THE POPE BLESSES THE TEETOTALLERS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1600, 4 July 1887, Page 3

THE POPE BLESSES THE TEETOTALLERS.

The following Papal Brief on total abstineoce was addreased to the Blahop of St Paul, Minnesota : " The admirable works of piety and chanty, by which our faithful obi'dren m the United States labor to promote not only their own temporal and eternal warfare, bat also that of their fellow ciHzeoa, and which you have re^ cent'y related to as, gives to us exceeding grc »t consolation. And above all we have rejoioed to learn wiih what energy and zaal, by means of various excellent associations, and especially through the Oatholio Total Abstinence Union, you combat the destructive vice of intemperance. For it is well known to as how iulnou«, how deplorable, is the injury both to faith and to morals that is to be feared from intemperance m drink. Nor oan we sufficiently praise the prelates of the United States who recently, In the Plenary Council of Baltimore, with weightiest words, condemned this abuse, dedating it to bo a perpetual Incentive to sin and a fruitful root of all evils, plunging the families of the Intemperate into direst ruin, and dragging numberless soola down to everlasting perdition ; doclrrinp, moreover, that the faithful who yield to this vfca of intemperanoe beoome therefore a scandal to non Oatholicß and a great hindrance to the propagation of the true religion. Hence we eßteem worthy of all commendation the noble reßolve of your pious associations, by which they pledge themselves to abstain totally from every kind of intoxicating drink. Nor can Uat all be doubted that this determination is the proper and truly efficacious remedy for this very great evil ; and that to much the more strongly will all be induced to put this bridle upon appetite, by how muoh the greater are the dignity and influence of those who give the example But greatest of all In this matter should be the K)al of the priests, who, aa they are c-lled to instruct the people m the Word of Life, and to mould them to Christian m rallty, should also, and above all, walk bi/ore them In pradiceof virtue. Let pastors, therefore, do their best to drive the plague of Intemperance from the fold of Übrist by assiduous preaching and exhortation and, to ahlua before us as models of abstinence, that so the many oalamltles with which this vice threatens both O t huroh and Stßte may, by their aaenuous endeavors, be averted. And w« moßt earnestly beseech Almighty God that, m this important matter. He may graciously favor your desires, direct your counsels, and assist your endeavors ; and as a pledge of the Divine rrotectlon, and a testimony of paternal efieotloD, we most loviDgly bestow upon you, venerable brother, and npon all your associates m thli holy league, the Apottolic Benediotlon.—(iiven at Rome, from St Peter's, this 27th day of March, m the year 1887, the tenth ye%r of our Pontificate. Leo XIII , Pope."