Norwich bulletin., 1913-11-24
AN iRREPREsSIBLE CONFLICT
 WITH THE SALOON
Forced Upon the Church to Save It's Missions, Says Rev. Hervey Wood at Central Baptist Church.

The Irrepressible Conflict Between the Church and the Saloon was the soplc Tor strong address given on sunday at the morning service at the central Baptist church by Rev. Hervey Wood of New York, superintendent and financial secretary for the temperance work Of the general convention of the Bapt1st churches of North America Rev pr. J. B. Slocum. pastor of the church, Is a member of the conyen- tlons committee on temperance.
 Rev. MT Wood began his address with reference to the fact that he was native Yorkshireman, but a thoroughly converted American now, and he had the highest admiration for the Puritans, and in sending them to New England God had selected the grandest men in the world to form the backbone of America. The speaker said he had been with the Baptists for the last six years in temperance work and now 22 denominations are banded together to fight intemperance, while the missionary societies find that they are compelled to take up the fight against intem perance to save their missions. Wherever the missionary goes, there the liquor traffic is at his heels and united fight of the mis- s1onary societies is necessary to save foreign missions from destruction.
 Africa is saturated with alcohol, said one missionary, and after 20 years Of his labor on the field he has come home with whitened hair and saddened spirit because his people are debauched by common gin and New England rum Two million gallons were sent from Boston to the west coast of Africa in a year A converted African native. seeing a vessel arrive with one missionary as a passenger and 400 barrels of Medford rum in the hold, sent this message to the Baptists of America: Tell the Bap lists of America you can never hope to convert Africa as long as you send New England rum. How long will it be before the country is depopulated rather than evangelical?
 One bright spot in the picture is that the present ruler of Belgium has granted 8 request for the absolute prohibition Of the sale of liquor in Belgian territory on the west coast of Africa and that four African states have passed prohibitory laws.
 It's a question of wipfng out the liquor traffic or it will wipe out the Caucasian race, declared the speaker. It is the greatest foe of missionary work
 Speaking of the bills appearing in state legislatures for the opening of saloons, workshops and other commer cial enterprises on Sunday, Rev. MT Wood declared there wasn't an Ameri- can name that appeared on the list in the petition and that the church must save the Lords day or it is all off with the republic. He showed a free beer ticket which had been distributed to school children by brewery in Wash ington, Pa, and he said that 95 per cent. of the men in the wholesale liquor business in this country were Russian Jews, while 95 per cent. of the retailers were foreigners. It looks as if it will be a question as to whether we shall see men of the European peasant class in control of our Ameri- can cities.
 He referred to figures issued by Dr. Alexander McNickle of New York af- ter an investigation of New York school children and said that the fig ures showed that 37 1-2 per cent. of the children had an inherited appetite for drink and that 75 per cent. suf- fered from mental and physical defects through drink. He urged that we should kill this business that is de- bauching our girls and our boys
 At the conclusion of his address he received contributions and pledges for the work of the organization. He also spoke at the session of the City Bible class and was given an enthusiastic reception for his forceful arguments.
 Tn the evening he spoke at the First Baptist church upon the topic The Church to the Rescue.