The Falls City tribune., 1910-07-22
i
Vzl555EE,
-E-LA 81
BISHOP BURGESS ON LIQUOR
Saloon Is Greatest Enemy of Home
and Cause of Much of Our Do
mestic lnfelicity.

In n recent address before the an
nual Episcopal convention of the do
cese of Long Island, held at Garden
City, the Rt. Rev. Bishop Frederick
Burgess said
III the church condemns the saloon
It is not because the church hates the
~workingman, or his wife, or his family.
but because the saloon Is the greatest
enemy of the home, because 1t more
than anything else. accounts for the
fearful congestion of our cities. where
human beings have TO herd at night
like beasts. because 1t sends the man
home at night With no money In his
pockets and with no sense of shame,
with curses In his mouth and murder
even In his heart. Make the blessing
from the saloon as great as you can
and il will still remain that it is more
responsible than anything else for do
nestle lnfelieity and that It's influence
is against that loveliest of human
traits which Saint Paul taught and
which the King James translators,
consciously or unconsclously, rendered
into the noble rhythm: Husbands,
love you wives and be not bitter
against them.
u believe that Christian people
stand reasonably on the law. A prom
inent Judge ON the Supreme court
bench of New York said to me not
long ago: You cannon %galyanize these
old Sunday laws and put life into
them That Is true II they are really
dead. A law dies the moment II ceases
TO accord with a strong minority of
the people. II Is of no use keeping it
on the statute books, for all it does
is to become one of the richest sources
OF unholy revenue to INSCRIPTIONS POI
lice and officials. II the popular senti.
ment fayors the open Sunday, then
by all means let Us wipe out the law
against II so that IL may no longer
confuse the mind of the public.
II think the attitude of Christian
people In New York has greatly
changed toward the Sunday, and that
Il Sunday laws need restatement. We
no longer look at exercise or reerea.
ton as wrong upon Sunday, nor do
we constantly talk about the Sabbath.
we realize 1t Is not an unholy sight
to see a lot Of young men playing ball
on Sunday afternoon or riding or
.strolling In the parks. The day Christ
rose from the dead Is the ~happlest day
In the week, and we clergy must know
that we shall not secure a larger at
tendance at church because we try to
take from the day all it's Joys and
brightness. But none the less be-
lieve that while the church may well
approve Of the opening of museums, IL
braries and the increased facilities for
travel on the Lords day, yet It will
not approve of the opening of the
aters or the exhibition ball games or
the saloons.
The local option question, on the
other hand. Is in my opinion a mis-
take. There should be one temper
ance law for the whole state, with per-
haps exceptions made for the great
cities. The Introduction of one of the
most contentious subjects into local
politics is mischievous in the extreme.
IL arouses wrangling and leads often |
times to hard feelings which would I
have been avoided had the outlook
been wider. 1t brings each village I
clergyman into undue prominence, and
men find themselves forced to explain I
to the public their own private views |
of habits; or else be stamped In an un-
favorable way by their fellow citizens"