The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-10-27
Christianity and Prohibition.

ton: Worlds temperance Sunday"
Isaiah 61:1-9.
Christianity and Prohibition.
All times and places are not alike
to Christianity. There is recurring
significance to the phrase. 1.-THE full
ness of time We who are living
today in North America are at the
in a day of destiny. It is a thread
bare commonplace that the present
is crisis period in the experience
Of humanity. Tho not always appar-
ent, certain great social ideas and eX-
periments, like prohibition and uni
versal self-government, are as truly
factor in this crisis as the onsweep
of Turkish forces into Europe.
So we should be glad that once a
year Sunday school lesson comes
around bearing the definite label,
The World 1t helps, us to think
in big terms. Most of us belong to
the class described by st. Peter as
being blind, seeing only that which
is near" On this occasion we. have
to look across our own community
limits, and beyond our national bound
aries, and take in the newly unified
and self-conscious world. This is the
day when we think or Europe and
Asia and Africa; and particularly of
certain countries much in the news,
as Russia, Sweden, Turkey; for they
are especially related TO this prohibit
ton question which the Sunday
schools set forth as a worldwide is
sue.
Seeing Straight-And Deep.
what have the church and the
hibition?" grumbles many a critic;
let them stick to preaching and
teaching the Gospel" Well, my dear
sir, that is just what they are doing.
The overloaded simple Gospel" is a
social gospel. When the Lord Jesus
began His earthly ministry in His
home town, He read as His own plat
form and message those great words
from Isaiah, which are the basis OF
this present Lesson:
THE Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
Because He appointed me to preach good
tiding to the poor:
He hath sent me to proclaim release tc
And recovering of sight to the blind.
To set at liberty them that are bruised
TO proclaim the acceptable year of the
Lord"
Many persons are not seeing
straight upon the religious side Of
temperance. They sincerely think
that the church's activity in bringing
prohibition on to the statute books
is sheer meddlesomeness and phar.
isaism. 1t is their honest opinion tina
Christians delight to deprive Other
people of pleasures to which they arr
accustomed.
AS matter of simple truth, which
anybody who knows the facts under
stands, the one reason why the church
/ is behind all temperance work is be
cause she cares profoundly for thu
like that of her Master, who cam,
with help for the poor, the hurt, tn,
captive, the blind. She wants to de
liver mankind fromal forms of evil
| among which she and all the lover
of men include strong drink. 1t il
love for the drCnkard. for his wifi,
and children, for tempted youth, anS
for national purity and strength. i'm
perilled by strong drink. that COR
strains Christians to fight the liquor
business.
When Man Says 81 Must"
In all controversy, it is importan
to get an opponents viewpoint TEN
perance people have not always un
derstood the position of the moder
ate drinker, and especially the on,
with habits brought over from Eu
rope. Even more true is it that tn,
real spirit of church folk is not ap
preciated by the advocates of liquor
They fall to discern that high mora
impulsion which makes a man a re.
former, q crusader, a martyr.
The perfect example of this was ir
the sense of mission which filled
the mind of Jesus. It made him
stand up before his old friends and
neighbors in Nazareth, and before the
members of his own family, and de-
clare himself a sent man. So long
as he confined himself to helpful gen.
civilizations, tie home folks only
marvelled at his wisdom. But when
he made the application to local con-
ditions, they tried to lynch hint Still
Jesus stood fast by his purpose. for
the fear of man never touched him
While the church was busy with
sermonizing and practicing the pas
sive virtues, everybody applauded her.
But just as soon as she began to APP
ply her principles to existing social
conditions, the squealing and howl
ing began. Business does not want
the church to have anything to do
with labor conditions or wages. Land