Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-10-23
ONE BRANCH OF THE TREE

Nine days from today the SAFE "
snir;tons or malt liquors within tne
state of Virginia will be unlawful
The community has during the past
two years been preparing Tor TINS
transition, and the advent OF NO
vember LIST is anticipated with eager
ness by the majority who voted the
Old Dominion dry in 1914. Anothsf
class, who questioned the aoVisaoii-
itv of the law, are equally ANXIOUS
n see the statute put into effect
and most of those who voted against
ire enactment are now clamorous Tor
;ts enforcement in letter and in spirit.
Tbirtv-seven years ago what was
known as the Reform CLUB Oh
Alexandria was fourishing. There
vero about six hundred names on
tbe roster. The organization. heiu
it's meetings in the building now useo
Z by the Barrett Press on faiflaA
street, near King. There were nigh'-
Nv meetings, and on Sundays the eN-
,ercises we're of a strictly religious
Z, nature. Nearly all the ministers oil
the city We'd in perpetuating the prin-
ciples of the organization and much
GOOD was accomplished. Numbers OF
nersons who previously had but 1T
h,tle control of their appetites were
members Of this club, and number
were faithful unto death.
During the career of the Reform
Club" Rev. William Dinwiddie, pas
tor of the Second Presbyterian
Church of this city, was invited TO
deliver an address before the or
eanization.. Mr.. Dinwiddie uttere
MANY true words during his address
and announced his hearty co-opera-
ton with the organization in warrlhg
against King Alcohol, but ne SAID
abstaining from intoxicants was
cutting but one limb from the upas
tree which had poisoned the 1alien
CONS of Adam. He told his hearers
there were ether limbs equally as
dangerous which should be Topped
off. and he named a number Of hu-
man failings.
The above incident was brought to
mind by reading today the remarks
of Rev. DR.. Bernard J. Mcnamara,
assistant pastor of St. Patrick's
Catholic Church of Baltimore, at
Yesterday mornings services.
Among ether things he said.
sDrink is not the cause Of all pow
erty, misery and crime in the world
The first reason of poverty is because
God has in His providence ordained
that poverty should always be. The
poor you have always with you. An
other reason Every cogent at pres
ent) is mans selfshness and avarlce.
Peculiar business methods are re-
sponsib1e for most of the poverty OF
today. Men do not seem to have any
conscience when the people need the
products they control. We see the
meat barons dividing 400 per cent.
profits and the poor are paying thu
price. They must eat to live and
those who control the goods force
them to pay the price. There is a
chief cause Of poverty.
:sNot drink but money is the root
of all evil. Adam and Eve had 10
wine press, but they committed the
sin that involved US all. Judas fell
by avaricc, not by drink. Christ was
betrayed by envy and not by the fury
of drink.
Divorce, race suicide and birth
control are responsible for far more
misery and crime than drink. What
made France able to muster only
30000.000 against Germany's 67,"
100000 at the beginning of the great
war? 1t was not drink; it was race
suicide and birth control, the curse
of the French nation, as well as theS1
curse of of nation. ) aI
"TodasSsRs world is going crazy
ever fads. There are too many man
made commandments and too little
attention .tqs the commandments Of
Cod &