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Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning !n the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film6s d des taux de rMuction diff6rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est filmd d partir de Tangle sup6riaur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas. en prenent le nombre d'Images ndcessalre. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. y errata 9d to nt ne pelure, ipon it T\ 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 .D'A J. \^ Sp^y&^c-f?^ ^!K^^^(?Q/g)( ^ ^t>^>^x^^g^^D^^5x^/(3V ^ ^%o^K'^^ 'yiyzcQ/S'o.iyT/TQ/s^ § § BRINTED FOR THE XOIiOKPTO OKCRISTIA.l^^^ Sfatal Slrjsitiiwttct Jec ietir. The above Society holds Public Meetings EVERY TWO WEEKS nf THE WESLEYAN METHODIST CHURCH, Corner of Queen & BerkelejiStreets. ,. E. COATSWORTH, P*'^sident. W. C. WILKINSONr ' Secretary. > SyT>'iXK}-Q,SyTHKl G^}^!^ £, >^X?Cg'D^/2s )l^^ £yDvfXK^(a£>tXg2X3ya,? ^^i |^X^^ OItIGH3^T OF THE ®MiitoS;0taI %Ui\MMt SOOIETir. About fifteen months ago, several persons, in tlie City of Toronto, deploring the wide-spi'ead evils of intemperance, resolved to form themselves into a Christian Total Absti- nence Society, with a vie^y of aiding the temperance cause. The reason which Led to the formation of the Society on its present basis were these : — First,. A belief that a very large number of practical abstainers were not in full sympathy with the existing temperance organizations. SecoTid. A strong conviction existed in the minds of many, that in order to insure the ultimate success of the temperance cause, it must be kept in close alliaace with. Christianity. Third, It was felt to be important that the hearty co-operation of , ' «lie Ohiirdies should be secured, and that this was most likely to be accomplished by a. Society formed on a Christian basis. Acting on these convictions, a public meeting was called, ./ , a pledge and .constitution submitted ; eighty-six persons " «• vsigmed the pfedge, and organized the Society, which, in the 'B[)jirCi^ of fiftetn months, has received six hundred and seventy names tx) its pledge — ^thus more than fulfilling the largest expectations of its promoters. > C* . * < # I' ♦ i mt o^//f Price :— Single Copy, 6 cents ; 10 to 100 Copies, 8 cents per Copy ; 600 Copies, 2 cents per Copy ; 1000 Copies, IJ cents per Copy.— When sent by mail, post- age to be added at the rate of one cent per Copy.— Orders may be sent direct to the Author. I City of ^ * |l tperance, '" i Absti- l ce cause, 'ciety ou )staineys Iterance ly, that perance Jiity. ition of s most iristian • • \ called, •ersons in the X B.t i and ll\ A PLEA FOR TOTAL ABSTINENCE. BY THE REV. A. SUTHERLAND, YOBKVIIiLE, ONT. I. THE QUESTION STATED. I SUPPOSE it is quite safe to assume that every one who attempts, in the present day, to speak or write on the tem- perance question, feels a difficulty arising from the some- what hackneyed character of the subject The main facts and arguments have been so frequently presented, that it is doubtfid whether it is possible to advance anything new. Still there is an importance which attaches to the question, when rightly viewed, which may serve as an apology for frequent repetition, And when we consider how much misapprehension still exists in reference to the principles and objects of the temperance reform, we shall see that there is as much need as ever for the statement of first principles, and the repetition of old arguments. The misapprehension to which I refer, exists both in re- ference to the principles of total abstinence, and the persons by whom those principles are held and advocated. In re- gard to the first, it is supposed that the principle of total abstinence is an interference with certain vested rights and liberties, and the view of many is expressed in the common phrase, " You have no right to dictate what I shall eat or drink." Now, I wish to say on behalf of temperance people that they have never claimed any such right ; they have never sought to " dictate what people shall eat and drink ;" they only seek to persuade people to give up the use of certain injurious stimulants. Besides this, they seek, by %e, sM a real benefitVo no*^* "^ *f *« county at '^'^ that there is a wide dj^erencfw"™*''*^''' '^«'' niMi "you must not eat anrf ^^ i "»*ween sayine to a o-inJu^toll^tS^^^-jJ^^wh^^h is'a^t! P^^.STlXb^SST/?**"''*^' » Wea seen,, to everybody down to tb*.;" „ J° ''"°« everything Zl above them in the ^ZeZ\l^'l'\ """ <>«P&?se abU.ty-_the right to «rtd^rii** **^8e of their resZ? •t must be admitted tS '^^^t ^'''"*''*' ">«? P'ease. 7^ have given their influ^ce to trf «^'*' "« "any nobD do not number in onr^Tthl,^^'^^ "f"™- We whose ambition is to live ^1^. i ""^^ °^ y^^^g men W style without pJZt^t 7"^^. ^'^^ ^ dressin ,he we claim as curs thnu/^ ®^^ tailor's bills • iiAifi, " ? s^biiity by"^rai°»s :rr- ""'' ?-« ^'r i° would not, fortheworW ^n *f-^.^f "">*''«'^ and w^o ™«fol employment; nor 'yeTdo ^^ "^"'^ *'"•'» ^ia" "nv have amongst us no smalfsh^ Tf^' ^* *» * clair^ »«««, and heart, and 6mj„ of7). ^* ^"^ ^^ anew-the and women with h^JT^l ? "■* countrv. Wa i.. ® "ot afraid of^i^l'?, '«/««J f* '^notL'sloe ^^ "'"' 'o-itatetheir ^Zt^^ ^Xt^'i'^'P^^ ^ ^'ying to seek and to ^ selling mtry at I reader ing to a things," and sell ^ou are A man hat he but he griev- ems to w^low- g and those ispect- N'ow, oble," We their dross their men i i>he r do • re- who any 3ort tof kste to ^he en tre en '^ or bo save that which was lost." While, therefore, we are sus- tained by noble men and women who have hearts to feel, and heads to plan, and energy to execute, we need not feel dismayed though • the priest and the Levite should pass by on the other side. Now, what does this whole question amount to, when divested of the drapery with which ignorance and prejudice have surrounded it 1 Simply this : There is a certain social custom — the use of intoxicating drinks — which has long prevailed throughout society. The most casual observation shows that the excessive use of these beverages is injurious, while more careful examination proves that even their moderate use is neither beneficial nor necessary ; nay, that it is positively injxirious, inasmuch as it leads, in the major- ity of cases, to positive drunkenness. Looking at these facts thoughtful men began to ask, many years ago, " Would it not be better to abstain from the use of these intoxicating drinks altogether?" A few tried the