Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1833-07-11
AN INSTRUCTIVE NARRATIVE.
FROM THE NEW YORK AMERICAN.

nv iANo NV - IL ~ MAMMA Il.
FROM THE NEW YORK AMERICAN.
Mr. Editor: T. the lap of nv mother
| learned 10 yenerate, and in later years
learned to love. the Ministers Of the Cos
pei, who visited our house or lived in our
vieiulty his love aud generation haze
ripened with my growing years; and when
| look over the busy scene in which now
live and act. see not what coud save so
ciety from self destruction if this class of
men were taken cut of it Bat these holy
men did not escape the common deiusioa,
which strong drink spread over my native
town. and the vicinity which was connect
ed with that town IN church relationship,
and as they occupied the high places OF
moral Influence | am sure their eranrts
and then consequent silence had chtV
effect Ia ma'itng Il respectable 10 dr,nk rum
Therefore. | feel bound To tell you what
rum did TO them.
lean now recollect eleven Ministers Of
different denominations. whose churches
were in part or entirely in our town, and
most f them used TO visit our house with
more or less familiarity. They were all
drinker. Of ardent spirits; and of course;
all sustained from preaching the doctrine
Of total abstinence.
There wa. one good old man. who used
| occasionally to preach in our house. or re
turn from Church with our family, ard
spend the evening iB Conversation with
my mother and aunt. On one occasion,
he came home with rs after the communi
on fIe was lamentng the fall of mem
Der whom they bad excluded from The
table for Drunkenness " hlle talking on
this subject he alluded TO the faiigues Of
the dav, and asked for little spirit and
water. observing. as he drank it, how
strange IL was that a man would so abuse
the GOOD things Of Providence as to gel
drunk; and in The evening he got the neigh.
| borhood together and gave them lecture
agairs, drunkenness. IL which he gave III
rections for safe moderate drinking; and
| after he was through. and The people dis
persed, he asked for little more Of the
! good creature.
The Oldest son Of this man left Bis
plough to deal in ardent - nj, and con
tinmed It till he lost his property, his repu
taiion, and standing in the church.
The next son sold his beautiful farm
and became the rum selling deacon have
before described; but finding that his owr
sons were likely to be lost in that course
he got hack to his farm before his estate
was ruined
The father and the sons all loved 2
glass, aud all suffered by the trade. A
last the old gentleman grew weary o
preaching, and fell into indiscretions, which
, brought him under tho censnre oil hi
church.
A few miles from our house lived par
son C. graduate of Yale College
and popular pastor and preacher. While
| was vet mere boy The parson apostati
zed from the doctrines of his church, lief
of pre- aching, and removed to the West
where h. pursued various expedients fol
| livelihood. until we ceased to hear o.
him, ard supposed him dead
Nobody seemed to know the cause oil
his singular course Those who knew him
hest had confidence 10 his honesty and
, sincerity, and his case was thought very
singular.
But within few wears The temperance
society has brought bis case to hight. III
has confessed that secret intemperanc'
was the cause OF his fall. And after Civ
ing pleasing evidence of bis penltence b.
died in the faith aud hope he had deserted
The Domino OF the Dutch church wal
a yearly visiter to our neishbo'Irhood ant
our house, for my father contributed tc
| the support of all preachers around us
. though we did not often attend the do
!. mlpe's Church.
II When AN unusual number OF boys were
: seem riding toward the store with a small
! Ig 10 one hand and a whip in the other
u | he a a. ina
paying his waits; Tor he drank nothing bu
gin
:, | have a faint recollection Of his preach
i. nag He was great ard good man; ant
! SO he lived and died, without ever failinI
into Intemperance; but four OF his ch'ldrel
we're deceived by strong drink, and die'
~ drunkenness and misery, bringing dow
:, the old mans gray hairs with sorrow
!, the grave.
= There was another preacher; who cam
. often TO our house, but was never yer
highly esteemed. because he was though
:, an ayaricious man. AT last he apostatize'
:, For a long time | was 10 doubt about th
4, cause Of it. But since 1 began to writ
!. these letters | have seen an old man irol
:. that neigbborhood, who told me that tho'
- who had best understood the case at Il
- time believed that rum was at the botto
:. OF the affair This case, however, lea'
- without expressing an opinion.
" But the case which | record with q
~ deepest sorrow was one with which ! W
~ painfully familiar The Rev. Mr. j.
10 was man of extraordinary talents, al
:, more learning than any preacher in all 4
- country. first saw him when be came
!, islt an old lady near our house. and who
:" loved sincerely; for she was kindns