The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-11-11
TEMPERANCE TOPICS
Special Subject for the Sunday school
Lessons of Tomorrow

Nov. 18th is the worlds Temper
ance sunday" The lesson is founded
on Belshazzars Feast and Fate Dan.
9Th chapter. A modern Interpretation
Of the handwriting on the wall is as
follows:
>. Meme, Meme. The days of intern
perance are numbered when all the
boys become total abstainers.
Tekel. The wise young man sees to
II that the whole question of the use
of intoxicating liquors is weighed in
the balances of reason, of science. of
observation.
Peres. The kingdom. OF all that is
best and noblest. is divided from the
Incorporate, and given TO those who
use absolute self control
National League of Young People
To combine all the young peoples
religious societies in the United States
10 oppose the liquor traffic and to fight
dishonesty in public life, is the object
of "America's Young People, an or
ganization just formed at Chicago.
The chief means by which these
things are to be attacked is through q
campaign to induce young people to
enter politics; not for personal ambi-
ton but as a matter of patriotic duty.
If the victim of Incorporate habits
Were the only one to suffer, this great
evil would be robbed of half of its
terrors. If the Belshaz%ars could suf-
fer and die alone, the story would not
be sad. But not only does ne en-
danger his people by neglecting his
duty as sovereign in this night of peril,
many others who hold places of trust
and authority are led by the prestige
! of the kings examples of careless neg
| lect. So Babylon, the city, must suffer
because her ruler and his mobiles sac
rificed duty that they might indulge
| their beastly appetites. There is the
son who used to be so careful as to
the happiness of that loving mother
not for worlds would he cause her
| pain or suffering. There is the kind
| husband the tender and self sacrific-
ing father, his greatest care is the well
/ fare and happiness of that home. Let
| them become the slaves of intemper-
ance, that son will be Needless of tina,
mothers tears. and though he knows
her heart is breaking day by day, he
Will go on in cruel Indifference. II
| transforms that kind and faithful sor
into man who can see his mother die
by inches and never once be constra in
ed to remove the cause of her anguish
That husband can reach the place
where, in sluggish unconcern, he car
see the wife whom he swore to love
and cherish, become the burden-bearel
of the home, the light fade from he
eyes. and the Joy from her heart H,
can see her wearing shabby clothing
and living insufficient food. HI
can look upon his children, deprived
of their rightful advantages, ragged
barefoot and hungry. growing up il
ignorance and squalor. There is NJ
recklessness greater than the callous
selfish recklessness of the son or TIL
husband and father in the thralldon
of incompetence.
1ntemperance is reckless in it's de
struction of wealth. Belshazzar re
Ginning upon Oriental touches. drink
ing the rarest wines from vessels o
gold and silver, does not for on
moment consider that he is endanger
ing the homes and wealth of his PEG
pie. We can only family ina CINE tn
ruin and loss which accompanied tn
sack and pillage of a city like Ba by
. Ion by an army of that age. It woul
take decades to restore to them tn
| loss which came in part, at least, fror
that drunken revel. Intemperance i
today the most reckless force in GU
land for the destruction of wealth. No
: only does it take from channels of pro
ductive industry s1,500.0 00. 900 eac
year. but it is impossible to comput
the loss to our nation in the earnin
power of brain and muscle which hav
been destroyed as productive force
through intemperance. Were our ma
ton TO build twenty five great moder
battleships annually only to take ther
: to md-ocean and sink them, what
cry would go up over this RECKLESS