Distinguished Clergy.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 28 November 1911, Page 2

Distinguished Clergy.

THE CHURCH TEMPERANCE SOCIETY. FORCE AS A MORAL FACTOR CONDEMNED. LET MODERATES CONSIDER. IT has already been shown that most of the higher type of the clero-y denounce in no unmeasured terms Prohibition and its twin evil. No-license. It must be admitted that tho seusationmonger among the Prohibitionist parsons is ready to cast aside tho calm regenerating inanenoe of the Gospel for the oudsoundino,, 'big-drum power or Prohibition and No-license. Behind all this fnmo and Fury tho Prohibition parson thinks he is doing somethin" for the good of fiho people. He is deluding ihimsclf and those lie would guidf, and the truth is not in ] How de wo know? Is the petty peddling Prohibitionist parson right, and the distinguished clergy, ,-Jie leaders of religious thought opinion in the world, altoge'> ■Cγ wrong? CATHOLIC CHURCH PRELATE*. To begin with—Cardinal Gibbons says: "I am persuaded that it is practically impossible to put Prohibition into efiect in any large immunity." * * * ♦ * Right Rev. Mgr. Franz Goller says: " Tlio Pope" certainly does helieve in temperance; that is, moderation in all things; but not absolute Prohibition. That is not the spirit of freedom, but of autocratic government. The Holy Father himself takes a glass of wine, and 'believes that men should be allowed to use their own judgment in what they should eat and what they should drink, and not have other men decide such matters for them." * « • ♦ * Pope Leo. XIII.. in a letter to Archhishop Ireland, said: "A Catholic priest cannot be, strictly speaking, a total abstainer, because he must drink alcoholic wine at everv mass he says, and that may be almost daily. Hβ could not sanely iadvacate Prohibition, which, strictly carried out, would make the procuring of wine— materia sacrannnti —an impossibility. And yet, outside, of this sacramental use, which is of necessity, hundreds of priestrf lead a life of abstinenco, and! Ivy their personal example and evangelical labours, become veritable apostles of temperance." * ♦ * • # THE ANGLICAN CHURCH. At the General Convention of the Anglican Church, Protestant Episcopal Church Temperance Society, the following declaration was made: "Recognising temperance as the law of the Gospel, and total abstinence as a rule of conduct, essential in certain cases, and highly desirable in others; and fully and freely according to every man tho right to decide, in the exercise of his Christian liberty, whether or not ho will adopt said rule, this society lays down as tho basis on which it rests, and from which its work shall be conducted: union and co-operation on perfectly equal terms for the promotion of temperance between those who use temperately and those who abstain entirely from intoxicating drinks afl beverages." Tin's is consistent with the law of the Gosnel, hut it is opposed to the principle (?) of Prohibition. * x • * ». The late Bishop, Potter, a loading American Anglican, said: "Our prohibitory laws, whether we put them in operation on one day only, or on all days, are as stupid as they are ineffectual." * » . * » * Bishop Webb: "I believe that the general tendency of the Episcopal clergy is to favour, rather than onnose. tho well-regulated hotel, fhe ihotel .when at its certainly has many things in its favour. It is a gathering-place of people, and in many places good people." « « * * * Bishop Moroland: Another false notion is that the abu.se of wine nroliibits tho use of it. Some people are injured by drinking coffee. Must all the world, then, give up its morning cup? It never helps any cause to raise false issues about -t, or defend it with unsound argument. * * * # • The Rev. D. Rainsford does not minco matters. He says boldly: "To drink is no sin. Jesus Christ drank. To keep a saloon is no sin." * * * « * Bishop Grafton: " I cannot oee the benefits to he derived from compulsory abstinence. Rabid temperance workers have accomplished very little." •* * * » ♦ OTHER LIBERAL CLERGY.

Dr. Lyman Abbott, formerly of Plymouth Church, now with ex-Prc-sident Roosevelt, editing "The Outlook," speaking against compulsory methods to enforce moderate drinkers to give up the use of alcoholic beverages, said: It was not the method of Jesus. He lived in an age of total abstinence societies, and did not join any of tihem. Jeeus emphasised the distinction between His methods and those of John the Baptist; that John came neither eating nor drinking; the Son oi Man came eating and drinking. He condemned drunkenness, but never in a single instance lifted up His voice in condemnation of drinking. On the contrary, Ho. commenced His public ministry by making, as a rule, wine in considerable quantity, and of fine quality, and this apparently only to add to tlho joyous festivities of a wedding." " Rev. Dr. Howard Crosby, of tho Presbyterian Church, goes so far us to say that ' Prohibition is the greatest; enemy to a much-need-ed reform.' " * * • * * Ttoe Rev. Carl Eissfeldt, of the Lutheran Church, speaking as its representative at the annual conference, Wisconsin, said: "We cannot join hands with the prohibitionists, because their principle is wrong, insofar as they mix good use and misuse of things, that in themselves are gifts of God. We regard this as a wrong principle, to prohibit on account of misuse the use, manufacture, and sale of anything that in itself is not bad." •.*- * * * The late- Rev. Henry Ward Beeoher put tho case for the Moderates m this language: "If you say to mo that I ought not to drink, perhaps T would agree with you; but if you tell me that I must not drink I will drink, .because I have a natural right to do so—to drink what I please." * * * * » * Now, in the face of all the foregoing declarations, will any honest reader affirm that the notorietyihnnting prohibitionist parson is to be compared in point of sanity, learning, ability, and devotion to religion and love of humanity with a tit of the groat names mentioned Phen why follow them. Tho prohibition parson is a misleading person. Vote to display your determination to be free, and strike out the bottom lines of both voting '