Reformed Presbyterian Minutes of Synod 1929

40 MINUTES OF THE SYNOD OF THEeven as they are forever and forever than that they be unithe sacrifice of conscientious conviction on the part of at leastany considerable number of their membership, and particularlysuch of this number as are recognized forces for righteousness.For these and other reasons we may well as a body ofChristian men and women humble ourselves before God, confessto Him our sins, and entreat His help to right prevailing anddisturbing wrongs.Thanksgiving.But dark and all as is the picture that we have been paintingit is not wholly black. Even the most threatening cloud,to change the figure, has its silver lining. Following the orderof the evils already named we have cause for thanksgiving.1. That our suffering from bootlegging, smuggling andsurreptitious habits of drinking with all that defend them arenaught but the growing pains of the prohibition movement.True they are numerous and at times severe, but after all theyare little more than might have been expected. The drink habitis doomed. It is incompatible with the conditions of present-daylife. Altogether independent of the organized Christian, moraland industrial forces and the influence of the chief executive ofthe land that make against it, 20,000,000 automotive vehicleson the public highways in our country constitute 20,000,000 unanswerablearguments against the use of alcoholic beverages.Moreover, the only alternative that the most energetic opponentsto prohibition offer is the profoundly absurd and outworn one ofsetting up the States themselves in the liquor business. Andas America goes in the liquor traffic, so ultimately other nationswill go, indeed are in not a few instances beginning to go.2. While the impetus given the tobacco habit during thelate war, enhanced by the well meaning but exceedingly shortsightedpublic, has it would seem not yet been checked, theforces that are arming against it, such as an ever-increasingnumber of the teachers in our public schools, influential bands ofphysicians, church courts that forbid its use on the part of theirministry, editors of leading magazines who are opening theircolumns to its condemnation, and editors of the religious presswho inveigh againstit with increasing vigor—together with theChristian and moral reform forces that constantly battle againstit—give promise of a better day.3. For the most part the legal safeguards of the Lord'sDay are held intact, notwithstanding the repeated assaults madeupon them. Particularly is it true that the judges in our courts,as a rule, stand by the institution of the Sabbath. And so longas we can maintain our Sabbath laws and have the judiciary ofthe country interpret them in the light of past history we havereason to hope that our efforts in behalf of this day and all forwhich it stands will by no means be without avail.4. As for the use of the Book of books in our system ofthat to public use year is in instruction,it increasing, those the number whereit as of is recent states is a not matter are questionnaires actually increasing for thanksgiving required that on the yet require that subject permitted from its have use, year its