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4 HK.N ItV H.TVI’K HR. Editor. TEMPERANCE. Many things art* Mid on the subject of temperance, with which The Index has no sympathy. The most shocking and blood-curdling thing we ever heard from any but an avowed blasphemer, was uttered a year or two ago, ( we learn from the Messenger), by an edi tor who said that "If our Lord used and blessed the Sacramental Wine, he was kept from the grave of a sot, only l>ecauae his end as a drunkard was an ticipated by his death on the cross." Surely this is a horror which cannot be outdone: but there seem to be some who are trying to equal it. And in general, it appears to us that the language of those whom we may call temperance apostles is intemperate. They talk like drunken men; and we incline to think that there are more ways than one of getting drunk. When a wan allows an idea, or a sen timent, or a doctrine, to bestride his brain and ride it, he is for practical purposes, as thoroughly intoxicated as if he were saturated with whiskey. The difference between these men and those commonly called drunkards is, that these prefer one form of intox ication while the drunkards prefer an other. We doubt whether the annals of the grog-shop can show anything more frightful, than the blasphemy which has occasioned the writing of these lines. The real friends of tem perance shrink away from such com panionship, and are intimidated from saying what they would like to say on the subject, because they do not wish to be associated with these frenzied fanatics. We are happy to say, however, that these wild utterances came from a number comparatively small. The vast majority of the friends of temper ance are sober people, sober in every sense of the w’ord ; and these are no more to be held responsible for the ex travagances of the few, than ministers of the gospel are responsible for the ravings of religious mania in the Luna tic Asylums. Coming down now to a plain com mon sense view of the subject, what shall be said on the prohibition ques tion now so generally discussed before the American public? It is our opin ion (speaking for Georgia), that a law ■of the State prohibiting the sale of in toxicating liquors could not be enfor ced. There are in the State some com munities in which public opinion would oppose it so strongly as to make it inoperative. In saying this, we do not feel that we are making a confes sion of any peculiar weakness in regard to our ability to enforce law. It has been the" experience of every State in the Union, that when the people gen enally, or a great majority of them, or even a very large minority are deter- i mined to oppose the execution of law,' they can almost always do it. It may ■ be that this is one of the evils of free | government, deriving its power from j the people, and one which must be compensated for by some correspond ing advantage. But it is not clear that even an autocrat could enforce law, if the people are determined to resist it. A law that cannot be enforced, with at least a tolerable degree of certainty, ought not to be enacted. The tenden cy is to bring contempt not only on it self, but on all law, and thus to engen der a general spirit of disregard for authority. Nothing is more disorgan izing, nothing is more calculated to sap the foundations of good order and of society, than laws which command no respect, and which excite nothing but derision. A lion with neither teeth nor claws will be insulted by every' donkey. There is no wisdom in at tempting to do that which we know -cannot be done ; and legislation which proposes to accomplish ends known to lie impracticable, always injures the ■cause which it is intended to sustain. With these views, we as friends of temperance, would not favor a general law in Georgia wholly prohibiting the sale of liquor, except for legitimate ' purposes. There arc many neighborhoods,■ owns and counties in the State where ;ich a law could be enforced, and where in fact it is now enforced. Those ; who have tried it arc delighted with its results. The amount of crime in | counties that have procured for them selves a local option law, has been i gieatly diminished, the public expense j ■has been largely reduced, and the value •of property has been much enhanced, i The people have less to pay, and more i <0 pay it with. Besides these results I visible to the public, there is no telling how much the social peace and do mestic happiness of the people have been increased ; and the effect on re- j ligion, and on the destiny' of men for another world, eternity alone can re veal. For these reasons, it is cer tainly desirable to have a law prohib hibiting the sale of liquors in these places, and in all other places of like 'j character. Where the people of a town or county, taken as a whole, de sire the law, it is a blessing to them to I have it; on the other hand, where a J majority of the people oppose the law, or even where there is a minority large enough to succeed in ob structing its operation, no good THE CHRISTIAN INDEX AND SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST: THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 188 I. 1 can come from it. The wisest | course therefore, for the friends of tem perance to pursue, is to try to get the people in small municipalities willing to have the law; the most unwise thing they can do is to try to force leg- I islation on people who are unwilling to submit to it. It is well, too, for them to remember that the best way to persuade is—to persuade. Mere abuse convinces nobody, and intemper ate language is the poorest expedient ever yet resorted to, to promote the cause of temperance. What would be thought of a preacher, who in endeav oring to persuade people to cease from sin, should curse and swear at those who declined to yield to his solicita tions? If we would have people be temperate, we must set them the ex ample. It is in vain for a man to say, that he does set the example by mere abstinence from drink; he must ab stain from vituperation, and from all extravagance as well. A cool, fair, ra tional discussion of the subject will succeed in many of the counties in Georgia, in bringing the great majority of the citizens to favor the prohibitory law. The increased prosperity and well-being of the counties adopting it, will be an argument of immense power in adjoining counties, and thus the in fluence will spread, until very few will be left without that protection from the evils of intemperance which law affords. The process may not be as rapid as we could desire, but it may be well for us to temper our zeal with the reflection, that it is not possible to regenerate the world in a day. It is our opinion that in the larger cities where there are so many places for hiding and so many ways of dodg ing, and where there will always be a large and refractory minority, prohibit ory laws can never be enforced. There is no wisdom in shaking a fist which can never strike, and hence in such places the proper course is not to pro hibit the sale of liquor, but to regulate it. We shall make some suggestions on this subject in a future article. There is no general law in Georgia, which gives to the people the right to vote on the question of "license” or “no license;” but various counties have, by special act of the Legislature, secured the right for themselves. It is proposed now to ask the Legislature to pass a general law of the same char acter, the effect of which will be that the people of any county, city, town or militia district, can say for them selves whether they will permit liquor to be sold or not. We are in favor of the law. It is based on the principle of local self-government; it allows the people of each community to have their own way, and do as they please; and contains no objectionable feature. The following is a copy’ of a petition now in general circulation: To the General Assemby of the State of Georgia: Tn view of the misery, poverty and crime resulting from intemperance we. the under signed citizens of the State of Georgia, re siding in the county of . . . . , do most res pectfully and earnestly petition you in favor of the passage of a la* allowing the qualb tied voters ot cities, towns, counties and mi litia districts, at any election held therein (except localities where the sale of intoxica ting liquor is already restricted or prohibited by local law), to decide by ballot whether they will prohibit the sale of intoxicating liquors (except for medicinal, mechanical and sacramental purposes) in their several localities. Persons signing the petition are re quested to give their post office address. The petition when signed should be sent by mail to “The Woman’s Chris tian Temperance Union,” Atlanta, Ga. A letter addressed to this Association will secure printed forms of the peti tion, with place for signatures. We heartily favor the enterprise. The Irrepressible Musquito!—A | man once passed the night on the edge iof a great swamp. He slapped at a ' musquito; but the wind of his stroke : blew the creature away, and it escaped | unhurt. History repeated itself many , times, and many mosquitoes in like : manner escaped. Several, however, i became victims, and in the course of i the night, the man had succeeded in I killing twenty or thirty. But there I were 214,973 other musquitoes close 1 by, and there was music in the air. Suppose that these musquitoes had had the power to consolidate them selves into one huge musquito, the size of a wild-cat, and suppose that this creature had attempted to slake his thirst for blood from the veins of this would be sleeper. A single shot from the man’s revolver would have brought him down! Hire fabula docet, that Satan may slap at our independent little churches as much as he pleases, and the result will be, that he will only bruise him self without hurting them! Occasion ally he may destroy one, but there will be plenty of Baptist music left, and each little church will go to singing, “Should earth against my soul engage, And fiery darts be hurled. SHU I can smile at Satan’s rage, And face a frowning world.” I-et us once consolidate and unify, and every shot from the enemy will tell; whatever hurts a part of an or ganized l>ody hurts the whole of it. Let us not be integrate, but as we are, forever differentiate, and we shall be forever irrepressible and invincible. —The following is reported from