The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-06-08
DOMAIN OF TEMPERANCE
DRUNKENNESS.

SurIelLmS ana drunkenness, and the
cares of this life (Luke xxi, BAD
These words of Our Lord recorded
by st. Luke, contain very direct adj
monition against intemperance and its
associate vices. Gluttony and drunk
enness are closely allied, in as much
as the former is generally associated
with excessive eating, and the latter
is used to denote excess in intoxicat-
ing drink. Not only from religious
standpoint, but from medical science,
st. Luke knew and could teach the in
furious effects on the human system
produced by the, unrestrained gratifi-
cation Of the appetites. His knowl-
edge of these matters was evidently
recognized by those associated with
him in preaching the Gospel, for st.
Paul speaks of him as ''the beloved
physician" lColossians iv, IA.
There are many passages of Holy
Scripture that show forth the dangers
OF drunkenness. In the Old Tesla
ment we read that Noe and Lot we're
both taught by sad experience the
shame and degradation arising from
the loss of self-control through the ex-
cessive use of intoxicating drinks. No
sanction can be found in the Bible for
the opinion that intemperance is
pardonable weakness. 1t is very long
time ago, indeed, since this vice of
drunkenness was first condemned by
the authorized teachers of religion.
Among the vices it is properly CLASH
fed with gluttOny, which is one of
the seven deadly sins.
The Apostles sent forth by Our
Lord to teach all nations strenuously
inculcated the duty of sobriety and
watchfulness on each individual Chris
tian. st. Peter and st. Paul especi-
ally insist on this personal vigilance
as being of the utmost importance.
Being sober, hope perfectly for that
grace which is offered you at the reve-
lation of Jesus Christ. Be sober and
watch, because your adversary, the
devil, as roaring lion goeth about,
seeking whom he may devour" (First
Epistle of st. Peter, v, 8-13). LET
us watch and be sober, having on the
breastplate of faith and charity, and
for helmet the hope of salvation" Il
Thess., v, $50. For the grace of God
our Saviour hath appeared to all men,
instructing us that, renouncing i'm
piety and worldly desires, we should
live soberly, and justly, and piously
in this world" (Titus ii, 81.
A great doctor of the Church, st.
Augustine, in the fourth century de-
clared that there were at that time
drunkards, plenty of them, and that
people had grown accustomed to speak
of drunkenness, not only without
horror, but even with levity. This
condition of things was brought about
by the vicious teachings of the pagans,
who sanctioned every form of sensual
qualification, In one of his sermons
st. Augustine uses these words: The
heart of the drunkard has lost all
feeling. When a member has no feel
ing. it, may be considered dead and cut
off from the body. Yet we sometimes
are lenient, and can only employ
words. We are loath to excommuni-
cate and cast out of the Church; for
we fear lest he who is chastised
should be made worse by the chas-
tisement. And though such are al
ready dead in soul, yet, since Our
Physician is Almighty, we must not de-
Spair of them"
Again in a letter to bishop, writ
ten in the year 1893, st. Augustine re-
fers to the intemperance then preva-
lent in the city of Carthage. "The
pestilence," he says, lis of such
magnitude that it seems to me it can
not be cured except by the authority
of council. Or at least if one church
must begin, it should be that of Garth
age. 1t would seem like audacity to
try to change what Carthage retains"
Then he proceeds to urge that the
movement against intemperance be
conducted in the spirit of meekness,
saying: 81 think that these abuses
must be removed, not imperiously, nor
harshly, by instruction rather than
command, by persuasion rather than
by threats. It is thus one must act in
multitude; we may be severe toward
the sins of the few"
From the words just quoted we see
that st. Augustine was justly opposed
to the indiscriminate condemnation Of
a multitude for the sins of few. And
it is very necessary to bear this in
mind while dealing with the vice of in
temperance, which is SO widely preya-
lent at the present time. The crimes
of drunkards are frequently exposed
to view in the columns of newspapers.
yet the unvarnished truth is seldom
stated concerning those who cooperate
with them in the nine ways of being
accessory to another's sin; and this
means especially those who, in cities
infected with intemperance, keep sa-
looms, and those who invite men to
drink whom they have reason to fear
will abuse it. We know that there are
leaders in the ways of vice, as well as
in the ways of virtue. Special severity
is needed with those who deliberately
persist in doing wrong with malice
aforethought. Men who strive to make
laws to defend iniquity, who teach and
foster vice for1their own personal prof
it, may properly be called blind leaders
of the blind, whose fate has already