CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE by James White

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 14, 1879

CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE.

By James White

The movements and organizations on the temperance question have accomplished great good. Among these are the Washingtonian movement, the Murphy movement, the Good Templar organization, the Reform Club, and the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. Intemperance is an evil terrible beyond description. Men may debase themselves, disgrace their God-given powers, and bring upon themselves great physical suffering, by indulging the appetite for strong drinks; and their miseries may end only in a premature grave. But their sufferings can hardly compare with the physical and mental wretchedness of the innocent parties they call wife and children.

There is a class of men who regard themselves as the world’s preservers, the salt that saves society from extremes. These conservative inspectors of propriety, who have neither eyes to see nor hearts to feel the human agony caused the unfortunate women of our world who are linked with drunken husbands, may coolly criticise the woman’s temperance movement with all its prayers and tears, yet the hand of God may have been in it all. The nature of the case called for vigilant, decided action. Have these good women erred in a few instances? When men, who have handled less responsible matters, can show no errors, then they may become their critics.

Perverted appetite is the greatest earthly power known to man. There is power in money; but appetite swallows wealth. Many a farm, fine house, horses and carriages, or the proceeds of them, have gone down the poor inebriate’s throat. There is power in education and position; but this, too, is debased by the power of appetite. There is power in love; but this has often been crushed out of the loving heart of the tender, confiding wife by the power of appetite in him who at the matrimonial altar pledged his life and sacred honor before God to honor, love, and cherish her. There is power in arms; and yet brave officers who lead men under their command in the face of loaded batteries without fear or the flinching of a single muscle, will surrender their manhood before a glass of whisky or a plug of tobacco.

In meeting such a force as that of perverted appetite, the friends of temperance should first count the cost, lay their plans wisely and well, then move forward with faith, hope, and untiring energy. The slave to vitiated taste must be treated as a man. If his moral sense can be aroused, his manhood awakened from the death-like slumber of debasing indulgence, there is hope. Temperance lecturers who indulge in the relation of anecdotes at the expense of the drunkard, and call down upon his pate the heartless laugh of those who listen to their wit, might put their time and breath to a better purpose. Such efforts may tend to shame the youth out of the thought of entering upon the slimy path of inebriety; but you might as well undertake to shame the hungry tiger out of his prey, as to shame a confirmed inebriate out of the path of indulgence.

The cause of Christian temperance is that which appeals from the Bible, and reaches down the hand of pity and help to the poor victim of appetite, as Christ in mercy and in love stooped from his exaltation in Heaven to save sinners and place them by his side in Heaven. This movement that has recently taken form among Seventh-day Adventists, under the able and energetic leadership of Dr. J. H. Kellogg, of the Battle Creek Sanitarium, is the same that has been making headway among us for thirty years. And as the result we are a denomination of the most strict temperance people on the globe. With very few exceptions all are taking the total pledge of abstinence from the voluntary use of strong drinks, tobacco, tea, and coffee. The good work is going on rapidly, not only among our people, but hundreds from the outside are joyfully taking the strongest pledge.

Our ministers will, from this time onward, carry the banner of temperance with them, and incorporate the temperance work with their other labors, so that when believers are brought out they will be clear from tobacco and other defilements, ready for baptism and organization. God speed the good and great work to its consummation.

As a denomination of health and temperance reformers, we are a happy people. In this movement we avoid sickness, disgrace, and poverty on the one hand, and on the other gain health, position, and means to use in the cause of God. The amount saved to the cause is much larger than our people have any idea of. Let us calculate on the supposition that there are in our ranks three thousand families who, if they were not health and temperance reformers, would each expend and lose annually not less than fifty dollars for tobacco, coffee, tea, drugs, doctors’ bills, and time lost in sickness. The total amount in one year would be one hundred and fifty thousand dollars! And this sum worse than lost! This amount is greater by one-half than all our liberalities in support of the gospel of the Redeemer at home and abroad, including the support given our institutions and missionary operations. We repeat the remark that as a denomination of health and temperance reformers, taking the lead in Christian temperance, we are a happy people. J. W.