Washington to the Atlanta Constitu tion that “the Rev. M. B. Wharton, a prominent Georgia Baptist minister, is an applicant forthe consulship at Basle, Switzerland. He is here to look after his own interests.” THE SWORD AND THE PLOUGH SHARE. In passing through the office where The Index is printed, we saw a glow ing furnace of coals, and on it a strong iron vessel filled with some kind of met al in a state of fusion. On inquiry we learned that the contents of the vessel consisted partly of old type and other metals, but largely of melted bullets, and that the whole was about to be cast into stereotype plates for the use of the printer. The surface of the earth, for miles around Atlanta, is strewn with bullets —a suggestive relic of the bloody struggle of sixteen years ago. These are picked up in large quantities by those who have no other employment, and sold to such as can make use of them. A quantity,of them found their way to The Index office and are now cast into type, which will be used for the distribution of knowl edge. What a change of destiny! If they were rational and moral, how should they rejoice that their mission of death is exchanged foi a mission of peace! Every one of these bullets has been aimed,and sped atahuman breast Some of them have probably plunged through human hearts; many of them doubtless have ploughed their way through human flesh, or crashed through splintered bone. They are still aimed at human hearts, now not to injure but to bless, to bring not death but life. Bless God for the happy reversal! Ah! if all the imple ments of war, and murder, and destruc tion could thus be turned to profitable uses, what a grand advance would be made toward universal prosperity and toward the highest and best develop ment of the race! Is this too much to hope for, and to pray for? Doubtless we shall be called visionary if we even suggest such a thing; so we refrain. But we venture to copy an extract from the second chapter of the prophecy of Isaiah, which we submit to the criti cism of oqr readers. "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the bills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of die Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob ; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his fiaths; for out of Zion shall go forth the aw, and the word of the Lord from Jer usalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many neople; and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into prun ing-hook«; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.’’ How happy they, who now, at this distant day from the glorious consum mation, are taking part in bringing it to pass! Their efforts may seem to be feeble and futile, and may excite the derision of many. But the eye of God is upon them, and in due time he will reward them openly. When the work becomes popular, it will be easy' to en gage in it, but the true heroes are they who commit themselves to it now, when they are sneered at as enthusiasts and dreamers. How wretched they, whose influ- j ence, in the least degree, retards the coming of the universal brotherhood of nations! The type though cast in the interest of light, and knowledge, and love, may be more deadly than the ' bullet. Every’ printed word which I tends to excite public animosities, or to I alienate those who are, or ought to be, friends, has in it the germ whence j strife, and slaughter, and murder pro ceed. Evil speaking, as between mere individuals, is bad enough, but bitter words which tend to array nation against nation, or a nation against itself, are sin-breeders, and death-deal ers, and destroyers, on a vaster scale. How careful should we, of the reli- ■ gious press at least, be never to say a ! word calculated to engender the least j unkindness of feeling between men, | communities or nations. How care fully should we guard against being i drawn into the whirl of public excite- ; ments,and participating in the strife of parties. Is it not possible, that if the I religious press of the United Stateshad : done its full duty, the frightful scenes I of twenty years ago might have been [ avoided? The carnage of that dread ful era was but the culmination : many J years of evil-speaking preceded, and ; led to it. Let no one say, that he had I no hand in the war, who twenty, or I thirty, or forty, or fifty’ years ago, said, | or printed a word calculated to stir up the feeling which brought it on. Is it I true that the religious element was at < the bottom of the whole of it? Is it true, as is often said, that the religious people, and especially the ministers of the Gospel are the hardest to recon cile? If so, let shame and confusion of face overwhelmn them. Let them ; cease to utter words of railing, and let, them pray’ for that spirit which must ' be the forerunner of the coming of I the Prince of Peace. A Text without a Sermon.