Ministers are admonished to "preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables" (2 Tim. 4:2-4).
We are warned to "beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves" (Matt. 7:15).
A diabolical scheme has been concocted by our adversary the devil and set in operation by his agents, representatives of the alcoholic beverage industry, to undermine one of our basic denominational doctrines total abstinence. Seventh-day Adventists have taken their stand for total abstinence, for there are more than one hundred and seventy-five warnings recorded in the Scriptures against drink, drinking, and drunkenness. We believe, therefore, that "total abstinence is the only platform on which God's people can conscientiously stand." Testimonies, vol. 7, p. 75. "The Bible nowhere sanctions the use of intoxicating wine." Ministry of Healing, p. 333. Our marching orders and our ultimate objectives are clearly defined in the following statements: "The honor of God, the stability of the nation, the well-being of the community, of the home, and of the individual, demand that every possible effort be made in arousing the people to the evil of in temperance." Temperance, p. 209. "The advocates of temperance fail to do their whole duty unless they exert their influence by precept and example by voice and pen and vote in favor of prohibition and total abstinence." Gospel Workers, pp. 387, 388. "Let an array be formed to stop the sale of the drugged liquors that are making men mad. Let the danger from the liquor traffic be made plain, and a public sentiment be created that shall demand its prohibition. . . . Let the voice of the nation demand of its lawmakers that a stop be put to this in famous traffic." Ministry of Healing, p. 346. "No compromise and no cessation of our efforts till the victory is gained." Temperance, p. 254.
These principles are being heavily attacked by false prophets who are walking about in sheep's clothing. In order to confuse, befuddle, and mislead men's thinking, the liquor interests have enlisted the support and cooperation of socalled men of science to carry the ball for them.
If the liquor interests were the sole source of this propaganda, it would be discredited by the majority of people, especially by the professional temperance workers and church leaders whom they are most anxious to reach and thus kill the doctrine of total abstinence at its very source, for the church has always been the greatest enemy of the liquor traffic. The liquor interests would destroy the church if they could. On the other hand, the church could destroy the liquor traffic if it, would. The liquor interests know that the public generally and church members in particular regard science almost with reverence. The teaching of science is held in high esteem. Through clever manipulations, liquor interests have succeeded in securing the support of certain university officials in the establishment of a School of A cohol Studies where their doctrines could be readily propagated in the name of science.
The support and cooperation of these so-called "men of science," not directly connected with the alcoholic beverage industry, serve as a smoke screen are not aware of the fact that they are being used by the liquor interests to promote their subtle propaganda. These "men of distinction," and I use that term advisedly, used "loaded phrases," insinuations, and ridicule very effectively. As a matter of fact, while posing as scientists, they dished out a lot of halftruths that the majority of students did not have the background to evaluate properly. As a result, many fine people, including physicians, educators, clergymen, and even some professional temperance workers actually were taken in by this propaganda. Some swallowed only the bait. Some swallowed the bait and the hook, and others the bait, hook, and line. Among this group were many honest men; but being uninformed, they readily succumbed to the subtle philosophy to which they had been exposed. I have analyzed these teachings and have tried to list them in an orderly and logical sequence.
They have been culled from such current journals as The American Brewer, The Brewers Digest, The Brewers Journal, The Beverage Bulletin, Beverage Dealer News, Brewers Bulletin, Repeal Review, The Server, Tap and Tavern, Tavern and Spirits—the voice of the hard liquor industry.
Clever Strategy
The strategy of the liquor interests appears to be aimed at detracting and diverting the attention of the public from alcohol to the alcoholic and from the alcoholic beverage industry to alcoholism. Very little is said about alcohol or about the liquor traffic. A great deal, how ever, is said about the alcoholic and about alcoholism. The main purpose of this propaganda is, of course, to mislead the public and to increase the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Some of the statements, assertions, or teachings are partially true. That is why they have been so readily accepted by many intelligent people. The list includes the following teachings
: 1. That alcoholism is a disease and that the alcoholic is a sick man.
2. That alcoholism is not due to alcohol, but rather to the psychological or the pathological make-up of the individual. In other words, the trouble is in the man and not in the bottle.
3. That the alcoholic, inasmuch as he is a sick man, should be sent to a hospital and not to a jail.
4. That drinking is no longer a moral problem but rather a public health problem.
5. That clinics should be erected in all our major cities for the rehabilitation and care of the alcoholics, and that the expense of erecting and operating such clinics should come out of the public treasury.
