The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-09-24

a keynote, though 1t is doubtful II It's
bearing will be recognized at first.
Temperance, to most people means
total abstinence from intoxicating
drinks as a beverage and prohibition
of the manufacture sale, and use OF
the same by the government. But
there is another large class Of people
who declare, with the dictionary, that
temperance means the moderate use
Of anything, and that neither the
Bible, medical science or human his
tory support the total abstinence
view. Both parties do agree that
the abuse OF intoxicants Is curse, al
ways has been and always will be,
and are a unit in the conviction that
the use and sale should be restricted
to the lowest possible point. There
is q third class which stands for
swinish qualification of all bodily ap-
petite, but they are small minority
of society and need not be considered
in this connection.
Radicals and Conservatives.
Here then, are the two parties, the
radicals and the conservatives. The
one class would Danish alcohol from
the face Of the earth, knock in the
head of every barrel, break every
bottle, and destroy every form of in
toxicant, used as a beverage, by every
human being on this planet The
other class, would not make men vir-
tuous by removing the temptation,
but would educate, instruct and de-
velop a race Of men who would move
as undisturbed and unharmed amid
spirituous temptations as Daniel in
the Lions den. Both parties desire
the same end. How can it be reached?
Certainly not by maintaining
pitched battle among themselves.
Much of modern so-called temper
ance work is verbal abuse of the 9TH
er side. Instead Of bombarding the
common enemy, the temperance agi-
tators train their guns upon those
who do not wear their uniform. The
conservative calls the radical hot
headed, impracucable, fanatical. He
is a disturber of the peace, a crank,
a lunatic, one-idea man. And the
radical retorts in kind that the con-
servative is an old fogy, behind the
times, gone to seed obsolete, out Of
date, a drag on the wheels Of pro-
gress, a heartless back number. We
hear this from pulpit and platform,
we read 1t in paper and magazine
two forces ostensibly bent on r1ghte-
BUSINESS, deliberately bombarding each
other.
If the practical discontinuance Of
the evils of intemperance is the thing
ai, OF u,hx, hrinO RI the
paign every available force. Why not
use Love, and Light and Law against
the foe, instead of putting love and
law at loggerheads, each crying out
against the other as failure, and
neither doing anything to fight the
curse.
Striking Illustration.
A recent incident Is case in point.
A temperance orator known through
out the country as radical prohib-
itionist has made a public announce
ment that henceforth instead Of cast
ing his influence in one direction, and
in one direction only, he proposes to
Join hands with every man no matter
how far along he may be in his con-
ception of civic righteousness, who Is
honestly desirous of curtailing the
rum power. He made the point very
clear that he will not compromise
with the enemy but he will com
promise with the brethren. And he
uses this illustration. When the sail
or is out on the high seas with deep
water under him, and no obstructions
anywhere he can sail as he pleases
h,,k ho L., tn thc
harbor, in company with all sorts OF
craft headed for the same port, and
there are reefs and shoals in addition
it Is absolutely necessary to yield tt
others, to sheer off in this direction
and even back up possibly at times
in order that he, and all his fellow
voyagers may safely make the port
That is altogether different spirt
than hoisting the black flag, COMPEL
ing every disagreeing captive to wall
the plank insisting that my way Il
the only way, and that all who dar,
to think differently are knaves or i'm
beetles. In other words, instead o
antagonizing he proposes to comprom
ise with those who now see thing
from a different angle than his, witt
the idea that possibly he himself ma
come to see that wisdom will not di
with him, and that some other mett
ed II it does not succeed, may q
least have such fair trial that every
body will be satisfied Of its ineficieI
cy. Compromise! Not with the en-
my, but with the brethren, that 6
least is a plan worth considering.
not such compromise permittedH