experiment, and found it most beneficial. Hence, the next enquiry was, " Cannot something be done to save those who have become slaves to the appetite for strong drink, and to prevent others from falling into the same snare V While seeking a practical answer to this question, the importance of united effort became apparent j — and this was the origin of Tempe- rance Societies. It has generally liappened that social Reformers have, at the outset, been ignorant of the real power of the evils they have sought to- remove. This has been the case in regard to the temperance reform. So long as its principles were confined to a few, opposers contented themselves with small sneers at the " cold-water fanatics ;" but when the movement assumed sufficient proportions to make its influence felt in opposing the drinking customs of society, and especially when it sought to arrest the course of intemperance by legislative enactment, then the Rum power awoke in all its strength, and the friends of temperance soon found that this power was not merely a bold intruder, but a deadly enemy that had entrenched itself in the social customs and commercial interests of the country, and could be expelleiT only by a long and vigorous siege. Let lis endeavor, then, at the very outset, to understand clearly the true nature of the question at issue. Intemper- ance is admitted, on all hands, to be a great evil. What is the remedy ? We answer, — Total abstinence from all that can intoxicate. How can we induce men to abstain ? By argument, persuasion, entreaty. But there are many who cannot be reached by argument or persuasion ; and ii they could be so reached, what would it avail so long as the traffic continues — tempting the rescued ones back to their former habits, and training up a new generation of drunkards for coming years? To this I can only answer, — We must strike at the root ; we must seek the legislative proscrip- tion of the entire traffic, we must invoke against it the power and majesty of Law, — that power by which it is now upheld and made respectable. The main objects contemplated by the advocates of total abstinence are these : — 1. To reclaim those who have become victims to the ap- petite for strong drink. 2. To induce moderate drinkers to abstain, boih for their own sakes and for the sake of those who will be influenced by their example. 3. To enlist the sympathy and co-operation of the moral and religious part of the community on the side of total abstinence, as the only efiectual remedy for the evils of in- temperance. 4. To educate public sentiment on the question, until it will demand and sustain a legislati^'e enactment prohibiting the entire traffic in intoxicating drinks. ( * " • ^L . n. THE QUESTION DISCUSSED. Having endeavored to present the Temperance Question in its simplest form, divested of all the surroundings of prejudice and misapprehension, I now propose to discuss the matter a little, with a view of presenting the grounds on which we oppose the traffic in, and use of, intoxicating drinks. In doing so it is but fair that I should state the arguments usually employed on the other side of the ques- 4.' < * I . • 4.1 tion. Tliese may be reduced to three : — 1. The financial benefit which the trafiic confei-s upon the country at large ; 2. The benefit of alcoholic drinks to the consumer when used in moderation ; and, 3. The right of every man to do as he pleases. The latter argument has been briefly re- ferred to already. I shall therefore confine my present remarks to Nos, 1 and 2. My first proposition is — That the Country gains Nothing, in a Financial POINT OP VIEW, BY THE TRAFFIC IN STRONG DrINK. — In arguing this point it is important that we clearly under- stand what is meant b}' the expression, " A fina.i nal benefit to the country," as applied to the trafiic. Does it mean that the country at large is made richer ? Not at all ! It simply means that a considerable sum of money passes annually into the provincial treasury, from the excise and import duties on intoxicating liquors. Bjit does it follow, therefore, that the country at large is financially ^benefited? Let us not jump to a conclusion, but examine the matter a little. I suppose that Capital and Labor are universally regarded as the great representatives of a nation's wealth. In order, therefore, to prove that any business is a financial benefit to a country, we should be prepared to show that it increases the amount of active capital, or else that it de- velops some branch of national industry. Now it may appear at first thought that both of these are true as re- gards the liquor business — but it is onli/ in appearance. That a large amount of capital is invested in the business is undeniable ; but a little consideration will convince any unprejudiced mind that this capital, if directed into other channels, would be productive of far greater good to the community. The large income derived by the Government is admitted ; but there is a heavy contra account — ^a debit as well as a credit side. On the credit side you may put the amounts received for licenses, and for excise and import duties ; then, on the debit side, put the salaries paid for collecting those duties, to which add the amounts paid for the suppression of crime caused by the use of strong drink ; the amounts paid by public and private charity for the sup- port of paupers, owing to the same cause ; the value of the property which strong drink annually destroys, — ^and you « will have an array of figures considembly greater than those on the credit side. And this is not all ; for we have yet to estimate the loss which the industry of the country sustains through the drinking customs of the day. Let it be re- membered that every day spent in idleness by a working- man— say a mechanic — is not only so much lost to himself and his family, but it is so much taken from the aggregate wealth of the country at large. If any one doubts this, let him calculate what would be the result, financially, if all the laborers, farmers, mechanics, &c., were to suspend labor entirely for one year. The result would be national bankruptcy and universal famine. Every day, therefore, which is lost to productive labor, tends so much to im- poverish the country. Now let us look at this more closely. There are in the Dominion of Canada, on a moderate computation, thirty thousand persons who use intoxicating liquors to excess, that is, who lose more or less time through their drinking habits. The