The New York herald., 1922-05-08
MANTON QUESTIONED
IN CROWTHER REPLY
Intimates Judge Was Purpose
ly Blind at Friday Night
Class Dinner.
WHISKY SET FOR PASTOR
Declares Constitution Was De-
fled in Face Of United
States Judge.

Special Dispatch to THE New York HERALD.
PHILADELPHIA. May THE Rev. DR.
James z. Crowther paid his respects to-
night to Judge Martin T. Manton Of the
United States Circuit Court of Brook
lyn in a ~fnal word" to his congrega-
tion in Arch Street Methodist Episcopal
Church. concerning the dinner Of the
Friday Night Glass of the. Brooklyn Rid
ing and Driving Club, at which, accord
ing to the clergyman. whisky flowed 30
freely that he left without making the
speech he was scheduled to deliver.
Judge Manton had said he saw no
such scenes as DR.. Crowther described.
'I gave the simple truth IN my orig
inal statement" said Dr.. Crowther.
There is nc need either to repeat or
change 1t. The opinion of Judge Manton
is OF little value. He was not present
when the cocktails were served. and he
also arrived after the fun view of the
tables was obscured by the seated guests.
II was among the first to enter the
room. which was not large. nor were the
tables numerous, and had a clear, view
of all. There could be no mistake about
the brown bottles against the back
ground of snowy linen and shining sill
yer.
Judges Remarkable Blindness.
Judge Manton says: Tt is not true
that there was a quart of Scotch on
every table 1t is truly remarkable
what the Judge could not see. Perhaps
he did not see the quart OF whisky
within reach of his hand, nor the walters
carrying out empty bottles under his
nose, nor the waiter responding to my
energetic demand that he take away the
glass of whisky he had poured FOR me.
According to the press dispatches
the Judge says: Tt is true that liquor
was drunk. At least it appeared to me
that at one of the tables the diners were
drinking liquor. and they became lit
tie noisy. / assumed that they were
getting whatever they were drinking
from a locker OF member The Judge
may fool himself with. assumptions but
1 am dealing with facts.
"The Judge is generous enough to
concede that the Clergyman may have
seen violation aof the sVolstead act,' but
denies that there was any violation of
the Constitution. Perhaps the officers
OF the club will inform us how those
bottles got on the table without sale or
transportation and how the liquor
could be resold to the banqueters aspart
Of a feast at 81 a cover without violat-
ing the Constitution"
HE denies the remark made to me
relative to his concern over the viola
ton of law. Yet it is the only remark
the gentleman on my right did make to
me between his late arrival and my
early departure He says he saw moth
4 s,rcf fxy ha VII
Of any speaker with temperance tenden-
cics.' / believe he means what he says.
''Dr. Johnson said to Boswell, I re-
member, sir, when every decent person
in Lichheld got drunk every night and
thought the worse of them
Which simply proves that not every
yardstick has thirty~six inches. H-r.
sThe club men, while acknowledging
that drinking was going, on, deny that
Il was a feast Of Belshazzar.' They
probably misapprchend the significance
OF the story and of their own banquet.
Turn to the fifth chapter of Daniel and
read the story.
Tells story of BeIshnzzar.
.'Belshazzar made a great feast for a
thousand of his lords. They were con-
spicuous citizens. the brains of Babylon.
Whlle AenOpnOn anu n1OueIH HyHih
writer's ascribe revelry and drunkenness
to the feast the Bible is silent on the
extent of their libations. They drank
wine not whisky. Whether they were
riotous and intoxicated Is of Incidental
significance.
when the handwriting appeared on
the wall, Belshazzar sent for Daniel, a
prophet I'm whom was the spirit of the
Holy Gods to interpret the message
for those in whom were the spirits of
the unholy gods. Although Daniel was
total abstainer he did not emphasize
their intemperance- He went straight
to the heart of their crime.
They had taken the sacred vessels
Of the Temple and desecrated them for
drinking cups. In their conceit and
self-sufficiency they had assumed that,
the restraints of reverence had no appli-
cation to such influential citizens. The
sacred sanctions. of law were prostituted
to their debased appetites.
",The Feast OF Belshazzar was the en-
bodiment of the spirit of irreligion and
lawIessness which has filled the grave
yard OF empires. They were doomed
because they were fundamentally. not
Incidentally, wrong. weighed In the bal
ance and found wanting That night
proud Babylon FELL. and the blood Of
Belshazzar was mingled with the GRIM
son wine"