Lexington union. (Lexington, Miss.) 1838-18??, 1843-10-07
E9E3aRE SSo

LADIES AND GENTLENRN:--Atnl2S' "
stranoer AS am amongst you, ana SUI
rounded by men so much more competent
to the task of addressing you on temper
ance than am, it may appear presulnP-
Imons in me to attemptit. Oppresse,a 100
nv tbe consciousness that not beng IN We
HABIT of public speaking, | have rot th nose,
Gn;I;,ics Of arrangement and utterancc thal
GSw rom practice; but having been re-
n an BY the society, end encouraged ~
The hope CT your kind indulgence y q
thoronrb conviction of the goodness Of
onr caTsc | proceed with dlllidence, BRET
10 oltar nav sentiments and shall be sat
listed. if in plain and simple language |
can make myself understood
The object for which we meet here tn =
eveniua is one of the greatest, most nSgiul
Iana beneficial in its tendency, that mas
eyrr been presented to any people-lhe
cause of temperance, OF peace OF piehH'
of love, in fact the cause Of every Hif'0e
and endowment that e&alts and raises man
above the brute creation.
And what is the cause we are lryihs u. 70
mt down;.--to Danish forever, from ul1S
INST Glorious land of freedom It IS 'he
t cause Of King Alcohol, (aptly SO deSlgha,
, ted the greatest scourge and tyianl Una
ever reigned over poor benlgh'eq .Na''-
, ,be cause Of intemperancc; that deep ano
: deadly stajn on the Otherwise far esculch
# CON of our country's happiness. Ina
G moral incubus that bears down anu pafal
Q ICES all the best and most noble enefSle
tor onr nature; that makes man, VINO wa
made in the image ofhis God, arePFeseh
!. tat;ve Of all that Is foul, disgusting ana de
II morolizing, and fit companion as no ma.
N he said to be, literal type OF mat mos
y, u, sloycnIy and filthy Of ell animals I'll
- hog. /, 4
lie died.. jnlo two clasBcs:--The pecnhiiafI
10 loss to society, and The moral evils resui
4 ing from it. ,.;l,.o.;o
ng few Of the statistical facts, as regafo
We the pecuniary loss sustained by the con
hunity in the use OF Alcaho4c liquors
which. | have mostly taken from sever
writer's on the subject
'c- There is some IL or Is millions Of 40
IS" lars worth of ardent spirits, vines &c
Job imported into this country every yea
: I'd and there is at least three times as muc
his made here al home amongst us; ADA Il
ION profits made by the merchants andreta'
IN, ers who deal in the article, and the cost
ALI the consumers, will amount, at the vel
md lowest possible estimate, to % millions
er, dollars. Add the loss Of labor oil tho'
la who traffic in ardent spirits; the loss
,ay time of those who use the article, the lo
bin sustained by purperism, and CRIME Pf
duced thereby, and you have least II
millions of dollars lost yearly to the cor
the munity. Yes, great deal worse th;
inc lost; devoted to the debasemenI OF o.
minds, the promotion OF ignorance al
let vice, and pander to the worst passion
de-, of our nature.
- But on the other hand what immen
90. advantages that amopnt night be Il apple
ar. for the benefit. instead of the injury
r,y society. Itwould establish free schoo
his and public Libraries, wherever wanted
re build canals and railroads wherever nee
~ ed, or pay for any any, in fact all the pu
ol. Ilic improvements thatare required In
tho enormous amount appears startlngat III
by sight; but any person that doubts, let HI
sit down and calmly make the calculato
and he will find thatinstead Of the amou
"a, being exaggerated, it if any thing, fal
AL short Of the truth.
~ But the moral andimmortal interests
= mankind are infinitely more injured
~ intemperance, than even their pecunlall
:, interests: the mind of man can hard
conceive, much less calculate the u