The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1953-10-24
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

OO1 VIII u - 0N1 y
The War against Beverage Al.
eohol.T Temperance. Lesson.lsai.
oh s:Il.l4, Matthew 1856. Ro-
mans l3:lI.l4, James 4:N
BY RALPH ROGERS
Temperance is a timely topic to-
day. Just visualize an actual pic
|ture. We can easily stretch our
Imagination and see his Satanic
Majesty with a broad smile light
ling up his evil countenance as he
calmly observes some common
scenes enacted by frail humanity
here on this earth. One such scene
lis that of an officer and teacher of
one of our churches weaving and
stumbling along until he Topped
lon the sidewalk within half a block
lof his home. Utterly helpless under
the influence of liquor he is saved
from the 'clinker' by friends and
safely delivered to his home de-
lspite the strong insistence of a dill
ligent policeman that he be locked
lup. This is only one picture which
shows the terrific toll taken by the
nations liquor traffic. The Sunday
School lesson today is well worth
lserious consideration.
/ The basis for the lesson today is
taken from four different Scrip
Iture passages. The one from Isaiah
reveals the personal and social
consequences of over indulgence
HE says ''woe to them that.
follow strong drink" Any minister
Tor social worker has heard men
lsay that they can drink or let il
alone. Those who are drinkers just
don't let it alone. The steadily In
lcreasing number of alcoholics is
levidence that men do not exercise
that win power they so glibly
lclaim. Isaiah says my people
have gone into captivity for lacl
of knowledge" This prophet min
Ices no words and names intern
lperance as the second of six woes
In the fifth chapter of his book.
Not only are the drinkers en-.
dangered, but the whole nation.
LIT was old man Booze responsible
for the carnage at Pearl Harbor
which SO nearly enslaved a mighty
nation when he stupefied and mes
merized a mighty Navy and Army.
Our lives are endangered on the
highway. The National Safety Coun-
ell has estimated that alcohol &C
counted for twelve percent of all
traffic violations last year. 1t was
responsible for twenty-five percent
Of all fatal highway accidents. In
1851 it is estimated that alcohol
was responsible for 5000 deaths,
which is more than the deaths In
the Korean police action in the
same length of time. Then too.
the F. B. I. estimates that one
third of the nations crimes are
caused by alcohol.
II can be seen that Isaiah was
not the only one having difficulty
with drinkers We too, are be.
coming enslaved. DR.. E. H. Garlic
ton, Medical Director of the In
Hand Steel Company, says that
drunkenness costs American Bus
liness a total Of one million man
hours a year. Gabriel Courier
wrote in the Christian Herald that
drinkers in New York alone cost
1.-The nation 1O6 man-hours q year
lSick time taken by alcoholics add
Iup to that amount. At seventy-fivs
icents a hour, and who can hire
help for that, 1t amounts to $7S.
l5O0. 600. The Committee on Alcohol
ism says that the alcoholics have
"a high accident rate Of spoilage ane
waste materials which was estim
lated last year at S1,400, OOO, 900
That would help reduce the Ma
Itional debt. In fact it enslaves Us
levery man, woman and child II
1.-THE United States about fifty dol
liars q year.
/ Matthew Is included In this les
son simply to show that We 81
Iafe responsible for the intemper
lance of the nation. When local op
Ition or any proposal for prohibi
Ition is brought up to vote, thos'
who indulge get out one hundres