A TEMPERANCE LECTURE. "So the Lord awaked as one out of sleep; and like a giant refreshed with wine, he smote his enemies in the hinder parts; and put them to a perpetual shame." The Psalms, Day 15, Common Prayer. "Because right is right, to follow right, were wisdom in the scorn of consequence." It does not enter into the "eternal fitness of things," this hateful term "Prohibition," in any civilized and highly enlightened country on this planet-no. And we know whereof we speak. It is not worshipped nor even tolerated-indeed, it is now often considered an effete and thread-bare subject for debate by scientific logicians and statesmen. It is simply an irritant, an urger of the very evil it sometimes honestly, doubtless, seeks to allay But as it is proved sophistry the whole argument, consequently falls to the ground. We do not purpose to give up our freedom, nor toss it over, one inch of it, for a glass of wine nor a swallow of eau-de-vie, to gratify the short-lived vanity and unsound reasoning, the worse than wasted time, of mistaken men and women. As we have said prohibition is now cold-shouldered and thrown aside by the great leaders of debate-it is dead and buried except in far-away and isolated spots. There will always be intemperance in the world—intemperance in other, many things, besides the too much drinking of fermented wines and liquors; too much eating and too often even in Lent and on Fridays of rich food, and drinking of tea, coffee, etc., intemperance in reading illegitimate books and newspapers, playing and singing illegitimate songs— yellow-covered literature; intoxication in speech, manner, dress; staggering in "sound doctrine" and in true loyalty to God and man. Yes, we are sorry to know that there will always be evils in the world unto the end; there will be drunken men as there will be liars, and law and order breakers; agnostics-infidels and atheists false teachers and falser gods. But, "lo the days are hastening on, When with the ever-circling years, Shall come the time foretold, When the new heaven and earth shall own, The Prince of Peace their King, And the whole world send back the song, Which now, the angels sing. Peace on the earth, good-will to men, From heaven's all-gracious King." There are found to be better and wiser methods of dealing, with this terrible evil of "drunkenness." From a gentleman owning a vineyard in Southern California, and employing only French wine-makers, (his wife being a French lady and he himself having made his home in France for more than twenty years), much was gathered of sound information on the subject of wine-making and wine-drinking, in that country and in California as well. He said he had never known on his place drunkenness, nor intemperance; that the men were allowed all the wine they wished and that they always took wine with their meals, women and children as well, at their choice-that in all the years, he had known of but one man over stepping the mark and in that case, the foreman (French) did not need to remonstrate for his fellowworkmen reproved him:-"Was your father a drunkard that you drink your wine clear, and so much at a time?" He said their universal rule was, one-third water. It mattered not how little a man earned some part of it was put aside, invariably. Is it any wonder that the country of France to-day owns the richest treasury of the civilized world, and that her people are healthy, temperate and happy-la belle France! "Prohibition is not temperance neither is total abstinence." "Have salt in yourselves." We, Americans, prohibitionists (and allow us to say we are not now thinking altogether of the few born and bred in Hawaii but of the large number possibly out of the many millions of people in our own country) are the citizens of a new and young, but no one wishes to deny, great country-great physically, materially, morally and intellectually. All straight? Very well. Granted. Just all that; but here it is: We often fancy probably, that we know all, know all that is to be known, all that has been known, and all that ever will or can be known, by any order of being whatever, throughout all eternity. And there my dear friends, much as we love you all, we say you are a little mite too sure now and again. There is not only much of the true wisdom of America; but there are men, also of the "salt of the earth" "light of the world," all over the civilized globeGermany, France and the rest, together with Great Britain, (men sitting in the House of Commons, and in that of Lords) who are to-day making an exhaustive study of this evil of drunkenness and who think no more of giving not only hours of debate, and months of day-and-night labor added to their $50,000 in solid coin of the realm, to help their neighbour to rise above his miserable and wretched condition, than of taking a glass of claret. But their theory nor their practice does not include "Prohibition."-Moral:-Wisdom will not die with us. "In God we trust" and after that we trust our neighbour. Heavenborn wisdom, the gift of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter. P. S.-A temperance shrub :-Two teaspoonfulls of sour gooseberry jam stirred into a tumbler of cold water-delicious! N. B.-Wine, and sugar to the taste. THE STORM. O treacherous, fathomless Sea, Is that the woe thou tellest me Didst thou clasp in thine arms my loves, |