506 



by the rustle in the tops of the mulberry 

 trees! 



1. There is a rustle which sounds very 

 much like the coming of a great moral 

 movement. Take the temperance movement 

 as an example. It is not so very long ago 

 that to alcoholic beverages there was uni- 

 vei-sally ascribed a practical food value. 

 The German nation, for instance, has been 

 pointing with pride at her stalwart and 

 brainy sons, saying, " Beer ! " But now 

 the emperor dares to intimate that the stal- 

 wartness and intellectuality of the soiiS of 

 the Fatherland exist, not because of beer 

 but in spite of beer, and he warns the young 

 men of the nation that alcohol will rob their 

 brains of their clearness, their nerves of 

 their steadiness, and their muscles of their 

 vitality, and urges the members ^f the army 

 and navy to join total-abstinence societies. 



Until very recently wine was considered 

 an absolute necessity at high social func- 

 tions. True, for some time it has been 

 allowed good form for a guest to refuse 

 wine at a banquet if his host provided it ; 

 but it has not been considered permissible 

 for a host to refuse to set up the vnue if 

 he knew his gi;ests expected it. But now 

 comes Secretary of State Bryan and bland- 

 ly pours the grape juice, and establishes 

 recognition for that which had not been ac- 

 corded recognition before — the conscience 

 of the host. And the significant fact is that 

 the people of the country are applauding 

 our new grape-juice diplomacy ! 



Until very recently it was believed that a 

 man to be popular enough to be elected to 

 high office must be a hail fellow well met, 

 a jolly good soul who would clink the glass 

 and drink the lager. But now things have 

 come to such a pass that an ex-president of 

 the United States considers it worth while 

 to refute in libel court the charge that he 

 drinks to excess. We rejoice in Col. Roose- 

 velt's vindication; but of even greater con- 

 sequence than the personal \dndication of 

 a prominent public character is the signifi- 

 cance of the recent libel suit as a reflection 

 of the public conscience and an indication 

 of what the people now expect of their po- 

 litical leaders. There was a time when the 

 rumor that a man was a drinker would have 

 worked to his political advantage rather 

 than damage. But the fact that such a 

 prominent political figure as Roosevelt con- 

 sidered it necessary to refute the charge that 

 he drank to excess shows to what an extent 

 the liquor has been squeezed out of politics. 

 It means that henceforth no man will dare 

 to run for high office who has the slightest 

 taint of whisky on his breath. 



For many years the national proliibition 

 of the liquor traffic has been regarded as a 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



consummation devoutly to be wished, but 

 altogether too improbable and impractica- 

 ble and remote a proposition to be given 

 serious consideration. But just a few days 

 ago there came in my mail a circular from 

 the Anti-saloon League entitled " The Next 

 and Final Step," the purport of which is 

 expressed in this sentence : " We believe the 

 time is fully ripe for the launcliing of a 

 campaign for national prohibition — not by 

 any party or parties, but by the people." 

 The circular supports its proposition by 

 calling attention to four facts : 1. The peo- 

 ple are on to the real character of the traf- 

 fic. " It no longer has advocates ; it must 

 depend for its existence upon partisans." 

 2. The nation is aroused as to the grave 

 peril we face. " The saloon stands for the 

 worst in political life." 3. What has al- 

 ready been accomplished is prophetic of 

 what can be accomplished. 4. The oppor- 

 tune time is here. To quote from the cir- 

 cular : 



" The time for a nation-wide movement to outlaw 

 the drink traffic is auspicious. Organization is now 

 established and in operation in all parts of the 

 country. The forces that definitely oppose the traffic 

 are in accord as at no time in the past. The moral, 

 scientific, and commercial aspects of the problem are 

 being more intelligently put before the public than 

 hitherto. The narrow, acrimonious, and emotional 

 appeal is griving way to a rational, determined con- 

 viction that the traffic being the source of so much 

 evil and economic waste and the enemy of so much 

 good has no rightful place in our modern civiliza- 

 tion." 



But I am not preaching a temperance 

 sermon this morning. I have simply used 

 the present status of the temperance move- 

 ment to illustrate that there is something 

 stirring in the tops of the mulberry trees 

 which is indicative of an immediate moral 

 reform. The same change that I have in- 

 dicated in the matter of temperance may be 

 noted in every phase of the moral problem. 

 Cities are appointing vice commissions to 

 study how to abolish the shame of the social 

 vice. The government is appointing inves- 

 tigating committees to look into graft, cur- 

 ruption, bribery, and lobbying. Chambers 

 of Commerce and Boards of Trade are 

 studying how to cure strikes, riots, boycotts, 

 industrial and ecionomie oppression. Is the 

 kingdom coming? Of course it is coming! 

 You can tell it by the moral movements in 

 the tops of the mulberry trees ! 



2, There is a rustle in the tops of the 

 mulberry trees which sounds very much like 

 the coming of a great ecclesiastical move- 

 ment. 



The curse of Protestantism is denomina- 

 tionalism; but it is only within very recent 

 years that we have begun to recognize it as 

 a curse. There are many things about Ca- 

 tholicism that yoa and I do not like; but 



