New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1842-08-16
Tempernnee a source of Pleasure.
AN ADDRESS AT THE CONCERT OF THE FRANK
LIN TEMPERANCE SOCIETY.

Ely II. GREELEY
Indies end Genllemen-At the request of the
| Directors of the Franklin Temperance Sociciy, l
have undertaken address you, IN their behalf IN
| few words appropriate 10 the time, the place,
| and the occasion. Overwhelmed as have been
through the weel, with other duties can but per-
| form imperfectly the pleasing task assigned me,
and must trust to liberal draft your partiality
| and forbearance.
The origia, the progress, and tie present condl-
ZION of the Temperance Reform, are all aaiilar ID
| you, or the mos; OF you. Well do you reaiize now
Vonderous, how benefcent is that impulse which,
| originating with a few degraded victims OF 1hrem-
perance in grog-shop, has overspread and irradi-
! n,ed this hemisphere Yeu are also familiar, nj
east by report, with that kindred revolution which
! has half ohiiterntcd the and degradation OF
unhappy Ireland These inspiring facts are justly
the therne of the Orator, the hope If the Philan-
thropist the burthen Of Song. Wherever the glad
/ tidings have sped they inspiring new hopes TO.
4 humanity; they loosen the chains OF the slave,
! scorching under torrid suns; they warm the heart
of the lover of our race, though sivcrIng upon the
ice of either pole. And, while this great surge OF
reformation sweeps over lands yet unvsited by It's
qaddening influences, while wave after of It's
healing .-aters slaliconnue tD break over our own
happy land efacing vet more and more complete
| " the 1avages Of mans greatest physical curse
be it ours TO meet often in ardent support OF, or
fervent rejoicing over, the great phenomenon, ana
to mediate, not only its practical development,
but its higher spect also in the moral phases pre-
/ scnted by the Temperance reformation
And to nv mind Iconfess the most gratifying,
and at the same time most intensely natural aspect
of this great movement, is the blending OF DESIRE
| with Duty, of Enjoyment with meg'ned Selt-De-
NAL of truest Pleasure with loftiest ard most IN
| selfish Endeavor, which appears to lne Proml-
nent feature of the Temperance Reformation
| There are thousands in every community, there
are many doubtless around me, who enlisted in the
Temperance cause with many regret for departed
pleasures with wishful looking back to the ex-
hilara,ing bottle and sparkling glass like Lots
wife to the burning vale of Sodom. They took
The pledge with full purpose, because they felt
in this alone was safety themselves, was exam
pie TO the tntaintcd was admonition to the fallen
and falling. They took the pledge as an act OF
duty, sternly demanded by the tears OF hopeless
wives, by the cries Of famished children, by tho
universal wall Of suffering humanity. But few OF
zone hoped 10 find in Temperance Itself an in
cease of their enjoymenis, an independent 'lli-
faling source of pleasure. They turned Their
bucks on the lights, the rxhiIarn,lon, the music
around the social board where the wnc-cup cir
cleo.
| an atmosphere of cold and storm, and darkness.
sustained and checred alone by their resolution 10
repe the seductiOns of the syren she had lured
them 10 destruction, or ere their unframed dali
lance had emboldened others 10 venture 10 their
ruin. They shook of from their feet the dust Of
dis fail-secmng palace of gilded pitfalls re-
solved that the blood of souls should not stain
their garments and that they would no longer
tempt the bolt of destruction in order to enjoy the
pleasures with which it was gaily enwrealhed.
Such were the feelings with which thousands
have enlisted in tho cause OF Temperance. How
sreat, how joyous their disappointment IN hndIng
that in renouncing alcohol, they have reho1Inced
no real enjoyment, but u deadly poison Of all true
happiness of all enduring pleasure The dark
ness which they 50 dreaded in the prospect, they
lind illuminated by all the stars OF heaven; the
bleak winds they shrunl from changed 20 airs
Of Eden; instead of Punishment from tie delights
Of society and friendship, they find in Temper
4nce the gaments OF warmer as well as purer
friendship than they had before enjoyed; the e!e-
uents OF social sympathy mere expansive and
genial than the maddened devotion of Alcohol can
ever know The mutual effort to arrest great,
nvershadowing evil to preserve the unsnllied and
rescue the fallen; what should afford foundation
Tor society and pleasures If this does not And,
Music too-shall this be enjoyed only in unison
with flying corks and lngling glasses? o not so
have we learned in the school OF Temperance not
such the self-denial she imposes on her disciples
Where the songs of Bacchus and his voiaries were
posred forth infu-throated dissonance by u score
of midngh, worshipers an hundred voices arc no"
raised to celebrate in liquid numbers the praises Of
Temperance; and az the Statue o! Memnon, by
some mystic influence, heard 70 utter strains
nf celestial melody, so is the rising of the sun of
Temperance heralded by strains of gladdcning mu-
sic from every corner oi the land. Surely. none
who enjoy with US this evening will ever after fear
| that The ascendency of Temperance will be fatal
10 the delights of Song!
| And this leads Us TO a consciousness of the vast
extent, the far-reaching influence Of the Temper
ance Reform, which seems to many narrow, so
circuuscrbed. Why preach so lond and sol long
against intoxicating liquors - says cavsr, Is
there not excess also in eating and perversty IN
ten thousand things? Why strive SO earnestly,
exclusively, against this solitary evil3n The an
swer Of true philosophy imports that not only is
| this one evil intimately connected with, and the
| fruitful parent of, other evils, bur our reforming
movement. though aimed Immediately one.
strikes with certain aim at all He who has
| truly learned that incompetence is wrong and .ab-
s,inehce the proper remedy has mastered the es-
senta argument in favor at ali virtues and against
all vices. 1t needs separate process TO eniight-
en- him with regard TO the nature Of other evils,
the consequence of other ,ransgressions. And
when we see even cur social Music regenerated,
and from the slave of dangerous indulgence and
| vicious excess transformed into the handmade and
support of Virtue, why may not hope all things
from this spirit, and have faith that it is sufficient
| " expansive TO enfod all possible good
A profound thinker of our age has written:
There are few graves. of those we have known
III nfs !
| not sit to mock asd accuse us as we pass, A
L Il. l,l