6. That beer, wine, and whisky should be recognized as foods and should be placed in every food store in the country.
7. That the vast majority know how to handle their liquor. Only a very small percentage of those who drink, not more than five per cent, get into difficulty because of their excessive drinking.
8. That every person should be left to decide for himself whether or not he will drink. To require him to abstain is fundamentally wrong, and to prohibit the manufacture and distribution, sale and consumption, of alcoholic beverages is a wrong of the first magnitude.
9. That our goal should be moderation, not prohibition, which was a failure, and which takes away personal liberty and breeds gangsterism, bootlegging, and crime. All citizens, church people included, should unite in this new scientific approach to the alcohol problem and work for true temperance, which is drinking in moderation.
10.That plans should be laid for the revision of all textbooks so that the ideas taught in our public schools will be in harmony with this new scientific approach to the alcohol problem.
A great flood of well-edited material, prepared in an attractive form, has been sent out through every available channel by the liquor industry. More than 8,500 sets of booklets, for example, were recently distributed by the United States Brewers Foundation to key people, including the chief editorial writers of all United States daily newspapers, editors of a selective list of 2,300 weekly newspapers, national magazine editors, radio network commentators and newscasters, well-known free lance writers, and Washing ton correspondents. The booklets were designed to provide background material for editors, writers, and commentators. Much of this propaganda has already found its way into print. The Brewers Foundation is financed by the brewers. Its membership includes more than 175 different breweries. Each brewer pays into the United States Brewers Foundation treasury monthly dues. The amount of the monthly payment is dependent upon the number of barrels produced. Monthly dues are paid on a basis of: One cent a barrel for the first 5,000 barrels. Two cents a barrel for the next 10,000 barrels. Six cents a barrel for every barrel over 15,000 barrels. If a brewer produced twenty-five thousand barrels of beer a month, he would pay the United States Brewers Foundation $850, or $10,- 200 a year. The monthly production of the Schlitz Brewery averages over 475,000 barrels.
The Schlitz Brewery, therefore, pays monthly membership dues of $27,850, or $334,200 a year. With a membership of more than 175 breweries, paying in sizable membership dues each month, it can be readily seen that the United States Brewers Foundation has no difficulty in securing the funds needed to push its mammoth beer advertising and lobbying program.
Campaign for Moderation
The liquor interests, fearing another prohibition movement, are now launching a nation wide program in behalf of moderation. This moderation propaganda is being foisted on the American people over the radio, television, in the movies, in newspapers and magazines, and in the advertisements appearing in periodicals and on the billboards along our highways.
Unfortunately, some churches, as well as a number of church-sponsored temperance organizations, have been taken in by this propaganda. It appeals to those having "itching ears." They condone social drinking and foster a program of moderation.
Churches that have accepted these teachings have been diverted from the teaching of total abstinence. Clergymen who have attended these schools of alcohol studies have changed the tone of their temperance lectures and are now devoting their time and efforts to the work of counseling alcoholics and rehabilitating them. They have become stanch advocates of moderation and are playing right into the hands of the liquor interests. They talk about beer, wine, and whisky as though these were food, and they oppose prohibition on every hand. Thus the clergymen who have accepted these doctrines have been diverted from the work of saving mankind to the work of helping our adversary in destroying mankind.
The flood of propaganda that is being circulated on such a large scale today is having its effect on our own thinking, writing, and speaking. Some of it even finds its way into our church publications, sermons, and teachings. It also has a definite influence on our young people. "Sometimes I feel," writes a member of our church, "that because we as a people believe in temperance, we sit back and feel so smug about it that we fail to realize that our youth are subject to so many more temptations than we are, and if they are not educated against liquor, they are easy prey and will succumb. Then we shake our heads and say, 'Isn't it terrible?' In reality we are to blame. God forbid that He will ever have to point His finger at us in condemnation."
Let us as ministers "preach the word. . . . For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine." "This evil must be more boldly met in the future than it has been in the past." Temperance, p. 246. "No tame message will have influence now." —Ibid., p. 239.
We believe the time has come for our ministers to "take up the temperance question in all its bearings, and drive it home to the hilt." —Ibid., p. 240.