average of time thus lost will be not less than thirty days in the course of a year. Now, what will this amount to at the rate of $1 50 per dayl which is a very low estimate, scarcely above the wages of a common day laborer. It will amount to one million three hundred and fifty thousand dollars per annwm I And every careful observer will say that this estimate might be doubled without exceeding the truth. But it may be said. Suppose the traffic in strong drinks were abolished, have we any gurantee that the time now wa^sted would be better employed ] A single fact may per- haps furnish the answer. A short time after the prohibitory law was first passed in the State of Maine, a gentleman en- quired of a tavern keeper, " Where are all those men that I used to see lounging around your bar-room every day 1" " Where ?" said the tavern keeper with an oath, " they're gone to work, I suppose." The answer tells the whole story. There is another question, however, which remains to be disposed of. Suppose the traffic were abolished, would not the large amount of capital now invested in it be lost to the country ] Not at all ; it would simply be turned into • • 1 • « I i 9 « V. ; A * • I. • » • • k • V • ' « i i i • « » « ; * < ^- other channels, which, if not quite «o remunerative to the in vestor, would bo much more beneficial to the country. I think every unprejudiced man will adrriit that the gain to the country would be inconceivably great if the capital now invested in the liquor business was employed in developing the mineral or other resources of these noble Provincer. Enough has now been said to show that the country gains nothing financially by the traffic. My second proposition is: That the use of Intoxicatinq Liquors as a Bevekaox IS NEVER Beneficial to the Individual. — There are, doubtless, many persons who take an opposite view, and every man has a right to hi^ own opinon ; but if any one asserts that a man is benefited by the use of strong drink, he should be prepared to show in what respect ho is benefited. Most assuredly. 1. He is not benefited finavicially. — No one supposes for a moment that indulgence in strong drink helps a man's finances. This is so plain that it needs no argument. Every year hundreds of men are reduced to poverty by drunkenness ; but who ever heard of such a habit helping a man to fortune ! 2. He is not benefited physicalli'. — ^This used to be a strong point with anti-teetotallers ; and some of them still contend that by the moderate us'? of alcoholic liquors a man is made stronger, and better fitted to endure fatigue, and that the habit conduces to ht ilth and long life. In order to see how much force there is in this argument, it will be necessary to ascertain, — 1, Of what these alcoholic beverages are composed ) and, 2, What is their efiect upon the human system. As to the first, most of them are composed chiefly of two substances, water and alcoIioL Now, from which of these is the benefit derived I Is it from the water ? Truly, water is a most useful and important element in the economy of nature. It dissolves the food in the stomach, holds it in solution, carries it to the various parts of the system, to repair the waste of tissue tliat is continually going on. But let it be carefully not'Cd that just so soon as water is mi:^ed with alcohol, its solvent power is neutralized, and the pro- a cess of digestion is at once impeded. Alcohol interferes with digestion in two ways, — by impaii'ing the action of the gastric juice, and by injuring the coats of the stomach. Jfow, that whicli impedes the process of digestion, must take from, instead of adding to, the vital power of the system. I have said that most alcoholic liquors are composed of two substances, water and alcohol. But what is alcohol 1 Iti is a substance never compounded in Natures laboratory, but is produced by a process of fermentation, that is, of decay. Suppose we put the question to an intelligent chemist, " What is alcohol % — Is it an article of food ]" He will reply, " Certainly not ; it is not food, and you cannot con- vert it into food. Take any quantity you please into the system, and it goes through no process of digestion ; it repairs no waste, nor can you by any possible method convert it into nourishment." We further ask, "What then, is alcohol T And he will promptly answer, "It is a powerful narcotic poison ; just as really a poison as prussio acid is. Poison is its true name, and poison is its nature, and you cannot make anything else of it." Now what is the effect of this alcohol when taken into the human system % Let me answer in the words of Dr. Alden, of Massa- chusetts : — ' On every organ they touch, ardent spirits operate as a poison. Nowhere in the human body are they allowed a lodgment, until the vital powers are so far prostrated that they cannot be removed. They are hurried on from one organ to another, marking their course with irregularity of action and disturbance of function, until at last they are taken up by the emunctories, the scavengers of the system, and unceremoniously excluded. When, through decay of organic vigour this process ceases, the work of destruction is drawing to a close, and the last glimmerings of life are soon extinguished. To a man in health there is no such thing as a tempemte use of spirits. In any quantity they are an enemy to the human constitution. Their influence upon the physical organs is unfavourable to health. They produce weakness, not strength; sickness, not healtli j death, not life." « « « « (I (( it (( (( <( i< ^ • I ( 1 i ) * } * • I * ) e- i I * But, while alcoliol produces derangement and disease among the digestive organs, the principal effect is upon the great nervous centres, especially the brain. At first the effect is pleasing, but as the quantity is increased, and the habit grows, the effect is fearful. That which at first gave rise to a pleasing exuberance of fancy, now rouses up a whirlwind of baleful passions. Reason loses its controlling power, and the shattered bark drifts hopelessly onward till it strikes upon the rocks of crime, and goes down forever. If these are some of the effects produced by strong drinks, who will say that a man is made physically better by using them) 3. NeitJier is he bettered in a moral and social point oj view ; for strong drink so blunts all his moral perceptions that the most solemn appeals are thrown away ; and it so destroys all the finer feelings and sympathies of his nature that the once loving