Page 7 Advertisements Column 2

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2809, 29 June 1916, Page 7

Magistrate: "Why did you steal this gentlemau's purse?" Prisoner: "I thought the cliango might <lo me good, Your Worship."

"LIQUOR BARS MUST CLOSE AT SIX." A BATTLE-CRY FOR THE CHRIS. ■ , -TIAN CHURCH. mni) Rev. 13. T. Ruth, Pastor of the ■A Collins "Street Baptist Church, Melbourne, recently preached an eloquent recruiting sermon. Ho took as his text tho cry of Demetrius, "Sirs, ,yo know that bv this business wo have our wealth," and he showed how amazingly modem was the situation which called forth this protest by Demetrius of vested interests against tho larger good. Wo quoto one or two of tho many striking passages which marked this rigorous attack on tho vested interests of tho liquor trade of to-day. ''Sirs, . by this business wo ho to our, wealth." -

With this single-sentenco addressed to tho affiliated trades Demetrius touched tho nervo of their sympathies. He did iiot wasto time attacking tlio truth of Paul's gospel; for what is truth, compared with trade? And tho "trade" were satisfied, hut they had to find another plea for tho people outside, and they : found-it. in an appeal to their patriotism.But the modern Demetrius who uses tho old argument in defence of tho drink traffic has not the excuse of. patriotism. The-sheer self-interest of ■ modern drinktraffickers .is entirely naked mid unashamed. Absolutely- the only thing left to tho trade is tho sordid defence, ■ "Yo know that by this craft wo have our wealth."

WHAT DO THEY CARE? What does it matter to these men that .the King repudiates the traffic and sets the example of abstinence? Vested interests take precedeiico of Royal example. What does,, it matter to theso men that a responsible statesman declares that in the. exigencies of war drink is a greater 'enemy than Germany; that drink may unduly prolong' the war, involving our best young life in premature death? Vested interests aro more important than Imperial safety and the lives of young men. What does it matter to those men that Lord Kitchener became the most in(lucntial temperanco advocate in tho British Empire? Vested interests are more to them than Kitchener's commands. What do these men care about tho health of tho individual, the existence of the family, tho future of the country? Tliey .havo only one cafe—vested interests. They' have only one reply to the King, to lord Kitchener, to statesmen, scientists, doctors, and recruiting agents, "Sirs, yo know that by this business we have our wealth." THE WRONG ATTITUDE OF THE PUBLICANS. If tho drink traffickers had tho slightest regard for public welfare they would voluntarily have reduced the- hour? of sale at the very commencement of tho war.- But, instead, they talk about .vested interests and prate about the doctrine of personal liberty in tho satno 'Oiirekss fashion as nom-patriots talk nlxmfc the doctrine of freedom of speech. Instead of making the sacrifice this or j sis asked of them, they have put. forth all their, efforts to reduce patriotism to the level of pa'ganism,_ to piny of!' opportunist politicians against insistent public demands, and to use this new occasion to further entrench their vile Irafiin and secure wider opportunities for the part they play in the Empire's life—tlio part of parasites. TnE RIGHT .\TTTTTTDE OF THE PUBLIC. On the grounds of commercial justice, on tho basis of public equity, tho timo iuis come not for us to pray and beseech Parliament for early closing, but to demand early closing, to say with the. authority of voters, "Liquor bars must rlose at six." It seems to nie. that the facts are obvious, arid so insistent, that the Premier cannot bo blind and deaf to them, the Cabinet cannot but bo aware of them, tho members of Parliament find tlieni commonplace. A referendum would not alter the facts, but would simply register them. We must not wait for a refer-, endum. Wo must bring all the prcssure of an awakening conscience, insisting on immediate action, to bear on our own representatives, on the Cabinet, and on the Premier. Let us insist that liquor bars must close at six. And in this connection I want to emphasise the tremendous importance of the personal equation, the enormous power of personal example, tho far-reaching effects of the investment of personal influence. Tho King sees in tho victim of strong drink a degraded subject; Kitchener saw a spoilt soldier; the teacher sees an enfeebled mind; the merchant sees a commercial loss. But there is something more. The Christian sees a man made in the mental and moral image of God, a brother for whom Christ died, with his body blighted, his moral manhood marred, the image of God effaced, his character corrupted, his soul enslaved—and more, he sees the drunkard perpetuating liis evil in an offspring lacking in physical fitness, in intellectual capacity, and in moral vision. WHAT ARE WE TO DO? The first thing is, havo done with the evil'yonrself. You know whoro to stop. Yes, yes, but abstain for the other man's 6ake. And the second thing. Before you retiro to-night writo two short, strong letters or postcards—preferably letters—one to the representative of your district, tlio other to the Premier, marked "personal," urging that for the sake of our soldiers who have returned wounded, for tho. sake of soldiers who are going, and for the sake of possiblo recruits; for the sake of fathers, and mothers, and children; for the sake of home, and city, and Empire, liquor bars must closo at six. And the third-thing concerns us as Churchmen. AVhatever our ecclesiastical polity or our denominational distinction wo are hero as agents of tho Kingdom of God, and we must close our ranks to figlit this terrific, evil.

We have enteral upon a great epochmaking period in tho world's history, lipon one of tho great cycles of judgment, an Imperial crisis determining destiny; and believing, as we believe, in tlio Fatherhood of God, in the brotherhood of man, in tho awfuliicSs' of sin, and in tlio Saviourhood of Christ; and witnessing, as wo witness, the physical, mental, moral, and social havoc wrought by drink, ami tho public denial of all tlio elevating doctrine of home, Church, State, and Empire involved in this vast agency of degradation, I do not seo how wo-can bo true to ourselves, our homes, our Church, our country, if we do not light, for all wo aro worth, that which hinders as nothing else hinders public health, blights as nothing clso blights the homes of iho people, breeds as nothing else breeds degeneracy and vice, vitiates as nothing else vitiates the moral atmosphere, and opposes as nothing ejso opposes tho establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth.

jytILLEK AND CO., Glass Merchants, 1 HOLLAND STREET, WELLINGTON. Only British Plato and Figured Glass Stocked. 'Phone A7OU.