The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-07-20
THERE IS SINGLE
STRAIGHT ISSUE
TOR PROHIBITION. AGAINST PRoHi-
BITIoN, LOCAL OPTION NOT
QUESTION.
DIR. CHRISTIAN SPEAKS
--------------------
"HE THAT is NOT WITH ME is
! AGAINST ME" TEXT OFF ABLE
! sERMoN ON THE CAM
| PAIGN.
DIR. CHRISTIAN SPEAKS

| Can Christian be true to his
| Lord and vote to continue the liquor
! traffic, or can he be neutral in the
battle against this great evil?"
F. DR.. Ashby Christian took sthis as
/ the subject of his sermon at Union
Station Methodist church last night.
| His text WAS Math 1880; He that is
| not with me is against me"
! DR. Christian said that in his judg-
men no more important question had
come before the people OF Virginia,
and none more important would come
before them than this question of the
| Punishment OF the liquor traffic. In
| this question are scores of other aues-
| tions concerning industry, property,
| good order, sobriety, home, life,
character. destiny and God.
| 1t had been considered from many
points OF view He proposed now 10
consider 1t from the standing point Of
| individual responsibility Of the Chris
/ tian, He had selected the simple and
profound truth spoken by Jesus when
| his enemies tried to confound his work
with the work of the devil.
| II do not propose to answer this
question ex cathedra," said DR. Chris
| tian, cor to give my individual opinion,
! for ii Is worth no more than your
4 IL,
facts in the light of Scripture and thus
reach an answer. II the reasoning is
family. / shall like to know wherein 1t
! is faulty.
| III has been correctly aaid there
are two sides to every question; 10
every question of morality and right
eousness there are ermphatically two
sides, the right side and the wrong
side; the side OF Christ and the side
lgyF ic mr. nl9ca
expediency or temporizing there, no
shifting or lodging; We are on one
side or the other.
For what fellowship hath right
eousness with unrighteousness; what
communion hath light with darkness;
what concord hath Christ with
Satan?" | ask the simple question,
FIN this battle against the saloon, on
which side is Christ and on which
side IS the devil?
Misleading Statement
but the liquor traffic and their
allies and defenders, the Local Self
Government association, say ii is a
question Of prohibition against local
option. 10 they expect To deceive
anybody by this moonshinef They
know that when that snare and de-
iusion was put upon the ballot -
muddy the water and confuse the
lSSIt IU6 temperance ptOpie iouShi
to have local option taken off of the
ttuf1et and tire tzsrre stretareis stated
For prohibition Against pro-
hibition."
How could it he for prohibition
or local option when nineteen TWEEN
teths OF the State Is already under
rrohfhitlon2 No, there Is single
straight issue--shall we Danish the
liquor traffic from Virginia or shall we
continue to license the saioon2 Then
on which side is Christ and on which
liz the devil? Try by the fundamen-
tay test given by Jesus: BY their
fruits We shah know them Consider
the fruitage OF the kingdom Of heav-
en-, temperance, sobriety, peace. right
eousness. all that is true. good and
beautiful Consider the fruits of the
liquor traffic-blasphem dishonesty,
adultery. drunkenness, debaucheTy,
sorrow, crime doom and despair,
Judging by their fruits on which
side Is Christ and on which side the
devil?
"If you needed a further test YOU
could tell by the company that are
on either side. Fighting the saloon is
every true mother, pure womanhood.
ministers of the gospel, devoted Chris
tians and every Protestant church and
others, The Methodist began IN 1888
to wage warefare upon the cursed
business arid she has continued TO this
good time. The churches are against
the liquor traffic
WHO stand for the saloon? Wicked
and ungodly men and the vicious of
every class, the drunkard, the thief.
the criminal the gambler, the liber-
tine, the harlots One of our city Of
fIcials is reported 10 have said every
one knew that liquor was sold in the
houses of sin in Richmond, ON which
side IS Christ and on which side is
the devil? Can there be any possible
doubt as to where he is? Then to be
with Christ is To be against the saloon
and to be against Christ is to be with
the saloon. Where therefore should
Christian be-
Paradoxical Position
Some say, Il am not with the sa-
loon. | only give my Influence ana my
presence and the use of my name and
my vote in favor of the continuation
of the liquor traffic and against pro-
hibition.'
IF that is not allying ourselves with
the saloon and its crowds against
Christ and His company, then how can
one be against Christ. How can a
Christian be true to his Lord and vote
and WORK for the liquor traffic which
IL in league with the devil and against
Christ? But says one, If prohibition
would prohibit l would vote for it,.
Why not give the doubt to the side Of
righteousness. you have given the GER
tainty to the curse of the liquor traf-
flc long enough. If the Christian -
sincere in trying to do the will OF
Christ, why not give the righteous
cause OF prohibition good trial?
"But who says prohibition does not
prohibit? DO the churches in prohihi-
ton States declare against it, Do the
ministers? DO the sunday schoolsf Do
the religious people? No The liquor
traffic, their friends, allies and defend
ers. scour the earth to flnd some infracc..
ton of the prohibition laws and
tragedy and distort what information
49,, ana ptYhlixh il - 6uhf fbn