Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1912-12-04
that ara written in this book"

that are written in this book"
no encourage the manufacture of
such liquors is an ungrateful abuse
of the boundes Of Providence. When
God had formed man, and spread out
before him this beautiful world, he
kindly said,: Behold, / have given
you every herb bearing seed which is
upon the face Of all the earth, and
every tree yielding Seed;I to you 1t
shall be for meat" God, then 1t
seems, intended that men should use
the fruits of the earth for food. But
they have sought out many inyen-
TONS and one of these Invention"
is to take these gifts of God" and
convert them into poison, most in
sidious in its nature and most de-
structive both to soul and body. The
distiller, the vender, and the consum-
er OF such liquors encourage one an
other in this awful perversion Of
Gods gifts" And is this receiving
his gifts with thanksgiving Better,
Infinitely better, to cast them at once
into the fire or the ocean and say
unto Him, ''We have no need of
these" But the ingratitude does not
stop here. When men, in abuse of
the divine bounty, have made this
foul poison, to justify its use and give
it currency, they call it one Of the
Creatures Of Cod With as much
propriety they. call gambling estab-
lishments and murderous weapons
His ':creatureo",. and thus encourage
their general use? But how awful the
impiety of this asoribing the worst
of mans inventions to the benevo-
lent God. In times of ignorance"
many have done thus. But "the dark
ness is past" the true light now
shineth." And should a man now in
scribe on his barrel or his decanter
Of intoxicating liquor, GOD Made
This, May God Send it Prosperity"
the whole community would be indlg-
pant at this blasphemy: Nay, his
own conscience would blush for such
lmpiety. Think Of this! Make the
inscription If you can! But If you
dare not with it before men, can you
countenance the vile traffic before
Him, whose eyes are as a flame OF
fire? 1t cannot be denied that our
country is most horribly scourged by
intemperance. In the strong language
of scripture, it groaneth and travel
eth in pain, to be delivered from the
bondage Of this corruption. Our coun-
try is free! With great price op-
tanned we this freedom. We feel as
if all the force of Europe could not
get it from our embrace. Our shores
would shake into the depths OF the
sea the invader who should presume
10 seek it. One solitary citizen-led
away into scourged, chained
by a foreign enemy, would rouse the
oldest nerve in the land to indignant
complaint, and league the whole ma
ton in loud demand for redress, and
yet it cannot be denied that our coun-
try is enslaved. We are .groaning un-
der a most desolating bondage. me
land is trodden down under Its pollut-
ed foot, our families are continually
dishonored. ravaged, and bereaved,
annually slain and hun
dreds of thousands carried away into
a loathsome slavery-slaveS TO IN
temperance. One position taken by
our society is, that it IS wicked 70
make ardent spirits, or to furnish II
to be drank by others. This has been
accompanied by legitimate and aDund:
ant proof. Perhaps nothing now
stands more in the way Of producing
better results along this line and caus
ing it to become universal than the
fact that the traffic in ardent spirits
is authorized by law, and thus receiv-
es the sanction and support OF legls-
lation. This of course Is public tes'
timony to the world that the sale
Of it. and the drinking OF 1t are
- 40 toll Nd error
destructive in it's efforts to the life
that now is, and to that which Is 10
come. The next thing to be accom-
plished, therefore, is, by the un1vers-
al diffusion of information and the
exertion of kind moral influence ~
produce throughout the community comm
the conviction that the laws when
authorize the traffic in ardent spirit
as a drink by licensing men TO pur-
sue it, are morally wrong, opposed
in their influence to the laws OF GOD,
and that the public good instead OF
requiring that some men should sell
it, utterly forbids that this should bd
done by any, and that no men, OF
body of men, who understand, orhave
the means of understanding this sub
ject, can be instrumental in making
such laws without the commission
OF sin. And as such laws are moral
ly wrong, they never can be polltl'
cally right. or beneficial or exped1ent.
While Jehovah lives, righteousness
and that alone will exalt a nation;
sin in any form, and especially II
sanctioned by law, will be reproach
and a nuisance to any people. That
this is plainly and strongly the case
with the traffic, and that the laws
which authorize it are morally wrong
and In their influence opposed to the
will OF God Is manifest from the CIV
en- considerations We are tired OF
these attempts to legislate on morals.
Every man should be protected by
law in his person and property from
violence and fraud; but no man can
be protected against himself. II ne
chooses to loose his money, destroy
his health or ruin his reputation or
take his life, no law can protect MN
from doing so. In all these matters,
a man must be, law unto himself
The experience Of the world shows
that legislation is utterly inefticlenf
to make men moral. It requires
higher hawaiian was ever written
on any human statute book. The
trainers and advocates Of the gamb-
ling law may be actuated by good
motives, but they. are doomed to dis.
appointment and may have to regree'
an aggrevation of the very vile they
wish to remedy, but more anon:
Ida M. ELDER,
.e~ Press Cor. w. G. T.. Y.
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