The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-10-02

/ But these, as natural brue beasts.
made to be taken and destroyed.
speak evil Of the things that they un-
derstand not; and snail utterly perish
in their own corruption: spots they
are and blemishes. sporting them
selves with their own deceivings while
| they feast with you, having eyes full
! of adultery, and they cannot cease
from sin; beguiling unstable souls and
hearts they have exercised with eovet-
GUS practices; cursed children; these
are wells without water, clouds that
are carried with the tempest; to
whom the mist of darkness Is reserv-
ed forever" And he winds up this
! fearful Characterization OF the ene-
mics of Gods people with the homely
| but forcfble saying: The dog Is
turned to his own vomit again: and
the SOW that was washed to her wal
lowing in the mire.'
The case of Elymas. WHO withstood
the efforts OF Paul. is an example Of
apostolic method in rebuking evil.
Paul said: 20 full of all subtlety and
all mischief. thou child of the devil,
thou enemy of all righteousness. wilt
thou not cease to pervert the right
ways of the Lord?"
Doubtless Colonel A. B. williams
considers these utterances Of st. Jude
and st. Peter and St. Paul entirely
inappropriate to be acceptable Sin the
bosoms of families" The writer might
multiply quotations setting forth the
attitude of the Master and the apostles
toward the slanderers OF the Church
and of the workers in II. While pro-
claiming in all sincerity the gospel
Of peace on earth, good will toward
men, there Is no false, mushy senti-
mentality or failure in Gods word to
discriminate between the truth and q
lie. The truth is praised and the
fellow-helpers to the truth are COM
mended. The lie is denounced and
the followers Of a lie are condemned.
In the very Sermon on the Mount, in
which the Master laid down the Col.
den Rule. and in which he command
ed, Love your enemies. bless them
that curse you. do good to them that
hate you. and pray for them that des-
pitefully use you and prosecute YOU"
he also declared: give not that which
We your pearls before swine, lest they
trample them under their feet and
turn again and rend you"
That IL exactly the position this
writer takes concerning the Times
Dispatch and other newspapers or
persons which attack the Anti-Sa1oon
League and Its workers like vicious
dogs or wild boars. 1t In utter folly
to cast ones pearls before such peo-
pie. 1t is a sacred duty to denounce
them as they deserve to be denounced,
to set forth clearly their underlying
motives, their desire to discredit and
besmirch. II possible, the men who
have defeated them in fair. open
fight before the people, and thus to
satisfy their petty malice. spite and
desire for revenge.
No organization has ever been de-
nounced, slandered, villified and actu-
ally-~cursed- as -has-tha -Anfi-Saloon
League Of America and the Anti-Sa-
loon Leagues of the various States.
The league is bitterly hated because
1t. Is greatly feared. 1t Is greatly
feared because 1t does efficient work,
No small part of its efficiency arises
from the fact that It fights tho
enemies OF humanity. whether
newspapers brewers, distillers, or
saloonkeepers. in the open, and in
In the spirit OF the gospel, ex-
poses. denounoes. and, as far as |
possible. destroys the works Of |
darkness. It does not allow its work |
or Its workers to be villified and SIAN |
dered withoutrsetting forth clearly the |
character of%those who are making |
such attacks and the utterly base and /
selfish motive underlying such at
tacks. And 1t not only has no apology 1
to make for It's methods, but It re-
joices that its methods have been so
effective as to confound tho enemy
and to destroy the power Of the IL
quor traffic in State after State of
our great country.
Just few words in conclusion.
The Times-Dispatch made a malicious
and utterly false attack upon three
ministers OF reputation and standing II
in the State OF Virginia. 1t called
ers and seekers after filthy lucre. It
would not have dared to have made
such an attack on any other three II
ministers Of equal standing and repu- II
tation in Virginia. The only reason
the paper dared to make such an at H
tack was because these ministers are
anti-saloon workers. The only rea-
son the editor Of the Evening Journal
defends the Times Dispatch is because II
these ministers are and have been II
anti-saloon workers. In last weeks
issue of the Advocate IT was clearly II
shown that these men had been Sian.
dered by the Times-Dispatch. Not II
one word of apology or retraction has II
come from either the owners or the II
editors of that paper. The three
ministers In question have survived II
anu Will continue TO survive the SIAN III
derous attacks OF the wet newspapers II
and their advertising customers the II
distillers and brewers.
But such outrageous conduct as that II
of the Times Dispatch, for which its h
owners. the Winston Brothers, are
as responsible so long as they per-
init It, as though they had personally II
written the article, will be character
ICED as II deserves to be character II
lied. and such Characterization will II
not be contrary to the teachings Of tho
Scriptures or to the example OF the
Master and his apostles, Colonel A.
b. Williams. editor OF the Richmond II
Evening Journal. to the contrary not
withstanding.
JAMES CANNON, JR.