Our Influence Must Be With Loyal and True—While our people mingle with the class who are enemies of Christ and the truth, they neither gain nor give strength.... We must not be exclusive as a people; our light is diffusive, constantly seeking to save the perishing. But while we are doing this our strength of influence must ever be found with the loyal and true.... (Te 219.1) MC VC

God’s House Desecrated—The house dedicated to the worship of God is not the place to bring in the class that come into the house of God, and defile the temple of God with their intemperance in the use of tobacco while they profess to be temperance advocates. The coarse speeches, the noisy talk and actions, are not a credit to these brethren.... (Te 219.2) MC VC

It is impossible for our people to harmonize with any party or temperance club, when our faith is so dissimilar.... (Te 219.3) MC VC

Our unbelieving friends have stood exulting while they see the dissension in the church that has grown out of our people uniting with the Red-Ribbon Club. They have had no sympathy for us as a people upon the subject of temperance. They are far behind, and have ridiculed our people as fanatics upon health. They are willing now to be favored, and receive the strength of our influence while they come no nearer in sympathy to our faith; when if the matter had been managed discreetly it might have had that influence upon some to change their opinion of our faith. (Te 219.4) MC VC

If the temperance club had been left to stand on its own ground, we, as a people, standing upon our advanced ground, keeping respectively the high standard God has given us to meet as necessary to our position and faith, there would have been a much more healthy influence existing upon the temperance question in the church than now is revealed.—Letter 1, 1882. (Te 219.5) MC VC