TEMPERANCE ACTIVITIES DURING THE WAR.

White Ribbon, Volume 21, Issue 245, 18 November 1915, Page 1

TEMPERANCE ACTIVITIES DURING THE WAR.

SHOULD THEY BE SUSPENDED? A very line article with the above heading appears in th'* ‘‘Reformer, W.A. It commences: “Ever on the alert to turn moments of public excitement to profitable account, the liquor dealers of the Empire have, since the commencement of hostilities, lost no opportunity of pushing the sale of intoxicants, irrespective of its disastrous effect, upon the men engaged in labour upon which the success of the issue largely depends. So that they might have i free hand at this time, they have urged that the temperance leaders should suspend operations during the currency of the war. so that the Government might hot be harassed, but be left free to devote their whole thought to the prosecution of the war. In a word, they have desired a truce which would leave them free to conduct their business unrestrained by the public sentiment engendered by Temperance activities. . . . The very suggestion of such a truce was a crime against the nation and the brave men who, on the battlefields of Europe, are fighting for the honour of the Empire and the good of the world. \Ye go further, and say that it could only come from those who are confederate against the best interests of the country and the honour of its citizens. The obligation of the moral forces of the nation to the soldiers in the field demands, not suspended operations, but increased activity in the campaign egainst the national enemy, for whilst they are

risking their lives in defence of the Empire, the* liquor traders are pushing a business which is a perpetual menace to their loved ones at home.” Isaiah of old said: “When God’s judgments are abroad in the* earth the world will learn righteousness.” The priphet spoke* from an intimate acquaintance with Israel’s history. National calamity ever followed national sin, and was Jehovah’s call to them to penitence and humiliation, and to “put away the unclean thing from their midst." This same God is our God. and in this time of national calamity is calling us to arise and banish the unclean thing from our Empire The nation that in the strength of God has conquered the evils within has no cause to dread the foe without. King and statesman, warrior and priest, physician and manufacturer, arc* now all in agreement with every class of social reformer th.it the* liquor trade is England’s greatest enemy. The noble old statesman who passed to his rest years ago said, “England must conquer the liquor trade, or the* liquor trade will conquer her.” How nearly prophetic were his words this war has shown. The statesmen of to-day says: “England is fighting three enemies, Germany, Austria, and Strong Drink, and the greatest of them is drink.” Surely if ever the call of God came clearly to a nation in the* hour of calamity, it comes to our Empire today to down and crush this foe to national efficiency, this destroyer of the souls and bodies of men. Driven by the necessity for defending her very existence as a nation, England

has passed the* “Defence of tin* Realm Act.” Under this Act, ten areas have been defined (either ports or munition areas, or both), in which the sale of liquor has been restricted to a few hours day, in most places only between the hours from noon to 2.30 p.rn., also all treating is forbidden, and the law is strictly enforced. On the 2<Sth of last September the Victorian Alliance held its 34th annual meeting, which was one* of the largest ever held. The President, in his opening address, said: “T he- drink trade will t ke some fighting, for it is as securely entrenched as the hordes of Germany. It has allies everywhere, and I have no hesitation in saying that our Cabinets and Parliaments are contaminated by it. The Council you elect to-night musi give their best attention to this, and in the coming year we must make some sacrifice. 1 have given my best on the platform, in the pulpit, and press. There is a great need for everybody’s best. 1 want you to put first things first, to give no pledge to any politician until you know his views on this great question. . . . No man c an deny that to-day one great and halfforgotten Biblical truth i> receiving transcendent expression. Sin is working death. Take our own country. For a long time past many have been convinced that intemperance was one of our deadliest sins. But now, in a moment of intense national danger and strain, the scales have* fallen from the nation’s eyes. Drink has been revealed for what it is, a deadly and insidious foe of all the nobler energies of our race in its tight for all that it holds most dear, something

which is imperilling its great inheritance, the traditions of freedom and order, whuh have come down to us from Runnymede, and which we hold in trust for one-fifth of all humanity.

"In this hour of revelation the cause of Temperance takes its rank with all the greatest social causes of humanity, the fight for civil liberty, for religious tolerance, for the emancipation of the slave.

"I call upon you to duty and to sacrifice in the year upon which we have entered.”

