The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1847-08-04
From the Temperance Adcocatc
Anniversary Report
III the AbbeviIlG District TcmDCriluce Sori

Anniversary Report
Vi the Abbevillc District Temperance Sorict,
Your committee regret that thew can
not report as flattcring Il condition of th
temperance cause, as it was their privilege
to detail ut the last Anniversary meeting
Not that the cause has lost any fits impor
tance III the estimation of its true friends
| The cause Of Temperance, like that of re-
nglon, Is subject to its reverscs-its up:
and doWns-ltS seasons Of excitement. anf
It's seasons of decline. Is there Il Christian
present, who does not mourn over the nuil
| ty apathy that IS pcrvading the different
| branches Of the Christian Church at this
| time, in regard to our holy religion? And
shall this apathy be construed into an ac
knowlcdgcnlcnt on our part, that Christani
ty has lost any of its Importance in our cs-
| tmatlon? Certainly not. These seasons
of declension rid the Church of much of its
dead welght-much Of its cfictc matter, and
although it is true, that whilst the chaT is
being blown away, an occasional grain of
wheat may become comminglcd with the
chatt, and at least for Il time he lost it is be-
lleved, that by far the greater ma iority of
sincere Christians remain firm and true to
their profession. Just so with the temper
ance cause. Its true fricnds-those who
arc temperance men from principal, NAV
relax IN their zeal. but they are not to be
driven from their position by any rcvcrscs
of fortune, no matter from what quarter i.
comes-whethes from the apathy of its fri
ends, or from the calumny of its enemies.
A temperance man who can be driven from
his position by scurrillous abuse, is, in our
opinion, no man at all. He may be among
US, but he is not ofus-in our ranks, but not
from principle. Whilst we look with pity,
from however: upon denunciation and abuse
our enemies, we must not resort to the use
OF such weapons ourselves. Mankind may
be let to embrace temperance principles, we
are satisfied, however they cannot bc dyiven.
We are speaking now of the great body of,
those who arc not in our ranks. There fsi
a class of opponents, for whom forbearace
q On 9gr part Is aaythins but virtue We,
by some efectual meanst Men who are en-
gagged in this busincs, are the greatest pests
to society. They corrupt not only our
aohite population, but our slGUe population.
In this remark VIC include the great mass
of the up-country whisltey, Wagons the
travelling grog.shMs of the land. ,.SESWith
the light that has:been brought to bear Upon
the demoralizmg effects Of the traffic in ar
dent spirits within the last sttwenty years, it
is questionable whether there .one man
in fifty'whic engages in it, :tVhether'und
the sanction Of a !!;;eenee OF notssM Who may
not be: regarded in the light 9fa corruptor of
our slave population. Whilst alfgood men
admit that i, is 4 .B:l tfa6is : fsaugh. Tenns;
nfendous evils. it is sunlertunate that sagae s
| effectual means .eannQt .b devised, which
| will unite tie energies Of all such, and
which will eventuate in its utter and euGre
overthrow. This oaee effected and the
cause of temperance is safe.
In conclusion your Committee would
submit that i'll their opinion the temperance
cause is in more danger from the apathy
ofits friends, thsn from, the opposition OF its
enemies Entsrtaining this opinion, they
would respectfully make the following. Aug:
gestions i:
]. That the Secretary Of each Local So.
ciety be requested to furnish, as early IN
possible, the Secretary Of the District Spcie
ty with the names of all living within the
bounds Of his Society, who would BE will
ling to deliver temperance addresses, and
that the names of all such gentlemen
be entered upon page of the District Tenn
peTapce Sociee book.
i President Of the Distric
temperance Society, witt, the aid of,hos'
he may please to s6SiakesWith him, do
within the present year, Eoint series o
temperance meetings throughout the Dis
trict4hat these meetings .besnot confined
to Temperance Societies alone, and tha
= he aPpaint speakers to address the differen
meetingS
, 8. Thataftan ointment of a temper
ance meeting,the friendsof the cause shoul
exert themselves to procure as general al
attendance as possible.
All Of which is respectfully submitted.
Isaac BRANCH, Chairman
EXPERIMENTS IN BLAcKsMlrHING.--SsaW
ing heated IRON or steel, is not known Q
8 thought Of by blacksmiths and when 81