The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-04-13
DOMAIN OF TEMPERANCE.
THE CAUSE OF TOTAL ABsTIN-
ENCE.

st. Basil gives some examples OF the
evils OF intemperance and OF the bles-
sings OF temperance, writes the Very
Rev. M. A. Landing in the Pittsburg
observer. While Moses was making
his forty days fast and receiving the
Commandments on the Mount for the
children OF Israel, they made an idol.
and rising early in the morning
offered sacrifices to it. "And the peo-
pie sat down to eat, and to drink, and
they rose up to play" When Moses,
coming down from the mount, heard
the singing, and saw the idol, and the
dances, being very angry, he threw the
tables Of the Commandments out of
his hand, and he broke them at the
foot of the mount. He afterwards
sent armed Levites through the midst
OF the camp, back and forth, and they
slew about three and twenty of these
idolatrous drunkards Eek. xxxii. 10.
2O. "The people sat down to eat, and
to drink, and rose up to play" That
one fit of drunken frenzy, says the
saint, on the part of the people made
void and Of no effect all the toll and
patience of the forty days, during
which the servant of God had tasted
and prayed increasingly. To the fast
had been given the tables of stone
written on by the finger of God: the
feast's work was to break them, by
the hand of the most holy prophet,
who deemed nation of drunkards a
nation unfit to receive law from God.
What made the mighty Samson irwin
chile? asks the saint The fast made
man of him. The angel of the Lord
commanded his mother, saying: She
may not eat of anything that cometh
from the vine, neither let her drink
wine or strong drink Judges xiii, 10,
14). Fasting is the mother of
prophets, and the strength and stay
of mighty men. 1t is fasting which
maketh man strong to strive against
temptation, and which is to goodness
as fenced city; even fasting whose
fellow is soberness, and her work tenn
perance. Fasting maketh a Naraite
to be holy, and priest to be perfect
Archbishop MacEvilly, of Tuam, Ire
land, also has spoken on the same sub
jects of drink and temperance. or total
abstinence rather. Commenting on
the admonition of St. Paul: "And be
no drunk with wine, wherein is lux
ury' (Eph. v. 49,, says that where
in" may refer either to wine" or to
the phrase drunk with wine," sis
luxury" This, he continues, is liter
ally true of drunkenness, and of wine,
if taken to excess. 1t is hard to sup
pose that drunkard can be chaste
1t would appear to be here revealed, at
least by implication that he cannot
Would that these strong drink
ers of wine weighed well this truth of
which sad experience must have con-
vinced them. "Woe to you that are
mighty to drink wine, and stout men
at drunkenness" Isais v 22). Total
abstinence is, undoubtedly, most meri-
torious in the sight of God, and to be
encouraged by all means. Again, he
says, commenting on Titus ii. 6, this
is the fourth time he (St. PauD in
culcates sobriety Tin that chapter).
1t is needless to remark that sobriety
is necessary accompaniment of
chastity. St. Jerome says: 81 shall
never believe a drunkard to be
chaste" And on Timothy ", SO, the
Archbishop observes that it is clear
that Timothy altogether abstained
from the use of wine, and drank water
only, knowing well how useful abstin-
ence is to preserve chastity. st. Paul
had just said: Keep thyself chaste'';
still he did not wish him to continue to
adopt means for that end which would
prove injurious to his health. such as
total abstinence from wine. He tells
him to "use little wine," evidently
insinuating, by the quantity recon-
mended that it would not be his sole
drink, but only taken when diluted
with water. And from the example of
Timothy, he says, it is clear, If health
did not interfere, that it would be far
more perfect to abstain from it alto
gether. Temperance is very neces-
sary. and should be earnestly
recommended both by word and ex-
ample.