marriage. And when they wanted
wine the mother of Jesus said unto
him: They have no wine.
And there were set there six water
lpots of stone containins
two or three f1rkins apiece. Jesus
saith unto them: Fill the water pots
with water. And they filed them VI
to the brim." Matt. ii:1-7.
How many guests? Perhaps 1OC
would be a liberal estimate, but sup
pose all the inhabitants of the town
had been invited as well as Jesus and
his company. 1t is plain from the
context that they had consumed the
supply originally provided and there
was call for more wine. The Lord
of heaven and earth did not remon.
strate or urge temperance-he provid.
ed, Immediately, more than 100 gal.
Ions of wine for the company! Again,
we are reminded that wine should
accompany the feast, whether the
festival have a strictly religious or
mundane character.
But the habits of Jesus were such
that his enemies accused him of feast
ing with publicans and sinners and of
being a wine-bibber! If such an ac-
cusation were made against any of us
would we not. repudiate the charge, or
wish we could do so? But neither Je-
sus nor his disciples saw the neces-
sity of clearing his character-they
left it as an example to others. Is it
possible they did not understand that
il might prove a reproach to drink
wine even though in moderation?
When Jesus lived the moralisUs of
the world were declaiming in speech
and exhorting in writing against the
sins of intemperance at the table. Not
even the moralists of our time had
been more bitter than Cato had just
been and Juvenal was about to be,
but Jesus spoke not one word in aid
of the crusade of his time! 1t is i'm
possible to believe that perfect wis
dom approves of drunkenness, but
Ham was punished for lack of reYer-
ence while Noah's drunkenness was
passed lightly over-in all the Bible
we find no declaration that it is a
sin to make wine or to drink it. Why
not, when the praises of the wine cup
are not omitted?
In some measure, at least, we are
what our food makes us-the law is
now busy with the making of the food.
Adulteration of food is a sign that
high prices begin to cut down living
expenses and quantity must be pre-
served even at the expense of quail
ity. The hungry man with the price
of one loaf only in his pocket will
take the bigger one-it is to answer
the demand that food is adulterated.
Our Saxon ancestors were compelled
to grind beech bark with their barley
and bake it for bread-the flour of
wheat only the rich could buy In
many countries of Europe the cOarser
cereals are still used for bread-they
may he more healthy, but oats are
for the body and wheat for the brain;
when we are compelled TO change
what will be the change in us?
Excess is not only sinful, but dan
gerous but it is fair to assume that
drink has as much to do with the max
ing of a man as food. The Frank and
the German were originally of the
same blood-the Frenchman had a
greater infusion from the Latin strain
but isn't it true that climate and food
ference we now see? We are not
claiming that either is the better
We do say that humanity has been
helped by the difference which save
us two where We might have had but
one. Is it nothing that the French
man has been drinking wine all these
years while the German kept to the
mead of his fathers except as it has
been translated into beer? Did the
roastbeef of old England have more
TO do with the making of the English |
man than his ale?
For this time let us forget the right |
and wrong of alcoholic drinks and |
ask ourselves whether any great |
change would be wrought in our ma
tional characteristics by the sudden
to which we are unaccus-
toned. The pioneers who conquered |
the wilderness were not drunkards, |
but they drank freely. and drunken
ness was not unknown. Quality and /
quantity are not elements of morality
if it be sinful to take wine even for |
the stomach's sake then total absti- |
hence alone is safe. But when we be-
rou,a feefotaIerS We muSt ahiura tho