PROHIBITION AND CHURCH ATTENDANCE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 29, 29 October 1918, Page 6

PROHIBITION AND CHURCH ATTENDANCE

A CANADIAN MINISTER. FINDS HIS CONGREGATION DWINDLING.

HEAD THIS CLEAR-CUT TESTIMONY.

' The Liquor advertisements have been suggesting that Prohibition and decreased Church activities go together. The New Zealand Alliance has looked through the thousands of testimonials it has in its possession and has fouiid that there is one minister in Canada who found that Prohibition robbed him of a large part of his congregation at one of his preaching places. Now the Alliance seeks the Truth and therefore places before the people of New Zealand this clergyman's testimony, in order that both sides of the issue may be fully represented. Unlike the Liquor scribbler, the Alliance herewith gives full particulars of this man, his present' address and Church. "The Trade"- is hereby challenged to produce the same particulars in regard to the alleged minister it quotes. ° . ~. I?.->v Walter 31. Loiicks, M.A., is the rector of All Saints' Anglican Church, Winnipeg, Canada, and is a prominent oificial in Anglican circles in that city. He can bo found by writing fo.his home, All Saints' Rectory, Broadway Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Writing on Juno 19 of this year (not .years ago—Liquor Scribbler please-note) he says: "In my capacity of Chaplain to the Gaol, I have'been brought in close contact with the authorities and also _the prisoners, both male and female. The opinion of the former agrees with the testimony of the latter Hint, in the vast majority oT instances, the use and abuse of intoxicants is, directly or indirectly, responsible for crime and criminals. My pon»reuation at tV Provincial Gaol on Sundays need to be from 80 to 90 males and from 20 to 23 females. Since the pnasin" of Prohibition the numbers hnve fallen," until now I. have from 25 to 35 men and from 6to 10 women, flue happy fallinn-off speaks for and from well-defined knowledge of the good results of the working of the Act in tlie citv I cannot speak ton highly of it T know of many families who were nl'vavs in difficulty, both financial ai"l personal, who now are contented, and, comparatively cnenkinir, well off owing to the removal of temptation. From my intercourse with, members of my parish, financial and business mp.n, T am convinced that from the standpoint of 'mercantile progress, the city and province nre both in n stronger position owing to Prohibition." In addition to the above, Hie. Alliance nlso nonfessps Hint some Canadian ministers have stated that there has hwn n great decrease in the amount of Church w-ork <lono nlon<? some lines nfter Prohibition'came. Princinnlly this is noticed in the number nf Christmas baskets sent nut to the poor, the amount of coal given away, an"d the amount of cash collected for needy families. One ministnr osriecinllv mentions having the usual Christmas dn'<iifion to a needy fnmi'.y returned with sincere gratitude that they no lon"fT were pompcllod to accent it. for ■Prohibition Tin-= redeemed their hnnip. 'I'lip A'lianop tlwcforo i« prepared to admit that some forms of Cmnvli prHvity lire creatly lessened by Prohibition.— (Published by arrangement.)