p. 9 | REFORM-FALSE AND TRUE

Pacific Press Publishing Company · OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA · Jan 20, 1904

REFORM—FALSE AND TRUE.

WHILE many people have acted, and do act on the principle that evil may be condoned, licensed, and thereby indorsed, if it be done out of sight of the public, it is left for certain New York City reformers to set up the principle as a bold proposition. There is now an agitation for opening saloons on Sundays from 1:00 to 11 o’clock, P. M., which involves the principle above referred to. The district attorney advocates it, and claims to have the support of Bishop Potter, Rev. W. S. Rainsford, and other noted men. The president of the board of city magistrates also advocates the privilege of selling liquors, but not to be drunk on the saloon premises. One of the leading arguments is the hardship of the laboring man, who is being deprived of his beer for a whole day.

The proposition provides that licensed dealers be allowed to sell, during the hours prescribed, provided the selling be in a manner protected from public view. The police must not interfere if the transaction be not seen from the public street. The Union Signal refers to a fund of $5,000,000 raised by the Liquor Dealers’ Associations of the country, to aid in securing legislation of this character, and queries how much the respectable gentlemen mentioned are paid for their services.

This Sunday legislation presents three curious features: (1) Under the garb of temperance, a class of temperance reformers secure a measure of enforced Sunday observance, for the sole purpose of exalting Sunday. They never would think of a one-day closing law for any other day of the week. So far their position is for the arbitrary enforcement of religion; so far they are committed to the principle of Church-and-State union, which is a papal doctrine pure and simple. (2) Then we have a class of men making an equal claim to morality and Christianity, who are willing to compromise with evil provided its sinister work be done under cover. (3) Besides the foregoing, we have the liquor traffic raising large sums of money to buy the influence of men in office, men of social standing, men in the ministry, men who profess temperance principles, in fact any class not already in sympathy with the traffic. And the sad thing is they succeed in corrupting a large number of supposedly good men.

Thus we have before us the continual evidence that only by the strictest adherence to the leadings of the Spirit, through the Word, can men be kept from encouraging the adversary, even in their sincere efforts to advance moral reform. There can be no true reform on any other basis than a return to the principles enunciated in the Word of God. The only perfect goal to which any reformer can point is obedience to “the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” This alone will stand the test of the judgment. See 2 Thess. 1:7-10; Rev. 14:6-12; 22:14.