Evening journal., 1911-04-07

Painting the States White. Ps. II:
IL. Topic for Sunday, April ,,
1911.
What greater sin can any people
commit than that of turning Gods
rich bounties into poison? What are
wine. beer, whisky, brandy, but the
products of grapes, hops. corn, barley,
peaches, and other delicious gifts OF
nature, intended for our good rather
than our evil, for our life rather than
our death? The fat valleys of Amer
lea, and England, France. Germany,
Italy, China, India and Japan have
been blessed with plenty by a kind
Providence to feed the people and en-
rich the nations But the grains of
the field and the fruits Of the vine
and the orchard have been poured
into breweries, winepresses, and dis
tilleries to be transformed into dis
ease, crime. insanity poverty, de-
bauchery, shame, and death. What
sin against nature, man and God can
be greater than this? What misuse
and abuse of the gifts Of Providence
can show a baser ingratitude or
more evident violation of the laws Of
health, prosperity, and happiness?
How can a Christian justify him
self IN cultivating grapes for the
winepress, hops for the brewery.
peaches, barley, rye. and corn for the
distillery. or poppies for the opium
trade? How can a Christian sell the
products Of the soil to an establish
ment that proposes to turn them into
strong drink? To go farther. how
can a Christian country tolerate
license and legalize the business by
which the products of the fat valleys
are diverted from their natural life
sustaining uses to the furtherance of
crime and death?
Drunkenness does not stop with i'm
poverishing the people and shifting
the glorious beauty Of the country's
prosperity into a fading flower. No.
II blasts the mental life, perverts the
judgment, destroys the virtue and
moral strength of a people But LET
It not be charged that the poor and
humble Of this word are the only vic
tins of intemperance. The so-called
! social classes are wine-bibbers. Men
/ and women who set the fashion I'm So
cial custom are often as sensual and
drunken as the denizens of the slums
And The champagne slipper NAV be as
much Of a beast as the beer euzzlar
But more, judges. poets, military and
naval officers, politicians, senator's
lawyers, physicians, kings. prophets
ana priests have erred through strong
drink and have swallowed up of wine
what's a drunken man like? Like
a drown'd man, fool, a madman; one
draught above heat makes him a fool.
the second maddens him: and the
third browns him." says Shakespeare.
The Apostle Paul places the spirit
OF VINE and the Spirit Of God in direct
! antagonism. He teaches that man
cannot be filled with wine and with
Gods Spirit at the same time.~ Gods
Spirit viii not dwell in a drunken
man. When wine enters, the Spirit
departs. If the Spirit Of God re-
mains, wine cannot enter What a
sacrifice he makes. who drives Gods
| Spirit from its rightful temple to
satisfy an appetite. Well did the
great poet understand the spiritual
loss and the loss of manhood incurred
by strong drink: 20 God, that man
should put an enemy to their mouths
10 steal away their brains; that we
should with joy. pleasure, revel. and
applause, transform ourselves into
beastsi"
To be now sensible man, by and
by fool, and presently a beast,
Every inordinate cup is unblessed and
the ingredient is a devil"
The Prophet Isaiah represents the
druukards of Ephraim as having
made a covenant with death and an
agreement with hell. What else have
the distiller, the brewer, the saloon
keeper done? What else has that
community done which has gone into
the business of raising the fruits of
the vine and orchard and the grains
of the field TO furnish the wine
presses, breweries, and distrilleries
with material for strong drink? Nay.
what else has that village, city. or
nation done that by the license system
legalizes the liquor business? In
every case they must say, I'VE have
made covenant with death, and with
hell we have an agreement" Oh for
the courage. honor. virtue to make 4
covenant with life, and an agreement
with heaven TO uproot and destroy the
saloon, the brewery, the distillery, the
winepress, and prohibit the business
Of turning the products of the fat val
| leys' into drink and drunkenness.