The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-11-25

Following Is the report on temper
ance adopted by the Virginia Metho-
dist Conference at its recent session
in Salisbury. Md:
The traffic in Intoxicating liquors
II q public nuisance. 1t is a curse
not only to the Individual drinker.
whose body IL weakens. whose intel
lect 1t becIouds. whose moral nature
it debauches, and whose immortal
soul 1t destroys. but 1t Is constant
and terrible menace to tina political.
economic, social. domestic and re-
lisious life of the nation. 1t is the
real open and ever present enemy
of the home. OF the school and or
the church OF God. Every father,
every mother. every teacher. every
pastor. knows that the liquor traffte
understands not tho meaning or
mercy. 1t stalks into the home and
strikes down the father and leaves the
widow and tho orphan 10 weep IN
poverty and despair. II takes the
only son. upon whom ia conferred the
hopes Of loving parents and SENDS
him back Keeling and drunken. a
shame and a disgrace to those who
brought him into the world. 1t
changes the talented scholar. the
brilliant orator the cultivated. polish
ed gentleman into the dwelling IDIOT
the raving maniac. the besotted brute.
1t tempts men and women. also, VINO
have been born with the possibilities
of Divine likeness. to sell their
glorious birthright for mess OF pot
tage. so that instead OF becoming
sons and daughters or the Lord Goa
Almight. they become miserable
drunkard.. OF whom ii IL written that
they cannot inherit tho Kingdom or
God And this unmitigated. TINS
covetcua. this death dealing nuisance
stands IN our fair land to-day and
murders our husbands. our fathers
our sons. and sometimes our daugh-
ter-. and threatens our own happl-
ness, and life. and then deiias us ana
snaeriuxiy asks What are you going
to do about it9'
And we echo that question to-night,
What are we going TO do about it
Twenty-Five years sEo. when the great
fire destroyed this city. sweeping
from Camden Bridge 70 point be-
yond this church in which we wor-
ship tonight, the citizens OF this city
declared that no frame building
should b., erected in the business sec :
ton and should any man begin the
erection Of frame house in that sec,
ton, the officers OF the Law wouud
abate IL The nam might plead his
right to Use his LOT as he saw nj. ana
his inability to build brick house.
But all his pleading would be in vain.
Why? Because such building would
be a public nuisance. menace 10
the property and life of the com
munity.
II a man should be seized with a
fever and presently should break out
with smallpox. eeven in the ntldest
form, he would he put under quar-
antine at once. He might plead that
his family would suffer. that his bust
ness would be damaged, and declare
his willingness TO take all risks but
he would be obliged to remain In
quarantine. Why Because the right
OF other people must be protected
Personal liberty 10 a glorious doctrine
but personal liberty does not per.
tain TO few individuals only. Ii per-
tains to every member OF the COM
munity, and it allows no man to In
fringe upon the rights of his neigh
Dor. The iiquor traffic stands In eui
midst to-day openly flying the black
flag. on which are written I'm letters OF
blood its twin watch words: Covetous-
ness and appetite. There are mo
other reasons for the existence OF the
fraf1c. The dram-seller and the dram
drinker clamor loudly that prohibit.
tion IL an INFRINGEMENT upon their