IS IT NOTHING TO YOU?

White Ribbon, Volume 48, Issue 1, 1 January 1942, Page 1

IS IT NOTHING TO YOU?

The prophet Jeremiah, after surveying the city of hi* love and marking its desolation, retailed it to the people then in sadness of heart, and queried, “Is it nothing to you?”

Xow we invite our readers to accompany us in a survey of our own Dominion. Take a walk along the main streets of our cities; visit our courts; stand outside our crowded hotel bars between 5 and 6 p.m.; then truthfully answer the age-old question, “Is it nothing to you?”

Survey the position last Christmas Eve; see young men and women reeling along the streets of our large cities. Walk into our Magistrate’s Court last week and listen to the comments of Mr. J. H. Lux ford, S.M., upon a case of illegal sale of liquor. It is a fact that the liquor trade is licensed to sell during certain hours and under certain conditions as to who must be supplied and. who must not. Of this legal sale Mr. Luxford said: “The time is ripe for some curtailment of the sale of liquor through ordinary channels for the duration of the war.”

But the illegal sale goes on for the whole 24 hours, and of this sale the magistrate said: “The liquor position is getting out of hand in this and other cities of the Dominion.” And to this he added the warning: “This evil is going to be stamped out properly. In future people convicted of this offence, even if they are first offenders, will be sent to prison.”

This applies only to illegal sale, but what about the legal sale 5 Get this conviction firmly fixed in your mind: While there is legal sale of alcohol there will also he illegal sale. Legal sale creates the appetite, which demands this narcotic poison at all hours, and people can always be found to supply the demand for a sufficient consideration.

In our large cities, bars bolding 14)0 customers are crowded between 5 and 6 p.m As a local customer described it to us, “You have to fight your way to the counter to get a glass of beer. And yet any number of barmen up to 25 may be serving there.”

“/s it nothing to you, all ye that paSS by?” Lamentations 1-12

Wliat a commentary upon a nation, fighting for its very existence, yet licensing a trade which rots barley to make beer, and grapes to make wine, and thus renders, by poisoning with alcohol, its young manhood less efficient. Barley which fed to lien* would stock our market with eggs, and grapes, better even than orange juice, for infants and young children. The power of the liquor trade follows our hoys into camp and the War Cabinet allows the sale of alcohol in wet canteens. Don't be misled by excuses, the War Cabinet is supreme and has power to stop this iniquity. But the brewers control the situation, and their official organ, the “Brewers’ Digest,” urges its servants to create appetite, and wet canteens create appetite. The prophet Micah says, “I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink.” And a modern commentator writes, “The phrase has a meaning for modern states, in which the Drink interest not only dominates politics, hut offers its sordid support to religion. The union of Beer and Bible is anticipated by Micah. A degraded nation rejects God's prophet and accepts that corrupt combination in its place. The modernness of the ancient prophets is due to the unchangeable character of sins, and the equally unchangeable character of God.”'

Christian citizens, who are moderate drinkers, are responsible for this traffic. St. Paul said, “It is good neither to eat flesh or drink wine whereby thy brother is offended or made weak.”

Does wine (alcohol) make our brother weak? If so, our Christian duty is plain, i.e., to encourage neither its manufacture or sale.

What is the Christian Church doing? Synods, Conferences, Assemblies meet, they pass pious resolutions, and there the matter ends. Only the Salvation \rniy insists upon its members being total abstainers. Christian mothers! Is it nothing to you? What are you going to do?

Every Christian woman should he an abstainer, otherwise she encourages the trade.

Convention Postponed.

Owing to uncertainty of the position in the Pacific, and the consequent difficulty of forecasting what the situation may be by March sth, the officers have been compelled very reluctantly to postpone Convention. But the work must be done. Our battle with the foe within our gates—the Liquor Trade —is as patriotic as the struggle against the enemy without. » Put the money which Convention would have cost into literature and see that it is distributed. Approach all women’s organisations, particularly Church Guilds, and ask for their cooperation. We want not only their approval, but their earnest and active help. Educate, show these organisation'. the ruin we are heading for. W. T. Stead used to say not “be a Christian,” but “Be a C hrist.” Would Christ be ifl this fight? If so, then His followers should he there. We pray “Thy Kingdom come.” The Liquor Trade hinders the coining of that Kingdom. Drink degrades our manhood and womanhood, and the immorality following in its train ruins the race physically. If we want His Kingdom to come we must not let our indifference nullify our prayers. Work and pray! Pray and work! and the victory will he won. This is the victory which overcometh even our Faith. Teach the Young. Mr. Churchill said that for the best part of 20 years the youth of Germany, Italy and Japan had been taught that aggressive war was the noblest duty of the citizen. We have reaped the result of tlii> teaching in the bloodiest and most damnable war in history. Learn the lesson. Teach the children by precept and example to “Look not on the wine when it is red.” Give them the facts which our “White Ribbon" supplies and create a temperance armjtJn this Dominion which will come to grips with this traffic and never cease its efforts until, like Miriam, we sing our victory song.

Sound the loud timbril o’er Pacific's broad sea. Jehovah has triumphed, His people are free, Sing for the pride of the brewer is broken, His bottles and barrels are sunk ’neatli the wave. Get into the fight for God and the Right, The fight that is on to-day, For church increased, in a land re leased From rum’s Satanic sway. Get into tlu* fight! time wings it" fligt) t. Get into the fight to-day. There is work to do, and the call means you, Go into the fight to stay.