husband and father becomes a brute — nay, worse, a fiend. A painful illustration of this came under my own observation. During my residence in one of our cities, I was called upon by a Christian lady who de- voted most of her time to visiting the poor. She stated that she had that morning visited a family where she found the infant child lying dead, and the parents incapable, from intoxication, of making any preparation for its burial. The father had been a man of intelligence and respectability, had owned considerable property, and held a lucrative posi- tion in a large manufacturing establishment ; but in an evil hour both father and mother began to use intoxicating drinks. The usual result followed — they both became con- firmed drunkards. " I discovered, however," continued the lady, " that they formerly attended one of the churches be- ?onging to your denomination, and I thought if you would go and see them you might perhaps do them some good." I went without delay, and very sad was the sight that met my eyes as I entered the house. The room was filthy, cold and cheerless ; on a chair sat the father, his head drooped on his breast, in a state of stupefaction from the effects of alcohol ; in an adjoining room lay the mother in a state of beastly intoxication ; while on a table lay the white corpse of the 1* 10 little baby that two days before had died from neglectj and had not yet been shrouded for its burial. Such is one specimen among many of the moral and social effects of strong drink. -' » III. GROUNDS OF TOTAL ABSTINENCE. I have thus far considered the grounds on which we oppose the traffic in, and use of, intoxicating drinks. Let me now present some of the grounds on which we urge the adoption of the total abstinence principle. 1. It is a reasonable principle. — It is simply asking a man to abstain from the use of that which does him no good, and which to say the least, may do him much harm. And when we show a man that the traffic in strong drink 18 an injury to the country at large, and that the use of strong drink is an injury to a man both physically, morally and socially, it seems to us that total abstinence is the only reasonable plan he can adopt. 2. The principle is safe. — And this is more than can be said of the moderation plan; for we hold that no man is absolutely safe, as regards drunkenness, who uses intoxicat- ing liquors, as a beverage, however moderately. Some will not admit this, and they cite instances of men who drank moderately all their days, and yet lived to a good old age ; but what are these few isolated cases in comparison with the vast multitudes who began on the moderation principle, and yet filled drunkards graves at last ? Let me illustrate the point. A few years ago, a vast crowd of persons were assembled on both banks of the Niagara river, a short distance below the falls ; probably not less than 20,000 were on the ground. What was the attraction ? Why, a man had advertised that he would walk across the gorge of the Niagara on a single rope / And he did cross quickly and safely. But how many persons amid that vast concourse could have done the same thing? Probably not one. So we meet here and there an individual who has passed through life on the single rope of moderation with ap- parent safety ; but for every such case there are tens of \ • J. I |i • ■ * • ■ ' • , . >. \ ' ' i « ' • I * 11 thoii^nds who, iu tiying to imitate their example, have perished miserably. Be assured the total abstinence principle is the only safe one : without it a man mai/ become a drunkard, with it he never can. 3. It is a principle sanctioned hy the Spirit and precepts of Christianity.-rSome time since I heard a minister give notice from his pulpit of a temperance festival to be held in connection with the assembling of the National Division of the Sons of Temperance. While urging his congregation, to attend the meeting, he used these woixis : ^' A man may be a total abstainer and yet not a Christian ; but I cannot understand how a man can be a Christian and not a total abstaiuer." It is quite likely that many persons would say, on hearr ing such an expression, " This is going too far; this is inr fringing our Christian liberty. What right has he to judge his brother 1 Does he suppose a man cannot get to heaven unless he belongs to a temperance society V &c. &c. Now it seems to me that such answers are wide of the mark* The question is not, — Can a man get to heaven without joining a temperance society ? but simply, — Do the precepts and spirit of Christianity require abstinence from intoxicat- ing drinks ? In other words, Should every Christian be a teetotaller 1 Let us see. It is admitted on all haifds that the requirements of Christianity are summed up in the two grand precepts, — Love to God, and Love to man. Each of these general precepts branches out into almost endless ramifications, em- bracing all possible duties. With regard to the first it may be said that it requires a single eye to the glory of God in all that we do — in small matters as well as great. This is settled by an authority which no Christian will dispute, — " Whether therefore ye bat ob drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." But it is not even pretended that, in the use of intoxicating liquors, there is any refer- ence to the glory of God at all ; on the contrary, it is purely a selfish gratification. The question may very well be asked, then, ''Is i' "ight for a Christian to indulge in that which, to say the ioast, is of ^o benefit to himself or others, and •» a» u which positively unfits him for a right discharge of the duties which he owes to his Creator? Does a-ny one dispute this latter view ? What are the facts 1 It is a Christian's duty to pray; but would any serious man ever think of prepai'ing himself for the closet or prayer meeting by a copious draught of alcohol) It is a minister's duty to preach the gospel ; but is he better fitted for his high and holy functions by frequent, or even occasional, indulgence in that which intoxicates 1 Nay ; is not the very instinct of every religious community against such a supposition 1 I do not wish to be thought personal in these remarks ; I am merely stating what is the felt conviction of religious people, namely, that there is something so incongruous between the spirit of Christianity, and the habitual use of alcoholic beverages, that he who indulges in the latter rarely or never gets credit for high attainments in the former. Let