Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1912-03-28
The Burden Of the Bar-Roon
From a7Re Presbyterian, > Onta,lo,

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The charge brought aoainaE the bar.
4 room, backed by generations Of sorrow.
ful history, IS, that it IS the breeding.
4 place and rendezvous Of cornmunitvss
vulgarity and hoodlumism. To that i'm.
j peachment there NAV be added that the
business Of the bar-room is. BIZ its yery
nature, an industrial. social and moral
burden on the community that supports
! II, for which no license revenue COM
pensates IN the least degree.
/ II Il truly wondarfnl for How l.,,,o, :
thine the bar.roo,,, has hean sI,s q t 4;
| the communities 3 the b,,rdenson,a ,b.,-
Iacter of is onarat;ons Ana vet 4 e
eyerpwhare. and always AZ economic
burden, II is 4 sound maxim Of nol;t.
| icaI economy that anvtbinr which does
not produce something valuable o.
stimulate the production Of something
valuable is burdensoma in it's onerationa
/ AupIv the maxim to the mills and fac-
tories and industriaI tradas and th.v
stand its tests. for thew All taka raw
material of little yal,,e and convert q
into articles of increased value to the
community: thev produce something
valuable. Amply that maxim 10 mer-
camille institutions, to the grocery store
OF tne cry gooos mousse or the machinery
ware room, ana tney meet It's demands;
tney stlmuiate the proouction OF some
tning valuable. SO 90 the educational
institutions, the art galleries, the H
Drarles, the colleges and the churches;
tney create higher Ideals and awaken
loisler ampitions ana inspire co worthy
service; tney stimuiate the production
OF something valuable. but apply that
maxim 10 the RAF-room and 1t IS found
wanting. The bar-rooni does not pro-
quee the liquors with Whlch IT trades.
Neither does its trade help the produc.
tive power OF Its eAstomera BY giving
strength 70 the hand or steadlness to
the eye OF clearAess to the brain or
courage to the heart. 1t neither pro-
duces, as the manufacturer does, nor
stimulates usefQi production as the
merchant does, nor inspires to worthier
living az the teacher does. 1t is an
economic burden on the community
that supports It.
Not only "a h,,t tha hor.roon, hoo
avarvwbara and alwavs nroved ;+s .
nos;tiva enar,v - aocietv and q al M,
social and indnatria, ent arnr;sas of the
community Every dollar anent 4 The
har.roono i = IA av,,a,,ao - t,,,,,a In,
nrovement or of henerolence ror Il
,.it,,dra W., from, tbs ran;tal ~ I.us,;.
mate. hus,nasa and no ,sturn q m.da
e;tbar l. xervtca ~ ~ t;fe Evarv mai.
ran os m har.roo,n IA sooner. or later
u,s,azd,ad in h;s bah;ts reduced in his
wnrkiny force. robbed Of physica3.
mental and social mower. made iess ,,ae-
full 10 his family and to the community.
And every victim of the bar.roono. 9
snccpss bas heen taken from the ranks
of the commuuitv's workers AID chang
ed from PRODUCER. whose life, was q
blessing. to a parasite whose life is a
burden. The thousand who have lost
their situations through Incorporate
habits. the thousands CT drunken and
dissolnte out. off, works who depend on
friends or ON public charity for their
sunnort .he thousands Of criminals who
crowd o1r goals and prisons and penal
institutions, brought there directly Or
indirectly through drink, the tnousancs
and tens OF thousands OF the unnt ana
the unfortunate, IN our asylums ana
out Of them, who have inherited the
drunkard's entail OF diseased blood and
shattered nerves and imbeclle Dram ana
defiled heart-ali these might have been
brain workers or bread-Winners, con-
trlbutlng their quota TO the country 8
wealth; but they were reduced by the
bar-room, and now they are not only q
burden but curse. Is it any wonder
that sane men who think at all serious
~ about the problems OF population and
industry now pressing upon Canada.
should ask that no quarter be given 10
an institution that destroys thousands
Il of the nOIlIIlAtiun we have. that h2ndi-