The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1911-02-22
WEDNESDAY FEB. p 1911

" r have on our desk copy OF Inc
Holy Bible Repudiaies Prohibition by
one, George @. Brown, Of Louisville Il
is not our purpose 10 review or critic
the book at length, nor do we assume 10
ourselves the ability,to analyze and pass
judgment upon IT, But In view Of the
fact that the publication has just al
this particular time, found lis way into
the hands Of not few Of our citizens
especially among the negroes. il seems
than a brief mentioned it may not be out
Of place. The author. Mr. Brown, is now
and has been for over forty years a
whiskey merchant and a whiskey manu-
facturer. lie tells us in the preface
that he is a very modest man. Ii is well
that he tells US he modest man. No
one, not even the closest reader, or the
most profound thinker, would ever dis
cover this fact from reading his book.
The book claims TO be a compilation Of
every passage Of Scripture in which
Wine OF Strong Drink is mention
ed. This Modest Man assumes 10 him
self without even the shadow Of an
apology for such assumption, the ability
10 correctly interpret and explain every
passage We not say il is impossible
for Mr. Brown to do this. We will say.
however, that our imagination and our
knowledge OF men are not so elastic as
70 allow US TO believe that even an ex-
traorinary man devoting his whole life
10 money making in any secular employ
ment, ana especially in the whiskey bus
mess could be taken as reliable authority
In the Interpretation Of the scriptures
Would you 60 to a lawyer and ask him
TO prescribe Tor neuralgia? Would you
60 TO a doctor and ask him to procure
divorce for you? We think not. Would
you 90 10 a whiskey merchant and ask
him 10 explain the bible 10 you? And
yet this is exactly what our Modest Man.
Mr.. Geo. @. Brown, would have you do.
We are not surprised that Mr. Brown has
compiled 50 many passages Of scripture
That is easy. A concordance Of the
bible would work that out in a few min
utes, but the idea Of the busy, money
making, business man. the whiskev
merchant explaining all these passages
Of scripture and having the audacity 10
ask US 10 accept his explanations this is
what stumps us Il is beyond our con
ception. This self constituted Modest
Man. Consistency, thou art Jewel. 4"
Mr. Brown says many good and true 4
things in his book. He also says many |
things that we cannot endorse and 4
draws a great many false conclusions.
He doses them out like sugar coated /
pills, h e false conclusions being
covered with a little sacchariae truth |
and he expects his readers to swallow
the whole thing. In one part Of his
book he says: Il believe now, as / al
ways have believed that there is no more
moral turpitude in manufacturing and
selling an intoxicating liquor than there
is in manufacturing and selling any
other product"
We doubt whether Mr.. Brown believes
This. We don't want to think that any
man really and truly believe thatway He
is trying to believe il, trying TO ease his
troubled conscience. He Is seeking a
balm in Gilead.
In another place in his book he speaks
Of Maine and Kansas as prohibition
states and mentions the low percentage
Of church membership, about POS Of
The entire population. charging this low
10 be a result Of prohibition.
This conclusion is not warranted. Mr..
Brown may be good judge of VIII iskey
but is not good logician. Then, too ,
Mr.. Brown, the Modest Man, why did
you not have the honesty TO give some
Dther facts in regard TO Maine and Kan
sas as prohibition states Why did you
content yourself with the statement that
he percentage Of church membership ,
was very smals II you were honest in ,
your statement and wanted the truth 70 /,
be known, why did you not tell US THAI
Maine has had statewide prohibition
longer than any other state. that before
he law was enacted she was financial,
one Of the poOresE states Of the Union bul
under prohibition she has become one Of
he most prosperous states and has been 1
% CHASED for yearss Why did you not TEL !,
Is thai under prohibition Main has null
iplied the valuation Of her properly by
i've while her neigheoring states have
lot multiplied by threet Why did you '
lot tell US thai the business men Of il
Maine haze learned BY experience that n
ander prohibition me power Of the liquor :
'Eshc % sap the very foundation Of busi- 4