sure. It is dangerous to imbibe and, therefore, just plain unwise to drink at all. As a Christian, I believe it is our spiritual respon sibility to abstain totally from the use of alcoholic beverages and to lend our influence in that direc tion. Whatever influence we have in our homes, churches, clubs and in government should be against the alcohol traffic in our society. There is no reason why we should indulge and every reason why we should not! Even though some may think we do not have a direct Scriptural command for bidding it, I believe Proverbs 20:1 is sufficient Scriptural reason. It reads, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise!” However, the Christian principle of love and self-denial for others would apply in this case, if anywhere. We ARE our brother’s keeper. We must NOT cause our brother to stumble. We cannot, and must not, needlessly endanger the lives o f others, or ourselves. My purpose in writing is to call attention to some aspects of the alcohol problem which should strengthen your resolve with regard to abstaining from the use o f alcohol. Whenever this subject is mentioned, Prohibition is called to our attention and that it was such an awful failure. However, much study and research have shown this to be a seriously wrong interpreta tion of fact. This has been one of the most complete brainwashing jobs done on any people. It is simi lar in kind, but far more serious, than the fiction that Herbert Hoover was responsible for the great depression. People did much less drinking during Prohibi tion, contrary to the claims of many. In 1914, when 26 of the 48 states of our country had already brought in prohibition, 22.8 gallons per individual was consumed each year. In 1920, the first full year o f Prohibition, 2.48 gallons per individual were consumed. Even in 1930 it was at least 67 per cent less than pre-Prohibition days. Since repeal this figure has steadily risen to the extent that the an nual consumption today per individual in our coun try is 19.26 gallons per person. At that time Prohibition was regarded by many responsible leaders and organizations as highly successful. I could quote many but will limit my self to President Charles W. Eliot, Harvard Uni versity, who stated: “ Evidence has accumulated on every hand that Prohibition has promoted public health, public A T errible H isto r ical M is t a k e
There also lingers the hope, at least in evangeli cal circles, that in spite of the pressures to indulge we do not need sermons on the subject. We have been so agreed that beverage alcohol is not proper for a Christian, but now, all o f a sudden, we are discovering that this is a growing menace to our country and constituency. I fear it is almost never, never referred to so far as the public ministry of the churches are concerned. Liquor is a menace, economically, physically, socially and spiritually. The alcohol problem has reached tragic propor tions in our society. More homes are broken, more sickness, more crime, more heartache and poverty and death can be attributed to alcohol than possi bly any other single cause. If the government were to encourage total abstinence it would be its great est contribution toward the anti-poverty program, though by no means is it only the poor who drink. Perhaps the greatest single social problem in the world today is man’s use of beverage alcohol. Our society spends 13 1/2 billion dollars a year for the product itself. All users of alcohol beverages, of course, are not alcoholics. An alcoholic is one who cannot stop drinking by himself once he has taken a drink. There are many degrees of drinkers in this coun try. Thirty-eight per cent of the adults in the Unit ed States never drink at all, according to a Gallup poll of recent years. So, everyone is not drinking, as it might seem at times. Eliminating most minors and much o f the older population, surely a signifi cant number of people in our country do not drink at all. But there are great numbers who do, far too many! The number is constantly increasing! Ten per cent of the population is considered to be alcoholic- ally dependent to some degree or other. That means some 19 million at the present time. The drinkers have been cataloged as follows in our country: 46,000 6,800,000 6,800 Occasional drinkers, Moderate drinkers. All in all there are about 9,400,000 alcoholics in our fair land. There are 300,000 in the state o f Min nesota. When one realizes that only one in ten alco holics is rehabilitated and that the number of alco holics is increasing at the rate o f about 200,000 a year, think what a dangerous thing it is to drink! Not one of these moderate drinkers who is becom ing an alcoholic intended to become such, I am 4,000,000 4.600.000 1.400.000 Habital drinkers. Heavy drinkers. Addicted drinkers. Chronic drinkers.
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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