the matter be tested. Point out, in any community, the men in whose Christian profession the highest con^dence is placed, and we venture to say they will be found to be men "who rarely or never touch the intoxicating cup. I do not mean to say that their abstinence is the sole cause of the confidence reposed in them, but it is an indiapensible element in it. Now, all this leads us to a conclusion which should b» seriously pondered by all whom it may concern, — that the use of intoxicating drinks by professing Christians, as it lessens public confidence iiT their piety, very materially/ hinders their influence for good. Has a Christian, then, for the sake of a little, selfish gratification, a right to raise a barrier in the way of his own usefulness ? The matter may be pressed still further, on the ground of example. A Christian is bound to set such an example as others may safely follow. It will not do to ignore the responsibility, and say, "Am I my brother's keeper?" God will hold us to strict account for the influence of the example we have set. That the example of using intoxica- ting liquors is evil, ten thousand mtnesses testify. This is so generally felt, that, among moderate drinkers especially, there is a manifest endeavor to keep their practice as secret as possible, especially from their children, thus proving that, in their own estimation, the example is one which cannot be 11 W • *^ • ''^1 • I • I » ♦ • -» • * i 13 for • b # i safely followed. It is often said that we over-estimate the danger arising to others from the example of those who use alcoholic stimulants ; but we contend that, if there is any danger that such an example may lead a weak brother into a coui-se of intemperance, the law of Christian charity de- mands that we forego the customary indulgence. " Where- fore if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend." The matter, then, is sufficiently plain : the spirit of Christianity is love, — " Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Now this " love worketh no ill to his neighbor ;" but the man who uses strong drink does work ill to his neighbor, — ^to the extent of his example, at least. Then the precepts of Christianity, bearing upon the point, are nu- merous and decided : " Keep thyself pure ■" " Abstain from all appearance of evil;" "It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother Btumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak ;" " But judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling-block, or an occa- sion to fall, in his brother's way f " Take heed, lest by any means this libert;y of yours become a stumbling-block to them that are weak." We might multiply quotations ad infmitum, but let these suffice for the present. It should be remembered, too, that the Christian is a Steward, — that God has entrusted him with nioans to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and send the gospel to those who have it not. Whether he can justify himself in spend- ing his Lord's money in that which is injurious both to himself and others, — especially at a time when thousands are perishing for bread, and tens of thousands for lack of knowledge, — we leave each man's conscience to decide. 4. It is the only principle which can effectually check the progress of drunkenness. — So long as there are moderate drinkers there will be drunkards, for it is from the ranks of the former that the army of inebriates are recruited. No man becomes a drunkard all at once — he reaches that wretched state by the short and easy route of moderation. The proportion of moderate d»"iiiker8 who make that brief but fatal journey is appallingly great. Where there is one 14 t) who can govern the appetite for strong drink all through life, there are a thousand who cannot. A lady once said to Dr. Johnson, " Doctor, why don't you take a little wine?" " Madam," said the doctor, " I cannot take a little, and therefore I never take any." Would that thousands in our day had the moral courage to make as frank a confession, and the prudenco to adopt as wise a course ! Could every moderate drinker in our fair Dominion be induced to adopt the total abstinence principle, the dread plague of drunken- ness would soon be stayed, and the drunkard and the drunkard-maker would soon be numbered with the things of the past i \ ' * \ IV., OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. All experience proves that every good cause is doomed to meet with opposition ; and hence it need not excite surprise that numerous objections have been made to the principle of total abstinence. 1 now proceed to notice the more pro- minent of these objections, and to append such replies as each may seem to require. And first, as regards the principle of total abstinence from intoxicating drinks : a common objection is, — X . " You a/re putting total abstinence in the place of re- ligion." Now if we could put total abstinence in place of the religion of some who make this objection, there can be no doubt they would gain immensely by the transaction ; for surely that religion which, to vindicate its right to a mere sensual indulgence, will see a brother go down to de- gredation and ruin, without an effort to save him, cannot be a very valuable commodity. To say the least, it is hardly in the spirit of him who said, "If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth." But be that as it may, the charge is not true ; we do not put total abstinence in the place of religion. We do not sup- pose that total abstinence will make a man a Christian ; but we do say that there are thou ands of men who without total abstinence never can btcome Christians, and thou- sands more who without it never will. We are often asked, • K * , •> 15 ife* • K .; "Why resort to Temperance Societies to save the ineberiate? Why don't you preach the gospel to him?" Preach the gospel to a drunkard I Preach the gospel to a man whose intellect is muddled, and whose passions are all on fire with strong drink ! As well might you preach the gospel to a stock or a stone. The gospel is addressed to men ; but the drunkard has, for the time being at least, ceased to be a man, and become a brute ; and the only hope for him is in persuading him to abstain from that which produces his temporary madness, so that he once more may have a head to understand, and a heart to feel, the sublime and saving truths of the gospel. I think I have as much faith in the power of the gospel as any one — I have faith in it as " the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth," but to me it is plain that faith is an utter impossibility to one whom strong drink has fired into raging madness, or sunk into drivelling idiocy. Let it be understood, then, we do not claim that total abstinence makes men Christians, but we do claim that it saves them from becom- ing drunkards. 