MODERATE DRINKING V. PROHIBITION.

Thames Advertiser, Volume XXIX, Issue 9498, 29 November 1899, Page 4

MODERATE DRINKING V. PROHIBITION.

(By Truth.) (To the Editor.) Sir: Would you kindly publish the following extract from a letter written by Mr. J. H. Bennett, which appeared in the Chester Chronicle of September 30, 1899. It shows to mc that the thinkers in the Mother Country are taking more interest in the subject than formerly; and that they take the word of God as the sure foundation for their arguments, as against i v.

• I think ,)ye can fairly, divide,, the population into, three classes—teetotallers, drinkers and moderates. The reason-why we find so few Moderates opposing teetotalism, is probably because, conscious of the strength and justice of their cause, they ignore the teetotallers- as , weak fanatics;. . But now, we, find,nearly; church of any, denomination, ( witlx teetotal. ; .organisations,, and actually despi^ : ing and looking'dora 1 upon the'strictly temperate' as' imioioral.' ) I think it •is time that all temperate piembers, pf every ..Christian church, ; not only defend ,themselves but also,. attack ,tl(e teetotaUera arid show, th'ein the 'dangers to which they are leading. I believe has a perfect'right to be a teetotaller, if he. \yishes, and, as such he is not. doing any harm whatever, but. when ,he. joins a society for the purpose of teaching others to follow in the same path; then:he is doing absolute ,Teetotalism. as a doctrine is founded on two serious errors. First, that alcohol is poisonous to human beings; and second, that man has a right to make conditions of i'oligion instead of taking those, givqn by: God himself. "

Alcohol is. not a poison when used in the right way. The stock argument of teetotal lecturers on this point is that because pure alcohol is a poison any small amount of alcohol in any liquid must be a small dose of poison. Such a-weak argument is; scarcely worthy, of, refutation to any, educated man, and we are nearly all of us constantly tailing as food drinks, and specially medicines, many, substances, which,. if taken in their .'strongest forms, would cause more harm to the body than even pure alcohol. I. will only mention as examples a few things that teetotallers rejoice in,'such us, tea, which contains theine,; , coffee, which contains caffeine; tobacco, containing nicotine; and aerated waters; which contain acids more deadly-than alcohol,', and carbonic acid gas, which W a most poisonous gas. Such , instances can be multiplied indefinitely] It has been proved, by several scientific authorities during the . past r ter years, that alcohol in moderate quantity not only assists digestion, but is also a food, at least as much as are other heat and force-giving principles. This, I am.'sure, innumerable, thousands of temperate people can corroborate from their own personal experience..

'Deadly msichief is being done to religion by setting up teetotalism as a Christian doctrine, against the authority of both Old and New Testaments, and also against the practice and example, not only of the best men of the Bible, but also of our Holy Saviour himself. The Pharisees of our Lord's time were accused by him of making: void the law through their traditions, or in other words of putting man's doctrines instead of God's, and it is generally understood among Protestants that the errors of the Romish Church are of exactly similar character. As Mr. Ball's letter last week gave seven instances of Divine approbation of the use of wine, I need not add to the number, but will conclude by . asking your readers to judge whether the. .following extract from 1 4th Timothy does not. exactly apply to, teetotal organisations of to-day: "In' the latter times some shall depart, from the faith . . . . ■ commanding to abstain from meats, which God 1 hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving." _