The Tupelo journal., 1910-07-08
VIM E, WOMEN
AND WAGES
BY Rev. M. A. Matthew, D. D.
Pastor Of First Prssbyterian Church
Seattle, Wash.

Ill Cdllluk " yOuA altCASAOh - 20
picking problems included in the title
Of this sermon, you are. no doubt.
willing to admit that 1t is impossible
to give an exhaustive review OF the
underlying conditions and causes II
we are successful in making you
think, arrive at o conclusion and form
a resolution, the sermon has accom-
plished its purpose. In fact, 1t is not
the purpose Of a sermon to relieve the
audience of mental exercise. Its best
work has been done when 1t creates
an appetite for Bible study. investi-
cation and honest thought: when 1t
~provokes the auditors to think and
spiritual conclusions.
The work of this pulpit has always
been done along that line. It does
not try to inject hypodermic doses OF
encyclopedia into the audience. 1t
leaves that work to superficial, al
legged students. If in this sermon you
can be provoked to think, to act and
to do your Christian duty. every one
will be satisfied.
Wine, women and wages have been.
since the catastrophe in the Garden OF
Eden, very o~bstreperous subjects. No
man pretends to know everything
about them. In fact, one of them Is
very elusive, and perhaps will never
be fully understood until she reaches
Paradise regained. The more elusive
the subject the more fascinating the
study and the more exciting the pur-
suit of knowledge.
These three problems are ever with
us, and will remain with us, and will
continue to be serious problems until
the end of the ages. Many ridiculous,
foolish and harmful solutions remain
unsolved. One is prone to think and
believe the time has arrived for seri-
Gus, sane, righteous efforts to be
made at remedying the conditions now
confronting us.
The harmful effects Of intoxicating
beverages have been apparent to stu
dents for the last 5000 years.
Drunkenness is a crime against God.
against man. against society. against
the home, church and child. There is
no excuse for it. There is no logical
and condemned before every bar OF
justice, before public opinion and by
every thinking mar who has eve
lived or who now lives.
Drunkenness must cease. If the
man who makes a beast of himself
we're the only one involved we might
become cold hearted and cruel enough
to say: Let him drink himself to
death, go to the dogs. and be de-
voured by the vultures." The man
who makes a beast of himself, who
destroys his life by strong drink, and
who wallows in the gutter, perhaps.
deserves no more consideration. How
ever, he is not the only one involved.
His family are to be considered, his
children are to be pitied, society is to
be protected. and posterity is to be
prevented from inheriting his habits.
tendencies and diseases.
Many remedies have been tried for
drunkenness. The man who comes
into this world cursed by heredity,
with a tendency to drink, is to be
pitied. He ought to have every effort
made in his behalf that could pos
sibly prevent him from following his
inclinations to the drunkard's grave
and to the drunkard's cell. 1t is i'm
possible for a man who dies a drunk
ard to be saved. No drunkard who dies
a drunkard can inherit the kingdom of
God or receive the blessings, joys and
citizenship of heaven. There are no
drunkards in heaven. In order for a
drunkard to be saved he must turn
from his evil ways, give up his life
of sin, accept Jesus Christ as his per-
sonal Savior, be regenerated by the
Holy Spirit, and then he a be saved
in this life and from himself, his ap-
petites and his passions.
The man who deliberately contracts
the habit Of drunkenness deserves
physical punishment, ostracism, and
the infection of every pain that will
make him conscious of the wrong he
is perpetrating against his family and
society. There are men who deliber-
ately get drunk because they love the
effect, or because they desire to do
certain things which they believe will
be excused on account of drunken
ness.
The whipping post would perhaps
be effectual remedy for premeditated,
deliberate drunkenness. The man
who ~disregards his family and shows
contempt for society by deliberately
getting drunk ought to be stripped to
the waist, tied to a public whipping
post, and given 80 lashes on his naked
back once a week for six months. If
that remedy were applied, some of
your "genteel drunks." who are de-
stroying their families, dissipating
their property, insulting society and
damning young men would be immedi-
ately and effectually cured.
The idea of a man getting drunk.
going home and insulting his family.
abusing his little, helpless wife, ter
rorizing and cursing his little chill
dren, is repugnant to every thought.
His poor helpless wife and little chill
dren seem to be without remedy at
the hands Of your courts, because
justice is administered by namby-pam-
by men who seem to be afraid to pun
ish a genteel rascal. The whipping
most ought to be established for wife
heaters, professional drunks and men
who disregard their duties to their
families, their children and society.
Remember that / said l was deeply
interested in and sorry for the man