Commotion Over Curse

"I speak to tens of thousands, to my certain knowledge, in the United States of America this evening. There never was a time when, in your history, the devil had more nearly his right of way everywhere than he has under the Stars and Stripes today. Your beer parlors--your flood of liquor that is demoralizing your country--are like ours."

Over many a U. S. radio, tuned in on Canada's station CFRB two Sundays ago, sounded the brusque, heavy voice of Rev. Dr. Thomas Todhunter Shields, 61-year-old Toronto Baptist. With reforming Fundamentalist fervor he was preaching to 2,500 people who crammed old Jarvis Street Baptist Church, and to 5,000 more in overflow meetings. Dr. Shields lashed out at the "liquor traffic," flayed the Premier of Ontario, kinetic young Mitchell F. Hepburn, who took office last July when beer and wine became legal after 18 years of Prohibition. Cried Dr. Shields: "We need to rally our forces. . . . The preachers will have to get into overalls and go to work. I propose to do it. ... I am not afraid of the Premier of Ontario!"

Suddenly Dr. Shields' radio listeners heard the sermon interrupted by shouts, shrieks, coarse language. In the church, the Jarvis Street Baptists craned their necks, gasped. Past dumbfounded ushers and straight down the aisle marched a woman and a young man. They both behaved as if they were drunk. Right in front of Dr. Shield's pulpit, while he glowered speechless, the pair pushed aside indignant worshippers, began heckling the preacher. Cried he: "Get out! Get out! Leave the church! Call the police!" Ushers and male Baptists descended upon the two. "You're a hypocrite!" shrilled the woman. "I'll not be thrown out of the House of God!" Policemen shouldered in. Shouting thickly, the young man flailed about him, hurt a policeman, blacked a few eyes, ripped someone's clothes. Finally the pair were dragged out.

Quick to turn the disturbance to his use, Dr. Shields quieted his congregation. "My friends," he boomed, ". . . Providence, in His wisdom, has permitted this exhibition so that thousands of people might see the utterly demoralizing effect of this liquor curse!"

Perplexed radio listeners heard a smooth voice: "Station CFRB. You have been listening to the regular Sunday evening service of Jarvis Street Baptist Church, Toronto."

When beer became legal Dr. Shields found licenses "scattered like confetti" in the hotels near his church. He denounced Premier Hepburn for "foisting beer upon the people against their wishes." He got up a petition with 27,000 names, threat ened to stump the Province against the Premier. Mr. Hepburn countered by call ing Dr. Shields an "offensive prohibition crank," accused him of trying to make money out of the issue. Dr. Shields began telling his congregation about the beer-spots he considered the most brazen, vicious and corrupting. One of these was the Ambassador Hotel, just across the street from the church.

Bartender at the Ambassador is one Leslie Dale, 24. His father, divorced from his mother, is a pillar of Jarvis Street Church. His aunt is one of its Sunday School teachers. Long embittered against the church and Dr. Shields, Leslie Dale and his mother became incensed when the preacher singled out the Ambassador Hotel for his excoriations. Moodily they fortified themselves for action, then stalked across the street into the church two Sunday evenings ago.

For their behavior they were haled into court last week. In exchange for having a charge of drunkenness dropped, Bartender Dale pleaded guilty to creating a disturbance. He and his mother were fined $25 apiece.

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