Lincoln telegraph. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1836-1846, 1841-01-21
TEMPERANCE.
REPORT
of the Erecutiue Committee Of The Bath
.New Temperance Society,"
REPORT


| We are brought to the close of another year,
under circumstances less fattering, than the
friends of Temperance would desire. 1t becomes
our duty to state that the cause in which we
are engaged-has for the last year in this place
made no progression the contrary, we very much
fear it has retrogruded very considerably. We
report no reformation from intemperance 10 So
| brety-no halfruned husband and father ,redeeni-
ed from misery, wretchedness, aud death-to use
fulness and life-no heart broken, starving wife
and children made comfortable and happy, by the
| recovery from ruin of their only earthly protec-
| tor. These indeed, were the scenes Of brighter
| days, when temperance men were strong in the
cause-and the better feelings of humanity were
| not cankered and in great measure destroyed by
the love of gain, of pleasure applause ;-now-
| the grave yard, not the record of temperance
cetes-- declares the fate of the inebl late There
are about thirty places in the town of Bath, where
| intoxicating liquors sold-and we believe in
greater quantity than for years Previous
Of these thirty places only three are licensed
and none to sell to bn drank iu shops or houses
With the increase ofthe sale of Intoxicating H.
quors, there seems to have been created ne w
spirit, Cor it may be the resuscitaton of an old
| one) of shameless recklessness-both in the sell
Ter and the drinker-they both practice with
an openness and boldness that none wonld have
had the hardwood to exhibit few years since.
| This change in the condition of the temperance
cause has been occasioned no doubt, by variety
of circumstances OF the many things which
have operated to produce it, some may be men,
| toned
And lst-The practice of professed temperance
men, is one ofthe greatest obstacles in the way
OF the entire success of cur cause. That their
| professions are insufficient, dare not say 1t
Is their practice with which we have to do AL
though they will not sell intoxicating drinks
themselves, yet they furnish not only the places,
but in some measure, the to carry on the
tratfic-thereby committing it to irresponsible and
| unprlncipled agents. whose only object is to get
money, utterly regardless ofthe process, or of the
consequences. And in their social parties too,
temperance men deal out the insidious poison, I'M
! der circumstances TO the young tempting, as
to be irresistl5le-ond many hundreds, perhaps
thousands, are in this way made drunkards, and
ruined forever, who would never have commenc-
ed the practice in grog shop. How many VIC
TINS to this degrading, soul destroying vice, COM
menced their ruinous with a fashionable
glass, received from a fathers hand-the retribu-
tons Of another day, alone can tell
| Many, whose names, and not their hecrts are in
this mutter-gratify unsubdued appetite, by
using for imaginary, or trivial complaints, almost
every species Of Intoxicating liquors, under the
specious and palliating form of medicine.
Aga;n-Ihe manifest entire inelacency of our
police regulations, is another of the increase
| of intemperance The law, to all intents and
purposes, with US, is dead letter. No notice
whatever is taken Of its violation No complaints
are made-and to go TO the trouble of obtaining
a license, seems to be useless matter of form.
The extraordinary political excitement of the
past year has no doubt also had deleterious in
fluence on the cause. Partizans, in their zeal for
| success, have not omitted to use all the influence
of the intoxicating cup-dealing it out with a
liberal hand to all around-and among the recip-
tents, have been some, once degraded by this vice
| and reformed-but who were again carried back
into deeper degradation, never probably to be re-
covered. These unfortunate and guilty men,
We're fathers, whose half clothed families were
suffering for bread-and yet these exclusive
friends to their country and their fellow men
these tiends, in human shape, to effect their OBJ
ject, can send these fathers suddenly and UMPIRE
pared to their last accountable destitute orphans
to the aims house the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES the
already laceratcd and bleeding heart of the worse
than widowed wife, and leave her no hope but in
the solitude of the grave.
All this done by men protesting to be friends
of temperate and many of them bound by its
pledge. Many other causes might be mentioned,
which have operated to roll back the glorious tide
of the Temperance reformation, but these must
suffice. And although some Of these causes no
longer exist-uness the friends of the cause can
be excited to new effotts-there remains enough
to carry thousands yearly to an untimely grave.
Is the question asked-what can, or what shall we
friends of temperance, let US act up to our pro-
fesson-touch not-taste not-handle not, the ac-
cursed thing-give neither directly nor indirectly
encouragement to the dram seller, or dram drink
err. Let us live above the slavery Of fash
ion, and for the benefit and happiness, not for the
ruin -four fellow men. But whatever we may
do let us remember that the cause of temperance
is benevolent a hoy cause-its birth place is hea