2. There are others who object, saying, " These Tem- perance Societies lead to infidelity.*' The reasons for this charge, so far as I can learn, are two-fold ; 1st, because many total abstainers are not professors of religion ; and 2nd, because temperance advocates sometimes administer pretty sharp rebukes to those churches which connive at the traffic in, and use of, strong drink. No ' it is true there are many teetotallers who are not Christians ; but there are also many church members who are not Christians. Does it therefore follow that the church is an organization which tends to infidelity 1 That there are men who prefer the Temperance Society 'x) some of the churches of the day, is, perhaps, true; but this is hardly to be wondered at when we consider the circumstances. These men, as a rule, have been the victims of strong driak. Feeling at once their degradation and their bondage, they looked round for some one who would lend them a helping hand. On the one side they saw the Temperance Society — an organization whose members were banded together to protect themselves and their families against the ravages of intemperance ; on the 16 other they saw a church, some of whose leading members were engaged in the manufacture or sale of the poisons vrhich had nearly ruined them, soul and body. Can we wonder, then, that they chose the Temperance Society rather than the church 1 I do not say that such persons do right ; I think thsy ought not to turn their backs on the church of Christ because some churches practically en- courage the drinking usages of society ; rather should they give their influence to produce, in the church, a healthier sentiment on this great social question. At the same time it is well both for churches and individual Christians to see how their eflforts to do good are neutralised by the coun- tenance they sometimes give to this great evil. " Don't talk about religion to me," said a broken-hearted woman, as she sat by the body of her husband who had been killed by strong drink, " don't talk about religion to me, while the leading member of your church sells the poison which robbed my poor husband of his manhood, his reputation, and at last of his life ! " This cry of " Infidelity " is somewhat plausible, but it is utterly without foundation. It is quite possible there may be teetotallers who are infidels ; nay, more, it may be that some of them make a pretence of advocating temperance principles, when their real design is to attack the Christian religion. But temperance should not be condemned for this, any more than Christianity should be condemned be- cause Judas betrayed his master. And I must confess that wore I compelled to choose between the two, I would ra- ther have a sober infidel than a drunken Christian — if 1 may be allowed such an expression ; for I may succeed, by fair argument, in convincing the infidel of his error ; but with the man whose brain is beclouded with the fumes of alcohol, argument and appeal are both thrown away. Total abstinence never made a man an injidel ; hut whisky-selling ^ whisky-drinking Christians have made infidels by the score t 3. There are others who say that the principle of total abstinence is contrary to Scripture ; and they will talk very piously about " :he good creatures of God," and "every creature to be received with thanksgiving," and "^taking a little wine for thy stomach's sake," and so on. I i • • \ ' • • • 'I * *»>\ •^ , • i ' > ^ • •, • » . • • « *i • n BO on. Now, in the first place, alcohol is not a creature of God, — it is a product of that Satanic alchemy which, instead of transmuting the baser metals into gold, reverses the pro-, cess, and transmutes the gold of healthful food into poison. But the objection is sometimes put in another form, and we are asked, — Where do you find total abstinence commanded in the Bible 1 Now, this looks exceedingly plausible, but its force vanishes the moment we remember that the Bible no where professes to give a particular precept for every duty, but lays down general principles for our guidance, leaving the application of those principles to ourselves. As I have already pointed out, on a previous page, some of the Bible precepts bearing upon this point, 1 need not repeat them hei-e. Having noticed some of the more common objections to the principle of total abstinence, I now proceed to notice objections which are made to the practice. Perhaps some of these might be more properly called excuses for not adopting the principle and practice ; but the facts and arguments which apply in one case will apply equally in the other. There is a class of objections which may all be summed up in the statement, that total abstinence is not necessary. That means, I suppose, that it is not necessary either for the prevention or the cure of drunkenness. In other words, it is assumed that moderate drinking is legitimate and safe. But as this general view of the subject is presented in a variety of ways, it will be necessary to look at it a little more in detail. " / can take it when T please, and I can let it alone when I pleascy' says one. So you say now, and so have thou- sands said before you, who now fill drunkards graves. At first the cry is always, " I can let it alone when I please ;" but, alas ! they don't " let it alone," and so the appetite becomes stronger and stronger, until they are utterly help- less in its iron grasp, and then the cry is, "I would give worlds to let it alone, but I can't." A man was once play- ing with a huge serpent. He had often done so before, and it had never harmed him ; and so he went on with his per* 18 formance. At length the serpent began slowly to twin© itself around the man's body. The spectators became .alarmed, but he laughed at their fears ; it was only a jmi-t of the performance ; he could throw off those dreadful folds when he pleased. But soon the terrible creature began to contract its coils until the man sensibly felt the pressure. It was time now to end the performance. He seized a fold of the serpent ; it was rigid as a band of steel ! Redoubling his effort he tried again — the folds were