Year: 1874

Mr.. Beecher on Temperance.


Mr.. Beecher preached in Plymouth
Church, last evening, on temperance
As to the liquor traffic, he believes
that so long as there is demand, the
supply will equal it, and all efforts to
enforce temperance by prohibitOry
laws must consequently fail. Yet he
maintains that the community has a
perfect right to extirpate the trade,
if it were possible, just as it may le-
ultimately defend itself against any
other great evil. Although he up
holds the principles of the Maine
liquor law, he does not expect ever TO
see it enforced. He regards the civil
damage law as almost equally inope-
rative, and the local option law as
reasonable and expedient. The lat
ter operates, where tried so far at
least as to close saloons on Sundays
and on election days; and where the
sentiments of the place are strongly
against the traffic, magistrates and
the police will respect the majority,
and enforce the law. Police regula-
tion viii go just as far as the bulk of
public sentiment goes, and it is vain
to call for new laws or inveigh against
the police until public sentiment is
strongly against selling liquor. Our
reformatory exertioDs should be d.
rected against those who drink, in
the way of education in the use and
abuse of alcohol. Intoxicating drink
is not needful to men in health. and
healthy men had better let it alone
absolutely; but it is an error to teach
the old temperance doctrine that al
c9hol is under all circumstances harm
ful. We are tod that stimuli nts are
always bad-tea, coffee, and about
everything else that tastes good. The
fact is, he argues, that all food is
stimulating, and every man has a
right to regulate his own diet. The
theory that every dose of stimulant is
followed in exact ratio TO It's strength
by reaction, Is false; and when men
find that the teaching of temperance
men has been erroneous in that par
ticular, they lose faith in all temper
ance arguments. Greeley's sweeping
statements that all alcoholic drinks
are slow poisons is untrue in respect
10 pure liquors. Tell it to a young
man whose grandfather has used in
toxicating liquors all his life, and at
seventy-fve years Of age can lift a
cider barrel and drink from the bung
hole, and he will at once see its abb
surdity. 1t is said that alcohol is not
food, which is true; but it does not
follow that the system has none but
constructive wants. Itis repellant to
intelligent men to tell them that un-
der all circumstances these beverages
are hurtful. 1t would do better 10
teach that they are not needed, and
that their use involves 50 great risk
of incurring drunken habits that total
abstinence is the wisest.


Mr.. Beecher's estimate of the wo-
mans movement Is that it will have
little immediate result. All parox-
ysms of reform are illtimed The de-
sire for extra stimulus cannot be so
easily uprooted; and if total absti-
nence cannot be secured, it is better
to teach men how to drink with the
least harm. Now We are taught not
to use il at all, and when We break
away from that point, there is no
other standard of regulating habit
More provision should be made for
enjoyment for the common people
While men are unhappy or in disor,
ganized health they cannot be cured
of drunkenness. In temperance mat
tiers We are apt to drift into bigOtrv
and personal liberty Is crowded. Per
sonai freedom is priceless, and nobody
has a right to break it down. Arbi


trary measures are mischievous, and


praying "at" saloon keepers, instead
of praying ''to' God is arong meth.
cd. The woman's movement, al


though it may have little effect on
temperance, will help on the general
cause of woman.


The sermon ended with 4 fervid
appeal 10 young men to abstain from
alcoholic beverages on the broader
grounds of moral safety, of deceney


and of Christian manlineSs.