The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-17
ITALIAN PRINCESS
 ; BETROTHAL } DENIED
Vatican Circles Discredit Rumor i Of Mafalda's' Engagement


 ROME, Feb. 18.--Repexts that the Princess Mafalda, secon daughter of the King and Queen, ~1lf be married to Prince Nicholas of Rnmania < were discounted in vatican circles in state ments to the United Rrsss stoday, E It was pointed out that the @marriase would entail abrogation of the Princess, right to succession to the throne, which never has been done by As member of the House of Saroie and senly once by . Catholic princess, sl.s s3i 55 :, ment of his home. The ststements of this protective section 4rt simple but very comprehensive Thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not commit adultery; thou shalt not, steal."' In the observ- ance of these three simple laws, every man lives in peaceful enjoyment of life, in the quiet confidnce of an un- molested home and in the safe and sure possession of all that he has accumu- lated. With life, home and all property secure, there is . chance for all the wealth of society. Destroy any of these laws and you weaken them all. If you destroy his life, he needs nothing; if you destroy his hOIne, he desires ncth- ing, and if you take his property, he has nothing. Laughter). .s Il,
 The next section of the decalogue is the court" section. Society is impos- sible without some court for the adju- dication or settlement of difficulties naturally and necessarily arising in any nR m nm " A \ vv1- possible without testimony and testi- mony is valueiess without truth, so that the simple statement, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neigh Dor" makes a fair and honest trial of any case between neighboFs possible. The next section is what we call the motive section.' The decalogue begins with a barbarian and trains him step by step upward until he attains such a character by the worship of God and the regard for his brothers life, home and property. and respect for the truth that the highest that is in him, his motive, may be appealed to, hence the crowning section of the decalosue is that section that appeals to the motive. Thou shalt not covet:" thou shalt not desire anything that lawfully belongs to thy neighbor. v
 On this last and highest command ment is the golden hook. so to speak, by which the sermon on the Mount makes its vital connection. The Master, as he hooks the gospel to the law" to fill in full by establishing within the motive. You have heard that it hath been said thou shalt not kill but l say unto. you. Love. your enemies :; cultivate that higher motive which. will bring you where you will not desire to kill. "Ye have heard that it hath been said. thou shalt not com nit adultery but l say unto you, broken the laws Cultivate that higher and better motive by which in the preseryation of society you are enabled to look with pure motive upon every mothers daughter. .'Ye have heard that it hath been said, 'thOds shalt not forswear myself but shall perform unto the Lord thine oaths' but I say unto you, let your communication be of such high motive that the simple yea and nay will be sufficient
 Thus it is clearly seen that man is led from savagery to the high summit of civilization, by prohibitive law, and on this summit there is born within his bosom the higher motives of life which make him independent of law, beyond law and without law, a splenr did supreme being.
 Begins At Top
 Now the strange and shocking fact is absolutely undeniable that alcohol, as if it were the devil in liquid form, begins at the top and destroys every commandment of the decalogue until it reaches the motive and ultimately turns every unselfish motive of the human soul into a base and brutal de- sire to gratify the lusts and appetites of the animal. Test out alcohol by all your experience and observation with it and the more you test. the more you will be convinced. Did you ever see circle of drinking men, did you ever come near it without hearing from some bloated lip some profane oath or some expression of sacrilege? Have you not read the undeniable homes than all other crimes combined? Have you not observed that murders, adulteries and theft are committed by men addicted to alcohol? Have you ever attended a court where blind tiger patrons or vendess were on the wit ness stand? Is. it not a strange fact that one beverage could be so diabolicaI in sweeping from the race every worthy element? No wonder the high thinking. high-motive class of Amer ican citizens regard the Eighteenth amendment the most significant indica- tion of the high attainment of our splendid Christian civilization.
 The difficulty of our fight is the plane to which we must descend. You can no more appeal with high motives to the liquor crowd than you can ap- peal to crying six-month-old baby that wants milk and is guided only by its appetite. The babe cries for milk and the liquor crowd say, II want drink" It is a matter of stomach with. both. You cannot argue with a pig when slop trough is near; it is a matter of appetite with him and so our persistent, yelling, grunting whisky gang are beneath the high appeal; re- gardless of everything else these fel- lows say, waRt liqu0r." For whom, for what? For the satisfaction of q de- prayed appetite, even to the curse of everything that is good. Thank God am on. the side that fights for the higher and better things. (Applause:)
 The chairman-Proffesso Roper and Brother Maxim, wonder if we can sing q couple of stanzas of hymn No. 45.