immovable ! Thor- oughly alarmed, he now exerted all his remaining strength — all in vain ! Steadily, yet irresistibly, those terrible coils continued to contract ; bone and muscle gave way beneath the tremendous pressure, and before the horror-stricken spectators could interfere, that wretched man lay before them a crushed and lifeless mass. So the moderate drinker is wont to say when warned of his danger, " I can throw off the habit when I please ! " but you are playing with a ser|)ent whose deadly folds, unless cast off at once and for- ever, will yet crush out the last spark of your manhood, and send you unprepared into the presence of your God. If you think it so easy a matter to " let it alone," just try the experiment. Perhaps you will discover that the habit has become far stronger than you suspected. " / toill stop when I Jmd it is hurting me" says another. A man once undertook to pilot a vessel into a harbor where tliere were a great many sand-banks and sunken rocks. " Now, Captain," said he, " you take the wheel, and I'll stand at the bow and let you know when you are nearing any of the dangerous spots." For a short time all went on smoothly, when suddenly the vessel struck with a shock which threw everybody off their feet. Up jumped the pilot, and shouted at the top of his voice, " Captain, tliat's one of 'era ! " It's just so with the majority of moderate drinkers. They intend to stop when it begins to hurt them ; but they keep on until they get a hurt so deadly that it cannot be healed. " The prudent man forseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished." " i'm not such a fool as to become a drunka/rd" is a com- mon remark with such as do not want to give up their ♦ •■• \ i • r t- ^ • t \ 19 ^ • • • • • • •> k n. A young man in one of our Canadian cities fell into intemperate habits. His family saw it with alarm, but knew not what to do. A friend urged him to sign the pledge and join a temperance organ- ization. Beginning to realize his danger, he consented to do so ; but when his family heard it they dissuaded him, saying there were so many low, common people connected with the society that it was not a suitable place for him. He listened to their remonstrances, and to to avoid the low company he was likely to meet with in the temperance association, he betook himself to the select company usually found in the bar-room. His dissipated habits soon ruined his business, and he left the country. A short time after- wards he was found in the American army. The exposure incident to camp life brought on sickness, against which his constitution, weakened by former indulgences, could not • «*ll 20 stand, and so in a few weeks lie was taken to the hospital and there died The reader can make liia own application. "77^ never sign away my liberty." We don't ask you to " sign away your liberty." We ask you to sign the pledge that you may gain your liberty — liberty from the tyranny of a pernicious social custom. What kind of liberty do you want] Liberty to destroy your manhood ? — to impoverish your family] — to waste your energies?— to becloud your intellect? — to ruin your soul? If that be your boasted "liberty," then I say give me the "slavery" of total abstinence ! " But wJiat use ia there in temperate people joining a Temperance Society i CarUt they abstain without t/iatf" Doubtless they can ; but yet they ought to connect them- selves with some temperance organization for just the same reason that pious people should join a church. No man ever pretends that because he is pious there is no need to become a member of the church ; and no man should think that his sobriety is a sufficient reason for withholding his influence from the temperance cause. In a matter like this, where the highest interests of men for time and eter- nity are at stake, it won't do to play neutral. " He that is not with me," said Christ, " is against me ; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." IV. THE QUESTION APPLIED. In bringing these hastily written pages to a conclusion, I T^ould respectfully urge upon the various classes of my fellow-countrymen the adoption of total abstinence prin- ciples, for reasons which appear to me solid and weighty. I would urge it — 1. Upon the habitual drinker, — You began, years ago it may be, the practice of using, — in moderation, as you thought, — intoxicating drinks. Slowly, and almost imper- ceptibly, the habit gained in strength, until that which at first was an occasional luxury has become a daily — almost hourly necessity. I ask you now to pause for -% moment, and ask yourself what has been- the eflect of this habit? Do you feel yourself as strong in self-respect and in moral manhood as when you first began the use of intoxicating • > -!**.> .' M • •j 21 drinks 1 Is bhere not, rather, a sense of degi'adation- — A feeling that you aio not what you were years ago, and that the change has been for the worse 1 Do you not, some- times — though but for a moment — contrast the experience of bygone days, when hope was strong, and when you che- rished noble aspirations for distinction and success in life, with the feeling of ho[)eless depression which now weighs upon you like a mighty incubus ; and do you not feel at such times that it is the drink that has degraded your man- •'''Wl hood, and robbed you of your moral power? And then, what has been the effect of this habit upon your family 1 Are they in better circumstances — happier — more respected — because of the drinking habits of the husband and father 1 — Nay, do you not see and feel that the results of your sen- sual indulgence has rebounded with terrible effect upon the heads of unoffending wife and children ? For their sake, then, as well as for your own, I ask you to abstain, at once and forever, from all that oan intoxicate. This is your only safe course. It is uselest for you to try the moderation plan. In your present case moderation is excess. Perhaps you think it is too late for you to leave off drinking. That is the voice of the tempter. Only give the total abstinence plan a good, hearty trial, and days of hope and happiness will open before you yet. 2. Upon the moderate drinker. — You say that you only take a little, and that it doesn't hurt you. Well, we won't stop to argue that point now ; but are not the chances a hundred to one that it will hurt you before you are done with it. You float now jiist where every drunkard has floated before you — in the quiet waters of moderation, with just