The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-01-21

part of the Church which we repre-
sent to take on fresh courage and
fresh vigor in the warfare against in
temperance and lawlessness and their
allied evils; and, to this end, that they
give increased cooperation to those
movements which are clearly making
for temperance, Acknowledgements, the
abolition of the saloon, the consequent
diIninutton of crime and poverty, and
for the moral and social betterment of
the community" Carried.
BY all means, then, every Episco-
pal minister who believes that Prohi-
bftion is moral issue ought to speak
and work for it with all his might,
both in the pulpit and out of it. But
the connection of the pulpit with the
subject, as politics, is not a question
of right and duty, but simply one of
Christian expediency, where the issue,
as politics, may divide and destroy a
whole congregation or whole
Church.
Many ConscientiousIy Differ.
2. But there is also another view
Of the matter. /
'eProhibition,'' especially as politics,
is by no means a simple issue. There
are many questions connected with it
about which men may fairly and con
sscientiously differ. For example: ma
tio1-wi6fe'' or -"State-wide'' prohibition
or more restricted local option''-the
moral right or wrong in itself of the
manufacture and sale of Liquor
whether the saloon is altogether an
iunnnitigated evil, etc. Some men may
stand for personal rights and racial
customs, and the nights of large mi
nority as against a bare majority, and
may even differ about the practical
possibility Of emf orcings prohibition
and the moral effect of failure to do
SO.
Again, no question but communi-
ty has right to protect itself by legis-
latfon against any general menace to
its peace and prosperity, and this as
against any mere personal rights and
interests in the case. But there may
be a fair question as to the best pub
lie policy in such a case-viz-, wheth-
er repression or regulation. All of US
would like to see ttthe social evil''
stamped out completely and forever,
If lit could be done. But police au-
thorites differ decidedly, even while
recognizing the evil to the full, as to
whether segregation and strictly regu-
uated federation is not really greater
social security than attempted dissipa-
ton to points where the evil would
still go on secretly and without any
control So, in this matter before us,
there may be a question, even between
good men, to whether Prohibition
or High License is the safer or more
just social policy.
Are the Churches Working at
the Right End OF This Matter?
And then still another fundamental
GUEST on-of moral reform as against
any form of legal repression. Here
IS the vast evil of personal intempe-
rance, the sin of drunkenness, as old
as the world. Here is the whole bust
ness of making and selling liquor.
which, when you have said your best
for it, certainly carries with it such
an endless train of evils, personal do
mestic, social and political But is
Prohibition the only effective and
really permanent remedy for all these
evilss Are the Chur ches, as a mat
ter of moral and religious duty, work.
ing to-day at the right end Of the
matter? isn't the Church,s first Cos
pei duty to deal with and save the
drunkard HIMSELF? Who that is if-.
ty years old does not remember the.
wonderful good done by Father Mat
thew in preaching temperance, resi-
cuing and reforming drunkards and
working an almost nationwide moral
reformation by his great Temperance
revival or the same real and noble
kind of work done later by John b.
Cough and Francis Murphy? Who
does not know the steady, success
full work being done all thes time by
the Roman Church in her Total ABB
be that if all the time and strength
now given to Prohibition were spent
in temperance revivals. in. reaching
and reforming individual drunkards.
and in creating a public opinion reso-g
1uteIy opposed to drink-wouId not
such movement carry everybody
with it, and might it not. be that by
such means far the larger part of the
liquor trade would eventually be put
out of business?
Two sides to Question.
At any rate. here are all these ques-
tons about which even Christian men
may conscientious1y differ and vote
accordingly as citizens. Must cIer-
gynnan, then, however he regards and
deals with Prohibition as a question
of morals. be rated as less than a
Christian if he declines to commit
either himself or his congregation to
either side OF the question, as one of
politics?
Let every man be fully persuaded
in his own mind But why dost
thou Judge thy brother? Or why
dost thou set at snaught thy brother? q
For we shall all stand before the judg-
ment seat of God. So then every
one Of us shall give an account of
himself to God.''-( Rom. LAD
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