The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1922-12-15

Alcoholism, tx
The great fundamental purpose of the
Christian church is the making of
disciples of Jesus Christ, and this is not
a theoretical, but an intensely practical
aim. 1t does not end with the public
confession of individual belief in the ex.
istence of God, or intellectual assent to
the prominence of the character and per-
sonality of Jesus. "The devils also be-
lieye and tremble." The aim of the
Christian religion is to bring every
thought of the individual and finally of
society "into captivity to Christ" so
that the teaching and the example of
Jesus will dominate the thinking, the
air, and the conduct of all lfe--business,
Ssocial, domestic and devotional >. Jesus
and all his apostles preached the beauty,
the glory, the effectiveness of the gospel
of love, and at the same time denounced
with unparalleled plainness of speech the
lantagonism of Jesus and his true fol-
Towers to all forms of evil, and the duty
of all genuine Christians to love, and to
live life of sacri1cial love.
This statement of principles upon
which the Church OF Jesus Christ is
sounded seems to be fundamental to any
proper estimate of the NECESSARY at
titude of the Christian church toward
the Prohibition of the traffic in intoxi-
eating liquors. Jesus Christ gave to his
disciples simple but acid test by which
they could judge the nature of q tree.
f''Ye shall know them by their fruits"
&. Judged by this simple test, is the
traffic in intoxicating liquors good
tree, or is it a corrupt tree? Does it
bring forth good fruit, or does it bring
forth evil fruiti .l.. A balance sheet,
showing the inevitable effects, the awful
effects of the traffic in intoxicants
struck in any town, OF city, or state, or
balance is always on the wrong side of
the ledger. Not one single item of pro-
fit can, after fair analysis, be placed on
the credit side, while on the debit side are
increased taxes, paupers, lunatics, idiots,
widows and orphans, harlots and crimi-
nails, murderers and damned souls, and
the final auditor of this balance sheet
Is not maudlin sentiment, fanatical
Riritanism, or historical women, but the
employers of labor of all kinds. the man.
ayers of great railroads, manufacturing
plants and coal mines, and in the United
States the highest judiciary-the Su.
preme Court-which through the mouth
of Justice Stephen j. Field declared forty
years ago that the traffic in intoxicants
is the most prolific source of insanity,
misery, vice and crime, and no man OF
any prominence in business, social, or
governmental life has ever yet had the
audacity to question the awful accuracy
of that decision. And whatever might
be other judgments, judged by her Mas
ter's standard, the Church of Christ must
declared the traffic in intoxicants to be
corrupt tree, because IT bringeth forth |
evil fruit, and therefore it should be |
hewn down and cast into the fire.
By what method, or methods, should !
the Church of Christ endeayor to hew |
down this corrupt tree and cast it into |
the fret The church, as an organi-
cation, should never attempt to legislate |
for the nation. There should be no such |
identification OF the organization of the
church with the organization of the state
as to limit the proper spheres of action
OF either form of organization. But it is
equally true that the members of the
various Christian denominations are citi-
zens of the nation, and they are, there
fore, responsible for social and moral
conditions and for laws upon the statute
books, so far as those conditions and /,
laws can be affected by their voice and
vote
The teaching of Jesus has been as the
leaven hid in the bosom of human So
ciety, which has developed slowly, but
surely, a great social conscience, which
today more and more brushes aside, with
out hesitation. any claim of any indi-
vidual in any station in life to perform
any action, or to enjoy any privilege,
which act or privilege is a menace TO
the comfort safety. or life, of other
members of the community to which he
belongs.
And following out this teaching of
Jesus, OF the duty of all men to consider
Lnx- - e4l |
Nv year we see fresh curtailment of the
rights of the individual and more care