The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-10-18
4 TEMPERATE VIEW
 OF M7EMPERATE TERMS
Geneva Reaper.

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 At no time was 1t the intention of The Reaper to enter into discuss sion of the proposed constitutional amendment. It briefly stated that 1t did not favor the proposition and fully intended to let the matter. rest there, so far as editorial comment was con- cerned..4 However, the trend of events the method of the campaign--the coarse, ignorant, unjust and brutal vilif1cation of individuals and newspa- pers, generally, who dared to have an opinion. in opposition to the amend ment and express 1t, calls for a pass ing notice. The amenders say that a Is question of saloons or no saloons. there could be, and Is, an honest diff ference of opinion? The writer takes the negative view and he has a right, a moral conscientious right, to take liquor traffic." He can, and does, dis believe 1t. without being on the same plane of moral leprosy with the lowest does, have 2 conception of his duties and responsibilities as a child of God and citizen of his country, without asking the opinion and consent of taSss TnOse Yss Ss sSs the lie to ths walk alone than to be led by the blind. Some men are temperate. in so far as alcohol is concerned, but crazy drunk in almost everything else. They are so drunk with ignorance and fanati- cism that they imagine that they nave all the truth clutched tightly in their puny fists. Their minds are sealed are unable to throw of the ignorance and take on the intelligence as is in- tended in the unfolding of Gods plan. Imprisoned in their self-sealed shells rH ArnNf O RA nAa .rrtN Ar and unreceptive of infinite unfolding. Yet in their Phariseeism they would get, as 1t were. upon the housetops and unwitttngly proclaim their ig- man sentiment that sounds as nice as it proves to be shallow when the searchiight of Gods purposes are life to remove temptations?
 Or Is 1t the purpose to overcome
 Man never conquered an enemy he never met-and he never will.
 Temptations were placed in mans way for a specific purpose-that he might unfold in knowledge and over
 They can be but temporarily re- moved from his way for he must meet them and in time overcome them.
 A man thrusts his hand into the fire and 1t burns. It is Gods law and 1t cannot be evaded. Through unfold ment he must learn his folly-over- come his ignorance. So long as there is need for 1t the fire must remain.
 Avoidance in the sense here intended (before realization) is the compromise of cowardice. the clattering of ignor- ance
 Avoidance, before realization. dis pels no ignorance. dethrones no evil, overcomes no enemy and but delays the final victory.
 We may desire it differently.
 We may seek avoidance and conse- quent release from the penalty, but 1t is not so ordered. We must travel the road and each individually reap the har- vest he sows. mans relation to God Is an intensely personal one. No one can perform another's duties. No one can remove from anothers path the obstructions and temptations that were his overcoming that he might thus attain final unfoldment.
 These things have not been written In the hope of their being accepted by those finite minds who narrowly per. of inanity-the blind who would biindIy lead the blind No, not that. It is merely hoped that perhaps a small ray of light might 6.itmt.a daWn in the the formers, sufficient at least to permit them to see that 1t Is possible for oth- CTS to have opinions. as conscientiously and maturely evolved as their own.
 This Is not. nor was it intended to be- a world of eternal sunshine. If 1t were so intended 1t would have been SO decreed. and if so decreed 1t would be so experienced. All sunshine here makes a desert. If we had no cuolds or storms in this lifes experience there would he no advancement in knowI- edge. This life would be barren. God knew best and he ordained differently
 The foregoing deals only with the spiritual relatio nof this subject, Next week we will deal briefly with its ma