—Some times a sermon without a text is good ; sometimes a text without a sermon is better. We have heard sermons which, instead of illuminating the text, seemed to darken it, and which, instead of en forcing it, seemed rather to deprive it of force; and often in our ministry we have been tempted, after reading the text, to say no more, lest we should spoil it. The pure word of God, undi luted to what men may say, has a power m its own; the concentrated wisdom goes to the spot like a shaft from the quiver of the Almighty. Hence the importance at proper times of reading the Scriptures, in public and in private, without note or com ment. With this preface we present to our readers the following text: “There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing; there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.” Prov. 13 :7. We have no sermon to preach from this text. We leave each reader to preach a sermon from it to himself. But we remark, 1. That this is a part of the word of God. 2. That it means something, and it means nothing else but that 3. Whatever the meaning may be, it must be of profound impor tance. 4. Two classes of persons are spoken of. Now let the reader ask himself, “To which class do I belong? If I belong to the first class described, what are my prospects for the eternal world? If I belong to the second class, what are my present hopes? Leaving out all con sideration of the future life, which of the two men spoken of is the happier in this life? Which is the most useful? Which is the most honorable? Which is most likely to bequeath a valuable inheritance to his children? Which will be most gratefully, reverently and affectionately remembered after he is dead?” We omit the sermon, but repeat the text: “There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing; there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.” Mr. George I. Seney of New York, on his own motion and unsolicited has made several donations amounting in all to $50,000 to Emory College, Ox ford, Georgia. Since then he has been beset by an army of beggars whose per sistent and shameless importunities have extorted from him the following note which we copy from The Wesleyan Christian Advocate: New York, March 18 1881. My Dear Doctor Haygood : Can you help me? Bach an avalanclif of letters," begging for aid, ponrs in upon me that lam over whelmed. It is simply impossible for me to investigate one-tenth of the applications. Good people from all over the South are im portuning that I shall removedebts on chur ches and parsonages, and that I shall relieve individuals innumerable, etc. etc...referring me to your Bishops, leading ministers, to Judges, Senators, members of Congress, etc. Now, I cannot even answer the letters, much less send the money asked for. The purpose of this letter is to beg that I may be relieved from the charge of a lack of court esy, in not answering the hundreds and thousands of letters that reach me, and to state that in the matter of local suffering there is enough at my own doors, in these two great cities, to exhaust all I can give in that direction- If you will publish this it may give needed light, and relieve Yours very Respectfully Georoe I. Seney. From the same paper we learn that one of these beggars had the impud ence to ask Mr. Seney, “to send his daughter a gold watch!” And another, still more brazen-faced and audacious, begged for “a piano for his daughter!” From another source we learn that scores if not hundreds of letters whin ing for help, are laid on Mr. Seney’s table every day. We blush for human nature. And we take this occasion to remark that when a man is known to be liberal he is persecuted with applic ations for alms, and if he declines to give, he is denounced as a hard hearted, miserly man. Such is the tax that one must pay on his own benevolence. Speaking on this subject the N. Y. Christian Advocate says: Such as are refused attention grow angry, and depart with an air of injured innocence; those who are rejected after investigation become vindictive and slanderous; and nearly all who are helped once are certain to return soon, and if ever the supplies be stopped, are even more revengeful than those who were peremptorily dismissed in the outset. Often the liberal man, who never supposed he had an enemy, finds that he has many, and sometimes where he least expected it. Nor is this all. He must sub mit to the imputation of evil motives. The devil’s suggestion, “Doth Job fear God for naught?" is always applied by those who are of his spirit to tho e who perform good acts for which they have no disposition, and springing from’motives which they cannot comprehend, because they never possessed them. The misetl r man who gives little or nothing will shake his head knowingly, or try to condemn with faint praise what he could not heartily commend without a des grec of self-condemnation which would lead him to renounce his narrow and selfish wa.v of living Those who have been refused are the first to impute false motives; and the envious, who think they ought to have had what others receive, are filled with gall and bitterness. All this is annoying enough ; it is exasperating. Still the man of God, who happens also to be a man of means., will not allow the meanness and rude ness of these impertinent creatures to prevent him from doing his duty. He will continue to give liberally as the Lord has prospered him, selecting the objects of his bounty according to his own judgment: and we should not blame him if he should