The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1910-05-28

lie ia w ALAN An
beneath the stars. There is no other
known power that will drive the fat
her to sell his children's bread for
drink, or that will compel him to steal
the New Testament from beneath
the pillow of his dying girl and pawn
it for rum. When one has descended
to such depths as these he is no long
err a man, he is a demon.
Struggle of the Church.
l say the struggle of the church,
because intemperance has been
through the ages the inveterate and
most successful foe of the Christian
Church. Slowly but surely the church
has awoke to the fact that she would
attain to her greatest efficiency the
saloon must be closed. The position
of the church upon this subject has
been an evolution At first the church
pleaded for moderation; but, finding
that this was useless, it advanced to
the contention for total abstinence.
But there was no thought of any in
fluence greater than moral suasion
Slowly but certainly the fact forced
itself upon the church that drunken
ness could never be destroyed by this
means. The real nature of the saloon
was at last recognized 1t is the in
carnation of selfishness, of lawless-
ness and of every Internal principle.
1t is the ally of brothels. 1t is the
birthplace of plots, treasons, assas-
sinations and all other wickedness.
is the duty of the church and of the
state to protect themselves against
these fearful inroads. They have re-
sorted to law. The enactments have
been made more and more strigent
until whole states have outlawed the
dreadful traffic.
There can be no question but that
the sentiment in favor of prohibition
is rapidly growing. 1t has been adop-
ted by great railroads, and by other
business firms. With these a visit to
the saloon is sufficient cause for the
dismissal of any employe.
Such a course as this cannot be set
down to narrowness or bigotry Bust
ness men look only to practical re-
suits. 1t is because life and property
are jeojardized by men under the in
fuence of intoXicants that these rules
are adopted. The man under the in.
fluence of liquor is not at his best;
the hand is less steady, the eye is
less clear, the brain is less quick
than in his sober reason. He is dis
eliminated against. He is paid less
money for his work than is the total
abstainer. And this is a loss to the
man; it is a loss to his family, and it
is less to the state.
In the enactment of prohibitory
laws, therefore, the state is simply
seeking to protect itself and its citi-
zens. And this is its plain duty. The
shepard who would not protect his
flock from predatory wolves would
be justly despised; why then should
not the state protect its children and
its weaker citizens from the devastIng
power of the saloon?
Personal Liberty.
The standing objection to this is
the plea of personal liberty. The sa-
loon-keeper and his friends hold up
their hands in horror. They declare |
that we are taking away the God !
given liberties of the individual; and |
that this process reduces men to the |
condition of slaves. On this subject
the work of John Stuart Mill used to
be regarded as an authority. But !
while Mill condemns the act of pro- !
hibition, he justifes the principle on
which it is based. Thus he says: "As
soon as any part of PERSONS con-
duct effects, prejudicially, the inter-
ests of others, society has jurisdiction
over it," He also declares that if a |
mans conduct injuries no one but |
we may not interfere; 1T is
far otherwise if he has infringed the /
rules necessary for the protection of
his fellow creatures, individually or
collectively" Again he says: "The |
making himself drunk, in a person