Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1851-03-28
OUR OPPONENTS.

Of the Sons of Temperance. and most particu-
larly with those of the Church, who doubt the
utility of the institution. We have endeay-
ored to avoid saying any thing calculated to
excite and provoke, but on the contrary, have
endeavored to convince and enlist them in our
behalf, by plain statements of facts and such
arguments as we have been able to advance,
and thus remove the mistaken views they SEEM
ed to entertain upon the subject. This we be-
lieve to be the true policy, and when the Or
der is assailed, if fair argument and plain state
ments of facts be not sufficient to quiet the an
cry element, why, let it rage on-return not
railing for railing-but leave the good deeds
we have accomplished to gainsay the vitupera-
ton they may heap upon us.
We have observed. however. that in all the
attacks made upon the Order, that we have
seen, unjust aspersions have been heaped upon
it, its motives have been ungenerously and false
ly questioned, and it has been placed in an at
titude it never occupied yes, invariably, in
order to attack it, has it been set forth in a false
position, and then its enemies have gone to
work to demolish that which has no existence
save in their own imagination. 1t has been
charged that it sets itself up as abore the
Church, and is therefore infdeLi in its charac-
ter, inasmuch as it processes to be able to ac-
eomplish that which the church cannot perform.
Such superiority the Order has never laid
claim to, and has never been promulgated,
save by those opposed to it. The position that
the Sons Of Temperance occupy on this sub
ject has been so often set forth, that it is I'M
necessary to repeat them here, further than to
remark, that they recognize the church as be-
ing far superior and transcendently above the
Order, either as a reformatory element. or
saving in its influence. 1t only aspires to be
a handmade of the Church, to aid in bringing
to the church those who have cut themselves
off from the reach OF the church by the degra-
dation into which they have fallen through the
influence of strong drink.
But we have wandered from our intention in
commencing this article, which was simply to
allude to a bitter and very unpleasant eontro-
versy which has been going Of in Buncombe
county, with Reems' Creek Division and some
of the opposers of the Order; among the lat
ter of whom, we learn from the Ashevillt
Messenger, are many who are not, and never
have been d~runkards but who profess to b
temperance men, the friends of sobriety, anC
/, some of them of TOTAL ABSTINENCE mem
bers of churches and who ought to hav
been engaged in a better business than con
: demning, misrepresenting, and abusing a larg
4 class Of persons Of every grade in their ow
country, their own ~neighbors, citizens of thei
[. own county, whose characters for truth, hor
e esty and virtue, will never suffer by compar
# son with their own, and whose connection an
associations with the Sons of Temperance
will neverbe changed in the least by such a
n saults. At this advanced day in religion
learning, and sobriety as the Messenger just
remarks, it is a matter of the most profound a
constituent that any body, even the drunkar
) the vender, or the distilIer, should oppose ar
+ society having for its object the peaceable r
formation of all men from drunkenness ar
Ii dissipation and how much more painfully
tonishing is it to every christian, every phila
ID thropist, every orderly citizen, to see profe.
= ing christians, Ministers of the Gospel-stan
IN inc up, not only against worldlians who a
Sons of Temperance, but members of t
church and ministers of the gospel, of az
high standing, talents and responsibility, W
" are Sons and not only against them, bat ia
e ing out, getting in a passion, abusing, and e
pressing a lack of confidence in their o'
brethren in the church! members of the sar
no county and neighborhood, with whom tn
have always been on friendly and brother
rs, terms, and pray-for what? Simply for bel
I'm Sons of Temperance! for uniting in a DO
IL to persuade men every where to become sob
to become peaceable, quiet, orderly citizer
to become better husbands, fathers and nei,
Ae bors; for the purpose of raising means witt
". themselves to help all such to carry out tn
resolution, take care of them in sickness,
rod bury them after death, to educate their orpl
sly children. to inter their wives when dead, q
eed live peaceable, orderly, sober and quiet Ii
. themselves; for belonging to society hav
these objects alone in view, a society to VIII
all men of good character may belong, 1
= know all about in short, for doing what e
and every one of them, after trial believe tc
right and their dutv, not only as men and
n; zens, but as christians of every order, ow
their allegiance, and protesting to pay Il
daily VOWS to the King immortal, invisible
eternal, to whom they alone are responsible
|. their acts, their conduct and their ~associat
non in this world. Yet these men are assai
Nv their motives lmpugned, their professions
culed. and their names cast out as evil. by [