What are we doing in our Dominion? Rev. Radford, in preaching at the Conference of the Baptist Church, spoke of the trinity of evils drinking. gambling, and impurity. What are we doing to combat these evils? A sentiment is going about lateiy which shows such utter lack of faith in Cod as to be practical infidelity. We are told that it is useless to press for reforms because we shall not get any new legislation. What utter piffle! We got legislation enough last session, only it was of the wrong kind. We got an Act legalising raffling for patriotic purposes, also granting an extra race day to the Wellington Racing Club. Surely these things are not so urgent as Temperance reform. No Government dares to refuse legislation for which there is anything like a national demand. Is there such a demand for restricting the liquor trader? We believe there is. When the Moderate League interviewed the Premier they spoke of "hysterical women who were circulating a petition for 6 o’clock closing.” The ‘‘Kvening Post,” commenting on this statement, said that if the Moderate League were solacing themselves with the idea that it was only a few hysterical women who wanted early closing they were living in a fool’s paradise. The "Post” then went on to speak of the public demand for restriction of the sale of strong drink. W e believe there is such a dem ind that a petition of hundreds of thousands of signatures could be obtained by a systematic canvass of the Dominion. And more than this, we believe it to be the work of the W.C.T.U. to show the (iovernment that there is this demand. We know the demand made upon our women by patriotic work, but we fancy the Master would say, "This

ought ye to have done, and not to have left the other undine.” We trust that White Ribboners will come up to Convention full of faith, firmly believing that "more things are wrought by prayer than this world wots of.” Be sure of this thing, that No Convention means No Aggressive Work. Are we prepared to drop all work and leave the forces of evil to work unhindered? There never was such a need to keep our work going. If we fail now to lead a willing people in a campaign for 6 o’cloc k closing, will we not in the future feel that we have been false to the trust (iod placed in us, and will it not be a chapter in our history of which wc shall alwavs be ashamed?

We must conquer the foe* within before we dare expect (iod to give us the victory over the enemy without. This is a testing time for our Union. Are we going to sit down and do nothing while evil riots unchecked, oi are we going with the power of a new pentecost in our hearts to meet and overcome tliiN giant?- It may be hard to do the work now, but if we drop it we will find it muc h harder to start again. This war is not going to leave the world where it found it, and in the future, when nations shall be cast into the crucible and a new order evolved, our women want to be alert and ready to lead in the* path of progress and reform. The work may be hard; (iod never pror.ised His servants that they should tread a primrose path. The outlook may not be hopeful. Was the outlook hopeful for those* brave pioneers of the emancipation movement, but they battled on in the /ace of discouragement and persecution till (iod crowned their faith wnh victory.

If we cease aggressive work, the liquor intc rests will not do so, A recent deputation asked for the cutting out of the local No-License vote*, and if they are aggressive and we are not, they will get it. Only those in close touch with affairs know how the licensing law was observed while the 6 o’clock closing petition hung in the balance. We firmly believe that a large petition, showing a national demand for restriction of liquor trade, would gain some restriction, hut if not c ur activities will not be wasted if we keep the other side from gaining. Unless we are on the alert and are well organised and vigorous, we shall lose

ground next session, that it may take years to gain. W ill W hite* Ribboners note thees three points? \i) It is just as patriotic to fight the Liquor Trade as to fight the Germans, and love to the weak and self-sacrifice for them will enable us to do both kinds of work. („’) No Convention means No Aggressive Work. No aggressive work means the field to be left free for the drinking and gambling interests to gain legislation, as they did last session. (3) If the Wellington Racing Club could gain legislation for an extra day’s racing in a time* of such national calamity, surely a national demand for restricting the liquor trade — pronounced by Lloyd George England’s greatest foe —should be able to compel legislation from a (iovernment who depend upon the votes of the electors who sign the petition. Let us Ask great things from God; Expect great things, and W-rk for groat things. (iod bends from out the deep and says—• "I gave thee the great gift of life; Wast thou not called in many ways? Are not My heaven and earth at strife? "I gave thee of My seed to sow, Bringest thou Me My hundredfold?” Can I look up, with f.ice aglow, And answer, "Father, here is gold ?”