The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1954-06-12
SUNDAY
SCHOOL
LESSON
Amss dsnsUness intsmpssans
Amss 1:S-l1: 4:l.1: s
by RALPH ROGERS


often physical violence. When
Henry Ward Beecher berated the
men Of the city for making big
profits by catering to drunkenness,
one Of the men met the popular
preacher on the street and said
regarding one Of the statements,
"You take it hack here and now
or I'll shoot" DR.. Beecher said,
go ahead and shoot. but don't
think you can hit the mark 40 well
as I did"
When Amos, the small sheep
farmer from Tekoa, small town
some six miles south Of Bethle.
hem, travelled northward and pro-
phesied against the sins Of Israel,
the northern kingdom, they told
him to get out. We resent any
'jibes' or digs that reveal our
own shortcomings and it is then
that we'd like to shoot the in
truder or run him out Of town.
Men of God are not easily in
timidated. They are steadfast in
their convictions and accept the
penalty whether 1t be prison, the
stake, the arena or the cross. Amos
continues to voice the judgement
Of God as he pictures the impend-
ing disaster to the people and
the nation.
Lew Morals Dangerous
National and individual disaster
can generally be traced to the
moral standards Of the people ef-
fected. Israel was in danger with
hostile nations all about her. Amos
warns Israel that "The Lord viii
roar from Zion" (1:2) and calami-
ties shall befall the land. Through
the prophet Amos, God tells this
hayward people that he has done
his best to make them strong and
great, and they have turned Him
a deaf ear. Great prophets with q
divine spark have been ignored
and the Nazarites who had vowed
not to cut their hair. or to partake
Of wine had disappeared. Jewish
society had become 50 degenerate
that they had even tried to make
drunkards of their saints. Eye
gave the Nazarites wine to drink;
and commanded the prophets,
Prophesy not" (2:1D
In Israel it was customary for
the business men to sell their
creditors into slavery and that
practice continued well into the
Christian era. Wealth consisted in
the possession Of lands and the
wealthy and influential sought to
divert justice and would ''trample
the head Of the poor into the dust
of the earth" (2:D The depth to
which the morals had dropped 10
indicated when "a man and his
father win 60 in unto the same
maid to profane my holy name"
(2:7) ~
While Israel has had material
prosperity, the personal immoral
ity and social injustice which pre-
vailed was cause for the punish
ment about to be meted out to
this thankless nation. Since Amos
pictures the Israelites as in q
deplorable state, he points his fin.
ger at the cause - intemperance.
Wemsm Drink
Hear this word. ye kin Of Bash
an" (4:1) This refers to the wo-
men of Israel whom Amos calls
cows. They say to their husbands,
Bring that we may drink." These
were the aristocratic class who
spent their time drinking and urg-
ing their husbands to continue with
their graft that they might have
more drink. The morals Of the
women Of that time. as well a.
that of today, determines largely
the morals Of society. Womanhood
had sunk to q new low when Amos
took this true picture Of the de-
cadent nation.
DR.. Mead tells Of q high school
party in one town where three OF
the youngsters came home drunk.
They were taken out Of the public
school and sent away to . private
school. Two Of these youngsters
had never had 4 drink before
while the third one had 4 mother
who had stocked enough liquor for
a small saloon and then went out
for the evening 80 that she would
mt be in the way. Earl Douglas
says that fhty-six percent Of our
women drink and most Of them
hard liquor such as whiskey and
gin. Bars are set up in homes and
what the children see in the home
is most likely to mold their think
ing and their practices in later
life. What mother does must be
all right. Many mothers later re.
greet the example they set for their
offspring.
The Executive Secretary Of the
Wholesale Brewers Association of
Ohio is responsible for the state
ment that beer is served In
two.thirds Of Americas homes. The
brewing industry is today the
eleventh largest trade claiming to
have increased 90 percent in the
last ten years. The brewers want
To sell beer and their public rela.