The Holt County sentinel., 1911-05-19

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MastingsD.
PLACE Isaiah prophsasa In Jerusalem.
x1N00-In Israel. Asnahem. In AssyriA.
Aeshur-d dam III.
PnoPHErs-HeseA Micah.
Isaiah, like oil great teachers. was
obliged TO speak many stern warnings.
Individuals and nations are best
pseassd with leaders that praise and
Aatter them; but such men are enc
niles rather than friends. demagoeues
melton We have many braggarts. and
many easy.eOiug. over.ssnguine citi.
sens; but the wise men are like Isaiah,
clsar.eyed to perceive national and
personal sins. Vigilance against
these b the rAly price Of liberty In .
nation and peace IN an Individual. The
old Greek maxim. Know myself" II
stu the foundation Of true knowledge
and wisdom. In our lesson the great
prophet warns his nation against three
national evils: National ingratitude to
God: the menace Of uusodly and IN.
philanthroplc wealth: intemperance
the great peril Of the nation.
We cen look back over . history full
Of deliverances. America WAS settled
BY men escaping from civil and reli
gious oppression. The colonists had
many marvellous deliverances from the
Indians and other foes. The Union
has been saved By the greatest civil
var In all history. We have had
among our leaders some Of the worlds
chief msn-Washinston. Lincoln.
Grant. Jefferson. Franklin. The world's
greatest oceans preserve our country
from attack. We have . vast territory.
wonderfully rich In minerals and pro
ducise harvests abundant enough for
W sid for other nations.
The natural fruit Of . vineyard.
carefully prsparsd--hne. cultivated
grapes, and . full crop; that 10. be 81.
pectsd obedience TO bis commando.
and love and gratitude and worship
Instead. he got sothing but wild
grapes, small. sour and hard-such r.
suits % . nation might show that had
received no special dement's from j.
hovah. .fr
Isaiah next comes TO particuiars--
the two great fundamental aims Of his
people, and Of all nations. II IL with
remarkable persistence that In every
civilization the two main passions Of
the human heart. love Of wealth and
love Of pleasure. the instinct to gather
and the instinct TO sQuander. have
sought precisely these two forms de-.
nounced by Isaiah IN which 10 work
their social havoc-appropriation Of
the soil and indulgence In strong
drink. Every civilized community de-
veiops sooner or later its land CUES.
ton and it, liquor question.
10 the land question an American
question also? In It's essentials. yes.
But what. back Of the land question,
10 the fundamental dimculty! The
menace Of ung0dly and unphilanthropic
wealth. In any form-land. or rail-
roads. or mines, or mills. or houses to
rent. or stocks and bonds, or money 10
lend. There 10 more than one Amsri.
can whose income 10 more than . mil.
lion dollars . month.
What 10 Isaiah's second "Woef''
Against drunkennsss and Ito accom-
paying evils. and the irreligton that
goes with them.
Would Isaiah pronounce this woe
upon our nation. II he were living to-
day? He certainly would. To be sure,
there IL the most drinking late at
aiGht, especially after the thsater per
formances are over; and for that rea.
son the temperance refOrmers try
everywhere to pass laws closing the
saloons by II o'clock at night. Still,
Il 10 very common. In our cities. to see
drunken men staggering around the
streets In the morning. In the midst
! Of . spree" that may last for days
Modern men drink many fiery. dis.
titled liquors unknown to the ancients
They have added the common use OF
many drugs. such a. opium and Co
eaine, whose physical and mental e.
fects are more terrible and swift even
than those Of alcohol. And still the
saloon 10 the center Of all other sins
against Observation-Disclosures. muir
der. gambling. graft, political misrule
all are closely connected with the
saloon.
II our public schools are to give the
scholars a practical preparation for
life. certainly no subject 10 OF greater
Importance than temperance. Laws
requiring scientific temperance In
structton have therefore been passed
IN all the states and by the national
government. and more than forty tenn
perance physi0logies, for al grades
have been written. Nearly q million
essays on temperance themes are writ
ten every year by school children
The universities. colleges and normal
schools are taking up the study. b,
II 10 never enough to pass a TEN
persnce measure. The open saloon q,
once becomes o secret saloon, q blind
tiger" "Near-beers" and other drinks
are concocted. containing Just enough
alcohol to escape the law, and sold
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