Posted by Communications Liaison Ellie Simpson, thanks to Archivist Jon Coss.
Like many churches, the Huguenot Church, founded in 1876, struggled over the issue of alcohol. The Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) was organized at about that time to promote drinking in moderation. The Anti-Saloon League, established in 1893, took a stricter position, advocating the complete prohibition of alcohol. Pelham Manor passed a local “dry” referendum prohibiting the sale of alcohol, but neighboring towns stayed “wet” and supplied alcohol to citizens of Pelham without breaking the law.
Women of the WCTU (left). Anti-Saloon League poster. William H. Anderson.
In 1905 the Huguenot Church endorsed the position of the Temperance Committee of the Presbyterian Church’s General Assembly: “We declare our allegiance to the principle of total abstinence, and, without desiring to interfere with personal liberty in any way, we believe it to be the only safe Christian position.”
In 1914 the Anti-Saloon League, headquartered in Ohio, sent William H. Anderson, a former minister and attorney turned lobbyist, to New York City (which they sometimes referred to as “the seat of Satan”). He and the League were hostile to Catholics, Jews, African Americans, immigrants, and Wall Street. As Superintendent of the New York Chapter, Anderson engaged in pressure politics – digging up dirt, using fake documents, and threatening to expose State leaders unless they voted for Prohibition. The Prohibition amendment was ratified in 1919 and became law in 1920.
Alcohol consumption fell in 1921, but it rose dramatically in 1922. The Huguenot Church invited William H. Anderson to address the congregation, “providing he speaks on the general prohibition situation and does not make any appeal for funds.” Huguenot heard him speak on Sunday, December 3, and sent a $100 check to the Anti-Saloon League. Less than two years later, a jury convicted Anderson for embezzlement, forgery, larceny, and extortion. He was sentenced to serve two years in the Sing Sing Prison.
With Prohibition in place, speakeasies popped up all over Westchester County. The most scandalous one in Pelham Manor operated out of a building attached to the Little Red Church. When the congregation decided to build a stone church in 1917, Arthur W. Cole bought the old wood building without indicating how he would use it. He placed it on top of an apartment building near today’s Citgo gas station and CVS pharmacy. The front opened onto the street level from a drugstore operated by Harry L. Moreau. He secretly sold alcohol and drugs through a rear door. In 1922 Federal Prohibition agents arrested Moreau and confiscated whisky, gin, heroin, and codeine.
Little Red Church atop the Cole building. Pelham police raid a whiskey still in 1928.
The failure of Prohibition was soon recognized. Alcohol abuse was accompanied by rampant crime and corruption. In 1933 the U.S. ratified the 21st Amendment to repeal the 18th Amendment. As a result, alcohol consumption returned to its earlier level, and tax collection on liquor was resumed by Federal, State, and local governments.
After Prohibition, Americans began to look at alcohol as an addiction, rather than as a weakness of character. The organization known as Alcoholics Anonymous spread across America and around the world. Religious organizations were encouraged to promote education about alcohol and to sponsor A.A. groups.
In the 1950s, Huguenot pastor Dr. George E. Sweazey preached on the issue of alcohol. He recognized “the freedom to drink,” but warned, “Whatever your decisions about yourself, you should be willing to offer others the freedom not to drink – never to put social pressure behind it, never to make it seem the expected thing. Your hospitality or your habits…must not be the occasion for recruiting new drinkers, or for making the fight harder for sorely tempted older ones.” He concluded, “The Christian may drink, as long as he can do it with a clear conscience – but not one instant longer.”
In 1970 the Presbyterian General Assembly commissioned a study of alcoholism and adopted its resolutions. In the 1980s, it commissioned another study of alcoholism, chaired by Rev. Bruce Tischler, husband of Huguenot’s former Director of Christian Education Jean Tischler. The comprehensive report and recommendations were unanimously adopted. The findings are summarized as follows:
Dr. George E. Sweazey (left) and Rev. Bruce Tischler.
“Alcohol should not be regarded or treated as just another beverage, but rather as a drug that poses serious potential dangers when used beyond moderate levels or in high-risk situations…. Drinking problems are by no means restricted to a small group of ‘alcoholics,’ but extend to a substantial proportion of the adult population and touch the lives of all. Prohibition of alcohol is not an effective policy approach, but public regulation of the price, availability, and promotion of alcohol, together with education and treatment efforts…hold great promise for reducing its destructive effects.”
Since the 1980s, the Huguenot Church has held many events that serve wine and beer, but no hard liquor. Huguenot always gets permission to serve alcohol from the Village Manager of Pelham Manor. Soft drinks and non-alcoholic beverages are offered as alternatives, and church members are respectful to non-drinkers. Huguenot expects drinkers to consume moderate amounts of wine or beer, but church members are prepared to provide a safe ride home for anyone who might overindulge.
Sources:
Bell, Blake. “Pelham Speakeasies and Moonshiners – Prohibition in Pelham.” Historic Pelham. 18 Feb 2014. https://historicpelham.blogspot.com/2014/02/pelham-speakeasies-and-moonshiners.html#google_vignette
Bell. Blake. “The Prohibition Era in Pelham: Another Speakeasy Raided.” Historic Pelham. 3 April 2014. Historic Pelham: The Prohibition Era in Pelham: Another Speakeasy Raided
Bell, Blake. “Bootleggers Began to Feel Heat in 1922.” Historic Pelham. 2 Feb 2017. https://historicpelham.blogspot.com/2017/02/bootleggers-began-to-feel-heat-in.html
History Collection. Anti-Saloon League poster. https://historycollection.com/40-historical-markers-on-the-road-to-prohibition/
HMC Archives, Session Minutes: 1905, p. 22; Oct. & Nov. 1922; Jan. 1923.
Montgomery, William. Photo of Little Red Church, 18 May 1924. Blake Bell. “The Glass Negatives of Former Town Historian Wm. Montgomery.” 17 Feb 2005. Historic Pelham. https://historicpelham.blogspot.com/2005/02/glass-negatives-of-former-town.html
Sweazey, George E. “Alcohol: To Drink or Not to Drink?” Sermon in HMC Archives, 1950s. Series 14: Pastor Records, Box 1, Folder 12.
Tischler, Bruce. “Alcohol Use and Abuse: The Social and Health Effect.” Louisville, KY: Presbyterian Church (USA), 1986. https://pcusa.org/sites/default/files/alcohol.pdf
Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hamilton_Anderson and https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/2244335
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