dismiss his tormentors with a rebuke. On our third page to-day will be found an admirable address on “The harmony of the various departments of missionary work” by our brother James 11. Kilpatrick. We give one impressive sentence as a sample of the whole. “The religion that becomes in tense at once becomes diffusive.” This is really the whole discourse in a nut shell, but the thought is expanded with great clearness and force. We com mend the address to the most careful attention of our readers. —The Sabbath school convention of the Columbus Baptist Association will be held in Hamilton on Friday before the sth Sunday in May. Rev. J. Hyatt Smith, who is pastor of a so-called Baptist church in Brook lyn, and also a member of Congress, declares that he can discharge the du ties of both offices at once. It is pos sible that he may do both together as well as he could do either by itself. Now, if in addition to his present engagements, he were captain of an ocean steamer and colonel of a regi ment in the Indian Territory and proof reader for a daily paper, his measure of duty would be full. Seriously we think his church must be easily satis fied, and the religious wants of his peo ple must be very few, whatever their needs may be. Mr. Smith was formerly a Baptist, and we suppose still claims to be one. He began with open communion; next he sprinkled people instead of baptizing them; now he has developed into a Universalist. We learn that after the expression of his views on this last point a vote was taken, whether the church would adhere to the views of the pastor, and nearly all present voted in the affirmative! And this pretends to be a Baptist church! Drab Index : In your issue of the 2d inst. are the the proceeding, of a Union meeting, in which the following query occurs: “Does regeneration take place before or after bap tism?'' with the answer, “After baptism.’ Was the Uoio Meeting composed of Bap tists, Campbellites or Catholics? Thev were certainly not like our Baptists. I ex pected to find in the columns of The Index tne antidote promptly applied Such poison should always be quickly followed by the antidote. Respectfully, Jno. T. Albritton. Mount Olive, N. C. The answer given was utterly sub versive of the doctrines held by Bap tists. We have always held, and will forever hold that none are proper sub jects of baptism except those who have been regenerated by the power of the Holy Ghost. This above all others is the distinctive feature which marks us as a peculiar people. When we surrender this, we cease to be Bap tists. The gross heresy which appear ed in our columns escaped our notice, and we thank our correspondent for calling our attention to it. Our brother Jackson F. Turpin died at his home in Augusta, on Tuesday the 22nd March, at the age of 72 years. He was a native of Richmond, Va., but had resided in Augusta for many years, and bad been a member of the Greene Street Baptist church in that city since 1336. As a church member he was always punctual and faithful, and was in his accustomed place at a regular prayer meeting only two weeks before he died. He was a man greatly respected and beloved, and in his death the church has lost one of its most valuable members. Notice to Baptist Jurors.—Many of the readers of the Index arc liable to be called on by law to serve their country and their God. in the capacity of jurors. In the discharge of our own duty, we serve on such the following notice, “He that justifieth the wicked is abomination to the Lord” Prov. 17. 15. What shall we say of those jurors who declare on oath that a criminal not guilty when they know he is guil ty? The curse of Scripture above re corded appears to be for’’ them. “He that justifieth the wicked is abomina tion to the Lord.” See here Bro. Central Baptist ! you have mistaken an illustration for an argument. Put on your logical specs and you will do better next time. TO THE FRIENDS OF THE SEM INARY. We are within forty thousand dol lars of the two hundred thousand dol lars which we had to raise by the Ist of June next. This amount has to be secured and paid in to the Financial Board in cash by the Ist of June. To save all risks we are trying to get it all paid in by the Ist of May. Success is certain if all our churches will now make one earnest effort for us. I ask a cash collection to be taken up in each church on the second Sunday in April or some other Sunday in that month, the amount to be forwarded to me at latest by the 20th of April, in time to be incorporated in my report to the Board. I have divided out the amount needed among the different States as follows: Maryland 2,000 Virginia 4,000 North Carolina 2,000 South Carolina 3 000 Georgia 4,000 Alabama 3 000 Mississippi 3000 Tennessee 3 000 Texas /......‘.XoOO Louisiana oo) Florida 1"...... 400 Arkansas „ ...j 000 Missouri 0)0 Kentucky .'