Democratic banner., 1848-05-22
of large interest on the old debt, we will
send Eor t,,o SANG IF TemDeranCe,

. lrNilN III tltS oVIiS -
Such has been Our success, such oui
S prospects; and the past is az index otlle
=, future the result must be incalculabIe. We
= come into contact with no one, we injure
no one, but offer good TO all.
You have seen the storm as it gathered
upon the horizon and darkened all the sky
How Enthusiastically it rides on, and the tor
nado, and the lightning, and the hail, and
I the torrent spend their fury and pass by
Again the sun smiles out more brightly
TIE birds caro-! a more cheerful strain. The
landscape looks brighter and serener. The
atmosphere is purified Of IFS deadly mala'
ria, and health is restored TO the country.
But look again. There is the giant noun
tain oak which had defed the storms of ages,
rent in fragments hy the lightning. The
foliage is stripped from tie forest by the
hail. The TORE Mt las swept tie verdure
and the soil itself from the hillside, and left
the barren rock. Tie swollen stream has
forgotten is boundary and Knocked the la
Dor. and b!iglted the hopes of tie inGustri-
Gus farmer. And tic tornado has proStra-
ted the stately mansion, and deSpoiled the
goodly city. The air is purified, surviving
NtScldti"h ehllH Sheu, Jul d oeSoidIlol
has followed!
Not so the gentle rain. You hear but
the constant dropping of the caves, and &C.
OCCASIONALLY the sluggish voice of thunder
For hours or days the mere mist or patter-
ing rain continues, until a gentle breath
brushes the clouds away, the sky brightens.
the birds send forth the full gush OF their
rich melody, tI!e air is purified and the
earth isfuIly irrigated; hut there is no trace
OF dcSulatinn left.
The storm is now passing over Europe.
and when it shall have done its work Of pu-
riiication upon the moral ard political at.
imoSplIcre il Will pass by and be lusll-d.-
But what murder will be traced in lis path
way!
Tie gentle rain is seen in the work of
the Sons of Temperance. There is no vio-
lent agitation, no loud huzza; but the good
will be realized without The evil.
But after all our exhibition Of excellen-
cies, and the proof of oar success, there
will still be those who will find objections.
1t is contcndfd by scme that we are too.
Strict-that ci5rr' should not be prohibited.
But we have no hope Of reforming The drunk,
ard unless he can be kept fIcm everything
that could excite his dormant appetite for.
spirits. And we o upon the motto that
the safest plan lSthe wiseSt. Moreover, no
man is worthy a place in this great temper
'ance reform who is not wiling 10 forgo So
an indulgence as the Use Of cider in
Iorder to advance the good Of Ills fellows.
1t would not have required a Solomon to.
toIJ fI,t ,I,o .,1I /, -
the score Of its being Il secret society. II
is unnecessary 10 answer the many silly OBJ
~IcctIonS that have been brought against in
situations similar in this respect. Tier is
one objection here, howrvc~. II. pcrilaps,l
demands snn.r mn.t~". II is SAL t:!at with
all the close affinity of such an institution
it would be very easy to form an extensive
political combination 10 the injury Of the,
country and the advancement of a party.
We reply, it is impossible. We have %atlini-
ties it is true, but they are n1t POLITICAL
Tie Order is spread over the whole coun-
try, and embraces men alike of every po-I
%litical creed. With all Iii, coniliction of
local interest and political cpinion, how are
We to form a distinct party to tie injury of
the country?
But willie we declare that VIC are not po-
liticai partizans, and as Sons Of Temper
ance cannot be, yet there is an object which,
we have in view, and we intend to see it
accomplished. Our Offices Of trust and
honor must be ex~purgatcd of i%ntcmp,rance.
Virtue and intelligence must have ~precc-I
dencc, and Our halls Of Legislation must notI
be polluted by the drunkard. This will we
accomplish, but politically, we will do mol
more.
But some labor under the impression that
our secrets are something dreadful. We
invite every honest man to come and see
what they are. All the essential principles
of our Order are contained in our constitu-
tons, and are as free for inspection as the
of Missouri. Indeed 1t is our
earnest desire that every one should rcadi
them, and we circulate them as freely as
we can. Every man that is initiated re-
ceivcs a copy for himself, and another for a
deserving friend. Our ceremony of ~initia-
ton is kept private for the obvious ~rcason
that if it were otherwise there would, be
10 novelty, and consequently less impress
to the initiated on entering the Or
der. Besides this we have some c~onven-