current enough to form a pleasant ripple; you have only to drift a little fa/rther, and then the rapids with irre- sistible sweep will carry you over the cataract. But sup- posing you never become a drunkard yourself, may not your example lead others into habi's which will make drunkards of them ? The more I see of the facts in connection with the drinking customs of society, the more am I convinced that the cases in which even moderate drinkers escape retri- bution — in either their persons or families — are exceedingly Kare. For example, how rare is it that a moderate-drinking 22 • • J father is not called to mourn over a drunken son 1 You may say you have a right to do as you please ; but that is only so long as you please to do right. You have no right to do that which may lead another to ruin. You have no right to walk boldly over a rotten bridge, when you know that anyone attempting to follow you will, in all probability, be plunged into the rushing torrent below. For the sake, then, of yourself and family, for the sake of your neigh- l)ors, for the sake of posterity, and for the sake of the poor drunkard, whose chains are riveted by your example, I ask you to abstain. 3. Upo7i my brethren in the Ministry. — ^You know as well as I that intemperance is a wide-spread — and daily spread- ing — evil ', you know that it beggars families, fills prisons, and ruins souls without number ; you know that in this country, at least, the drinking customs of society constitute, without exception, the greatest hindrance to the extension of Christ's Kingdom ; you know that if the whole liquor traffic were abolished to-morrow the number of genuine conver- sions to God would soon be multiplied ten-fold ; and know- ing these things can there be any doubt as to the course we should pursue 1 It is not only because this monster stalks j'ampant through the land tliat there is need for tli6 watch- men to wake, but because it is seeking to entrench itself in the very temple of God, and to use God's Word in defence of its soul-destroying mission. It is time that every pulpit in the Ifnd gave a clear and certain sound in reference to this great social evil. An occasional word will not do. An occasional address at a temperance meeting will not suffice. This miv \ » -■$ n i 04«gfA< to do, in view of all the facts of the case. And as precept without practice is of little avail, our first duty, in this matter, is to abstain from all that can intoxicate. Thousands are perishing through strong drink, and it is our business to save them if we can. There is a voice that is ever crying to us, " Where is thy brother 1" It will not do for us to say, " I know not ; am I my brother's keeper," lest those awful tones should reply as of old, " The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. " Blood of the soul ! — Can all earth's fountains make That dark stain disappear ? - Stewards of God, awake !" 4. Upon members of Christian Churches. — Your duty is to " abstain from all appearance of evil," and not only so, but to be active in promoting all good. You do not need to be convinced that intemperance is an evil — you have seen enough of its dire effects to convince you of that, but per- haps you do not see so clearly the personal duty of entire abstinence. You say you are not responsible for the evils of the liquor traffic. I answer, you are responsible Jt*«< so fav as your exainple and practice give support to the traffic. When you purchase strong drink you are supporting the traffic ; when you use it as a beverage you are helping by your example to perpetuate the drinking customs of society. There is no way of clearing yourself of all complicity with the business but entire abstiner.^^. And to this course you are bound by the spirit of the religion you profess ; for surely thus far the spirit of the New Testament goes, — " It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak." Remember, too, that you are the representatives of the religion of Jesus Christ — that the world forms its opinion of religion very largely from what they see in you. What opinion, think you, will the world form if they see you up- holding by your example that which is the source of one- half the world's misery and crime ? " Be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thinpr," should be your principle of action in this matter. 5. Upon every patriot — Next to the slave trade, the liquor traffic is the foulest iniquit) that ever found shelter 24 under the protecting wing of law. It is the evil which of all others projects its portentous shadow upon the fair future of our Dominion. It tills our prisons and asylums, it lays upon us one-half of our financial burdens, it lessens the wealth of the country, it debases our public men ; and not content with the misery it has already wrought, it boldly seeks to obtain the entire political control of the countiy. Those engaged in the traffic are banded together for that purpose. They have boldly declared their intention of send- ing to Parliament only such men as will support their views, and they have boasted that, united, they can carry every election. Nor is this an idle boast. In some cases they have succeeded, for it is a notorious fact that some of the most important constituencies in the country were carried in the late election by the combined influence of whiskey and bribery. Nor need this excite surprise when some of our leading politicians employ a part of the public funds to pur- chase support, and when brewers and distillers who have notoriously defrauded the revenues are shielded in their ini- quity by ministei-s of the crown. The debates in Parliament within the past fuw weeks give proof of what I say.* Now what, in view of these facts, is the duty of every patriot 1 Is it not to use whatever influence he may possess to wipe out this blot from our national escutcheon ? Is it not to sup- press, as far as his influence and example can go, the drink- ing customs of society I Is it not to meet the designs of the liquor-sellers by counter combinations, and to use his fran- chise in sending men to Parliament who are favorable to the prohibition of the traffic throughout the entire Domin- ion. Let all, then, who love their God, their country, and their fellow-men, unite their energies to banish forever from our land all that can intoidcate. * This was written in reference to certain circumstances which transpired several years ago. ^Printed at the Guardian Office, TorotUf t;™ mm* t^i i;'