Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-07-11

Montesquieu's words come into oil
as we read the book. "Reli;
ion and Drink" but lately written /
DR.. e. A. WATSON, rector of st. ST.
phen's Protestant Episcopal Churc
this city. The profound French. phi
said, at n cherche cett
liberte qu' apres 1 avoir meconnue
DR.. WATSON asks and expects a ia
examination of his work. and 1t
we'll that his purpose in writing sue
a book-its appropriate title woul
De, Liberty of Drinking" paraphras
ing the title of a far greater book
should be set forth. To do this thel
Is no better way, than to quote D
Wasson's prospectus in full. Her
It is;
That Jehova and Jesus. that apos
ties and prophets. that the primitive
church and the church fathers. that
the medieval church, that all the
fathers of the Reformation-Luth
Calvin. Knox and the Anglican di
vines-as well as such plus followers
of theirs as John Bunyan and the
author of Swiss Family Robinson"
used alcoholic beverages (Jehovah de
handing them In the worship offered
HIM and approved, commended and
to certain extent commanded their
use--all this and more is deducted by
Rev. DIR. Il. A. WATSON in his book,
"Reli gion and Drink" It purports to
be an unbiased examination of the
Bible and of church history in this
field. Whether his conclusions are
justified or not. the book has this
feature-that all the evidence is
clearly SET forth, with its sources
plainly indicated. so that anyone can
coo Ind for hffnGolf
II is startling to be told that the
first act of Jesus's public ministry
was the making and serving of alco-
holic wine, and that His last act, on
the cross, was the drinking of alco-
holic wine. Again, can 1t be true
that Martin Luther and his wife ran
n private brewery, and tnar he de-
clared alcoholic drink 20 rank next to
the Lords prayer and a good heart
as solace in troublef
Equally startling are the drinking
habits and drinking principles that
the writer imputes to the fathers OF
Methodism. If his citasions are cor
rect John Wesley pronounced alco-
holie wine zone Of the noblest cor
dials in nature He gave up its use,
indeed. for two years In his early
ministry as an act OF self denial
But as soon as he found that people
mistook his motive, surprising his
teetotalism to be matter of prin--
ciple, Wesley promptly resumed
drink. TO prove that it was not
matter of principle. christianity.
he said, docs not require absu-
nence.r And he continued the use OF
alcoholic wine and beer to the end
of his long life. His brother, Charles
Wesley, likewise.
Rev. George Whitefeld, the great
est of Methodist preachers, severely
denounced the prohibition of rum in
Georgia. When starting on a yoy-
age he gratefully accepted supply
of wine and ale. Thomas Coke, the
first bishop of Metnodism,. complains
in his journal that thieving sailors
had abstracted sundry BOTTLES OF ex--
cellent old rum that his friends nau
given him. Bishop Frames AsDury,
the father of American Method1sm,
is quoted by DR.. WATSON as teach
ing in a sermon, "lt Is proper 10
drink, but not to excess" If all this
is correct the curious result follows
that the Wesleys, Coke, Whitehead
and Asbury could not be received to-
day in the membership of any church
in the denomination that they
founded.
sReligion and Drink" quotes plen-
tifuIly from 'Pilgrim's Progress TO
show that the pilgrims were cheered
and invigorated on their way TO the
Celestial city by alcoholic wine and
spirits.
DR.. WATSON as lin it's communion Of
feel pronouncing wine to be noly
zift' and as invoking God TO 'Dless
and sanctify' it, This church is fur
Their declared to require of its boys
aud girls, before coming TO connrma-
ton. to learn and believe tnat wine
strengthens and refreshes the BODY
pr. WATSON ascribes the increasing
sobriety of the present day TO indus
trial changes rather than to the tenn
perance propaganda. He cites gov
eminent figures to show that Win
the growing temperance in the use OF
drink there is at the same time ~
this country an increasing per eaplea
consumption, and he predicts that
these tendencies, If continued, VIII re-
sult in eyerybody's drinking and no
body's getting drunk.
He declares, too, tnat the govern
ment figures for divorce and Tor
church membership In the old time
prohibition States of Maine, Kansas
hibition is injurious to family ana
church. For the period 1887 -l9Oo
Maine had ! divorce to 9 marriages;
Kansas. | to o; North Dakota, l TO
10; whereas the ratio for the entire
country was l to 1914 and for wide
open New Jersey to 10, the pest II
the country Maine and Kansas are
also declared to be very deficient IN
the matter of church membership.
mt the unkindest cut of all is the
authors declaration that missionaries
from the dry" sections regularly
swarm the great wet centres LOT
contributions to keep their dry re-
He concludes what may be called
the evidence from the texts with this
sweeping and bold request, wnlcn
will no doubt be promptly taken up:
TO name one single leader In the
church of God not PROGRESSED as.
celtic. throughout the entire history OIL
Revelation, from the call OF Abraham
To fine wear 1900 after Christ, who re-
trained from alcoholic drink or coun-
saIed others to refrain from 1t on the
ground that 1t was wrong.
The final pages. ann 20 snow thae
the religion of the Bible relies on
character rather than coddling, and
thot its ideal is q moral sense so
trained as freely. to choose the good
and reject the bad. nj.
hook the word drink means the
alcoholic beverages spoken OF In the
Bible and other alcoholc beverages
no more hazardous.
Dr WATSON, in the preface OF n
nook. says lldtt dS Aoa ee' 80
,is ,s the first examination of TIL
question on so extensive scale in I'll
sneIish language. This is probabl
rue.
Thus far, westhink, the views OF d
Wasson have had fair" presen
nent But before concluding tn
portion of the review, the opinion
Dr., WATSON regarding the weak or in
,briate brother should be offered Il
public Judgment. A quotation frol
he hook will best give it. Agail
lere it is;
Gas a German theologian, Eichorl
aid we must not use our libert
yet remuneration is not ur
united. If it were it would confirl
he weak in their mistake; the stron
would be hindered in their progress
md the truth denied.
"The requirement that we shout
ourselves to the wea
must. therefore, be confined with tn
we must lead the weak to trut
md strength. Our rule must be al