.iojiOO Total $40,000 The division shows how easily the sum can be raised with an earnest and determind effort. There are some churches in the Sc nth, as I know by happy experience in the past, which can even give one thousand dollars of the amount allotted to their State. In more than half of the States I mention, are several churches which can give five hundred dollars. I hope for such sums as these from about ten to fifteen of our largest and wealthiest churches. But in all the States I have mentioned except four, there are enough churches that can each give one hundred dol lars, and that will do it if a vigorous appeal be made, to make up the quota of the State. But I depend noton these alone. *1 ask of each church to do something. I wish each church, that has in it a friend of the Seminary, to place itself on the roll of those who help this year, and especially in this final effort of this year. If we secure this two hundred thous and dollars, the Seminary will have a foundation which will make its future existence sure. Not that we shall have then all that we shall need. This is not the half of the $500,000 which I have always urged as necessary. But with this, and the collections from the bonds already given as they mature, and from future donations, we shall secure that sum and even more. Mean time what we shall annually need in addition for our current expenses, will be easily procured. I am encouraged to make this re quest from the fa’ct that in 1874 an appeal for $75,000 for annual support was promptly responded to, and the Seminary was thus saved. That ap peal was made, not personally, but through the public prints, and by let ters. I ask now, not for what may keep alive for five years, but for what will assure the future. I ask it too not, as then, in a time of financial depression, but when money is generally plenty. To each pastor I now come as though I were speaking personally to each, and beg him, if he feels any in terest at all in our work, not to fail to present this matter earnestly to his church or churches, and to urge them to make a liberal contribution. Then let the money be forwarded at once to me in check on any bank (draft on New York, Baltimore, Phil adelphia or Louisville preferred), or by express or in money order, or in a re gistered letter. Don’t send cash by mail except in registered letter. The cost of registry or money order or ex press may be deducted from the amount sent. Address James P. Boyce, 810 Fourth avenue, Louisville, Ky. GEORGIA BAPTIST NEWS. —The Baptist church at Decatur gave Dr. J. H. DeVotie a unanimous call to the pastoral charge of that church. —Rev. A. J. Battle entered on his pastoral duties at Sardis Baptist church in Barnesville last Sunday morning and at night. -The Eatonton Messenger: The ladies of the Baptist church are at work try ing to start contributions for the erec tion of a new Baptist church. We wish the ladies success. —Rev. James H. Weaver, who has been pastor of the Baptist church at Barnesville for the last two years, has resigned his charge and will likely loc ate in Nashville, Tenn. —The Baptist church at Oconee, Jackson county, has invited the com mittees who were appointed to examine their action in regard to some exclud ed members to meet with them on Friday before the first Sunday in April. —Sandersville Herald: Rev. J. J. Brantley, D.D., of Macon, met his ap pointment at Bethlehem on Saturday and Sunday last. We learn there was quite a good congregation on Sunday, and universal gratification was expres sed at the able and deeply interesting sermon of this excellent divine. He may be expected at Bethlehem again on the 3rd Sunday in April and on Saturday before. —Macon Telegraph and Messenger 26th: “A very encouraging religious meeting has been in progress at the Baptist church during the latter part of this week at night, led by Dr. War ren, assisted by Dr. Battle. There is a good state of feeling. Large congrega tions attended, composed mostly of the younger members of society. The in dications are that the meeting, which will be continued next week, will be a very good one.” —Augusta News, 23rd : We are in formed that the congregations of the four Baptist churches of the city will meet at the first church next Sunday afternoon at 3.30 o’clock to take part in union services. For first time in several months, all the churches of this denomination have pastors, Rev. Mr. Perryclear, of the Kollock street church, now supplying the missing link in the chain, and it is thought proper to cel ebrate this happy state of affairs by a consolidated gathering in the old mo ther church on Greene street. Addres ses will be delivered by distinguished speakers whose names will be given at another time. —Macon Telegraph and Messenger: “The Senior class of Mercer University made the following election of speakers at the class tree exercises, to be held on the college campus during the com mencement of the University next summer: “Mr. W. W. Solomon, of Bullard’s, Twiggs county, class orator; Mr. Jule Rodgers, of Waynesboro, historian; Mr.W’. C.Bunn, of Cedartown, prophet; Mr. R. D. Evans, of Sandersville, med al deliverer; Mr. Lawson Brown, of Sandersville, secretary. “The class tree exercises of the college have always been extremely interest ing, and will necessarily be more at tractive than ever this year, owing to the able and eloquent speakers chosen. That brilliant orator, Mr. John Rodg ers, was also selected to respond in be half of the Senior class at the alumni banquet, to occur at the coming com mencement of the college.”