In the 1920‟s many Temperance Societies
brought much pressure to bear on the American
government to ban alcohol. Such was man‟s
unquenchable thirst for spirits that criminal
bootleggers ruled and the parties raged.
Governments took stock at lost taxes and
quickly restored liquor as legal trade, regardless
of the social cost. The following quotes were
penned prior to Abolition showing what sensible
people in the world once thought of booze.
“In Chicago the estimate is, one baker for every
four hundred and seventy families, one grocer
for every eighty-nine families, and one liquor
saloon for every thirty-five families.”
“I am so horrified at the consumption of alcohol
in this country that sometimes I feel like giving
up everything and going forth in a holy crusade,
preaching to all men, Beware the enemy of the
race.” [Dr. Andrew Clarke, physician to Queen Victoria]
“Thanks to our brewers and publicans, and the
cooperation of the magistrates who license them,
and the consent of the Christian church which
permits liquor traffic to continue, we have:
1,000,000 paupers through drink; 100,000
criminals in jail through drink; 60,000 deaths
annually through drink; 50,000 lunatics in
asylums through drink; and a standing army of
confirmed drunks.” [English Watchword]
“Nine tenths of the crime of England can be
traced to drink.” [Alcohol]
“It is estimated that for every missionary who
goes to Africa, seventy-five thousand gallons of
liquor are sent to that country.”
“The tax on brandy forms the most important
item in the revenue of Russia.”
“Drunkenness is the beginning and ending of life
in the great French industrial centers. It is
estimated that at Lille, twenty-five out of every
one hundred men, and twelve out of every one
hundred women, are confirmed drunkards.”
23
Alcohol has been the biggest curse and tool of
Satan since creation. Satan draws you in slowly.
The thief says, “Give me your money or your
life.” The liquor seller says, “Give me your
money AND your life.” If the church won‟t do
anything about the use of alcohol, then let the
world rebuke you. They know too well the woes
of 6000 years of alcohol.
We live in an age where temperance is defined
on billboards that decry “Don’t drink and
drive.” Noble are deemed to be those who take
a cab when drunk, or hire a designated driver
while the balance of the party suffers inebriation.
This is known as drinking responsibly.
Page
Society drinks to forget, to empower, to gain
confidence, to alter reality. The Christian walks
peculiar amidst the drunks while beholding the
greatest folly ever known to mankind - the
multiplied curses of alcohol.
I am not a drunkard one says, for I practice
moderation and temperance with my drinking. I
am a social drinker only. Why not attend a
meeting of the Alcoholics Anonymous? Every
single soul in these meetings was once like you,
the social drinker. The AA considers alcoholism
to be a disease that afflicts certain people.
However, the Bible links it to sin and calls for
overcoming. The AA determines correctly that
every alcoholic is formed from his first drink
onward and that in the end one drink is too
many, and a thousand is not enough. Their
motto: “Nothing is ever so bad that one more
day of drinking can’t make it worse.”
Members of the AA forever say, “My name is
…. and I AM an alcoholic.” Those born-again
into the fraternity of Christ triumphantly say,
“My name is …. And I WAS an alcoholic.”