The Washingtonian., 1845-08-30
[FIFTEEN CENTS PER MONTH.

ol HIS uoSoiu, tnc. suppressed itedl, duu VIC
lremulously uttered word, that he was tjuly
penitent OvertuEes for his return TO our fel-
lowship Were made, which were PROMPTLY
and gladly complied with, and no,o he stands
firmly on the rock Of Total Abstinence, which
no power can shake. r,
Deal gently with the enipg know, II .,,s
A@@, They may have toiied in vain;
e. Perhaps unkndness made th0m so, II"
ht Oh win them back again. ffg II ss,.'a"
Speak gently! It's little thing 7'f'f
Dropped in the hearts deep WELL a.sa..
The good, the joy, which il may bring o.. ~
Eternity shall tell. M
Ihave ffeduefFIy seen ma sign The Pledge
at what are called our great Temperance meet
ings, and believe that the honest purpose of
their heart at that sacred hour, was to keep it
inviolate; but not having any to notice them,
or take them by the hand when the dark hour
of trial and temptation came-none to speak
one common word of comfort, which on the
ear of him who thought to die unmourned,
falls like choicest music; and feeling thatthe
were outcasts, degraded beings still, the weight
of public condemnation pressing heavy upon
their already bruised spirits, and the scathing
curse of the drunkard falling upon their unpro-
tected heads, in the madness and remorse of
that hour have rushed again to the wine cup
in order to "forget dull care" and bury the
misery and wretchedness surrounding them.
The work Of reform and the cutting loose from
long established habits, particularly that Of
using intoxicating drinks, is a very difficult
one; and it requires every agency to facilitate
it. For when man signs the declaration Of
his moral and intellectual freedom, adheres to
it only one day, and like the maniac in the
gospel, comes forth from the tombs clothed
and in his right mind, he sees himself she
is, a poor, miserable, degraded wretch; and
Just at that eventfui crisis, when the ghastly
ghosts of butchered hours, misspent privileges,
the remembrance Of loved friends, who have
been hurried to the grave, because cfg his con-
duct, rushes back upon his mind; and tortures
his heart, when the events of eternity loom
up, tinged with no ray of hope, or frightened
with no beam of promise, and hereads upon
the burning thunderbolts of Gods Justice,
"no drunkards shall inherit the kingdom Of
heaven "-oh just THEN he needs the atten-
tion of some good Samaritan to strengthen his
resolutions and offer him some encourage
ment, or else he is lost, forever lost. Do you
ask me to show you these effects Of reforma-
tion through our instrumentality, sanctioned
by the blessings Of God? Go seek out the
track of the wild tornado, and you will seeit
all grown up with the sweetest roses of do
mestic bliss! Go to the poor drunkard's home,
once desolate and cheerless, and you will see
the hearth-stone enlivened with smiles. Go
to the young man, the prop and hope Of decli-
ming years, once dragged down almost to the
grave by the mighty incubus SO big with utter
ruin and you will see him now standing erect
in conscious dignity. Go ask the christian
world what of the night? and the watchmen
on its walls will respond that the day star of
our hope has dawned. And ask in such thun-
der tones as may reach up to the heavens, if a
witness to the excellency of our institution is
dwelling there? If there is one note higher
and sweeter than all the rest echoing along
the light concaye of glory, it will be the united
voices of redeemed thousands giving to the
cause which we advocate the praise Of their
salvation. / have seen the poor drunkard en-
ter the gates of the "Order," and in a few
months have seen him stand up christian.
But you ore still uncompromising foes, attempt
ing II not by POSITIVE, a NEGATIVE course, to
crush us in our infancy. We do not expect
anything else from men who profess not to be
governed even by the golden rule, but you
who assume the righteousness Of that great
teacher whose advent into our guilty world
was sung by angels to the shepherds on the
plains Of Bethlehem more than 1900 years
ago-you who teach the doctrine that man is
an accountable being, and that there exists
within him spirit which must live on for
ever, from you we expect better things. And
let me tell you, that the day of retributive jus
tice will determine the amount Of coloring
your conduct in this particular has given to
the destinies of immortal spirits If there
were no life eternal, no perpetual spring time,
in some far off regian, wherever it be-
Where love has put off, in the land ofits birth,
The stain 1t had gathered in this, .,r-4
And hoped the sweet singer that gaddened the earth,
Lies asleep in the bosom Of bliss. 23F2h
If all these soul-stirring thoughts were only
imaginary things, and that when, man falls
into the grave, like the leaves Of autumn he
mingles with the dust to live no more if the
sweet recollections of "better land" Of
which all dreams in early years were, torn
away from your affections, you might then,
with callous heart, see him who in the
brightest hour of his existence, before the gaze
of heaven and men, pledged himself to love,
honor, and cherish her, who gave up all for
him, forfeit those sacred obligations, and be-
fore the bridal flowers faded away, demon
like, suffer his conduct to prey upon her heart,
yet full of early love, until she be inundated
upon the altar Of his passions and appetite!
You might then, with philosophic coldness,
gaze upon the aged mother, bowed down with
q mountain load of grief because of tho nroHi.