Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1853-02-23
VI.
CHAPTER VI.
All thought begins in feeling,-wide
In the great mass its base is hid,
And, narrowing up to thought, stands glorife
A un0Vra1oz1 ryrnn,SJ DE# C-r,r


In the great mass its base is hid,
And narrowing up to thought, stands %glorifed,
A moYeless pyramid" LOWELL.
They waken,
Such thoughts as these, an energy,
A spirit that viii not be shaken
Till frail mortality shall die"
n. P. WILLIS.
/ havo now brought you with me through
the dark path OF twelve years in the life of a
drunkard.
But tortAs last f0e gears There not drank
one drop ofardent spirits!
Glow came you to quit ? or rather, what
enabled you to leave off drinking" | enquir-
cd.
"Simply arcsolution," was his reply.
but it is 50 rare an occurrence" said /,
" that a man who has drank hard for q dozen
years, acquired adopraved appetite for liquor,
and become so degraded, should be able to
throw off the habit, that | should really like
to know what Influences were brought to bear
so powerfully upon YOU"
will relate the particulars to you, though
you will hear nothing Of extraordinary inHu-
ences. Perhaps you may think it more OF q
srtjat than any thing else.
just five years arc to-day, | was, as usual,
at BIS grogshop, with some six or eight
others, and we were all drinking freely-hav-
ing, in fact, a real "spree." In the after
noon it was proposed that we should take a
deer drive. | was half drunk, and felt more
than ordinarily like having q real Jolly time
oft. Of all the noisy crew I was the most
noisy-the leader in the revel. | seemed
transported beyond anything I had ever fell
before. | was wild with excitement-ahan
doned to it, and threw my whole soul into tht
uproarious hilarity. No sooner was the dee
aforementioned than [ gave my assent will
a shout. We called up our dogs, got out GU,
guns, and prepared for the hunt.
a drink all round, boys, before we CO.
[ shouted.
/" Here's success to the Sons of Temper
ance, " exclaimed one of the number as Ii
turned offhis glass.
I "Sons of Temperance" l cried "wha
are they?"
"Why, asort of new Free Masons," reptile
: my associate, "who meet in a room one nigh
: in every week and DO something, but no on
knows what, for they won't let any but the
own sort in. They pretend that they sign
pledge not to drink any liquor, and say the
i have formed themselves into 4 society to bel
and to watch each other. None of 'cm ain
come close about here yet, though"
The idea struckme forcibly, and the nan
=" Sons of OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES to sink
to my mind, to impress itself upon me wit
: a peculiar force
"a burning thunderbolt of human Thought,
That sent the living light of Truth abroad"
But we took our drinks, shouldered 0,
guns and started up on the mountain. Inn
mind | kept repeating that new name-t
Sons of Tem%perance"-or rather there W
a constant and involuntary mental repetiti
of it going on within me. But we were c
tering upon the woods where we expected
find game. Twas placed at a stand high
on the mountain, and my companions all we
on, leaving me alone.
u Climbing the mountain had sobered /
~ some, aud also made me quitetired. | S
" down at the root of Il tree, and an entire
| ~vulsion took place in my feelings. IT
strange name, Sons of Temperance" Ike
ringing through my mind ard instead of
of recent HILARIOUS humor. I grew sedate and nj
&C i~tative. began to review my past life.
80 thought of my boyhood days, when all Y
fair, joyous and prosperous. I thought
- Ellen, and the manner in which | had act
~ towards her and her father towards me. !
1at the first time in twelve long wears I thous
an Of him without a feeling ofanger. Ifelt Il
- / could forgive him-that |, too, was mu
~ to blame and had much to be forgiven.
thought of that little babe whose calm. sw
counteuanee | saw but once, but which V
stamped indelibly on my memory. Now
was ~ angel N Heaven perhaps at that v