The Davenport gazette., 1853-11-24
THURSDAY noas1ao. NOVEMBER "a, 1855



Liquor Sellers
Mr.. Leland. in his lecture on last Monday
evening. was particularly severe on liquor
sellers, and jalg.ng ffom tae briel eptone
of has nte given ST the time, has amnle
grounds fof has opposition. Ne confess 10
having few bowels of eompasston" ior this
class OF community. Mcn, who in view of
all the misery and crime entailed upon their
fellow men hs tie use OF ardent spirits,
make it their business Is foster and enceur
aee the disposition to indalge in them, in
COR opinion become partloYs crintats, and
ehoull be 50 regarded IN the eye 81 the
law
The disposition to condemn this traffic in
the whole. may BY some be regarded as Ia
natieal, but il proc .eds from that sane spiri,
which trowns upon all evil. The only ey-
tenuation this class OF persons have. is that
society, as at present constituted, sanctions
heir business. The man is not very ohserv-
ing, however. who docs not perceive that So
ciety is undergoing radica. chsnge IN this
particular, and that even now he who en-
cages in the traffic is not esteemed SO high-
y as he was lew years as. Ma ~ho
formerly fresaented greg -loPs publicly, are
now happy to avail themselves of pirate
entrance AID the screen which al this tine
is SO inals peas able 70 thc 'arnkfng "a
loon"
Though ;he temptations to yoath are alto
gether tee numerous. sei they lo nc, abouad
as they did some years s.Hce, when il was
fashionable for all to frequent the coffee
house. ard 0htn LADIES' d. not hesitate 10
partake Of the sparkling 3iae--an indispen-
sable adjunct 10 every party-ana even 10
give il to their children. We snremember
when man was esteemed less gentle
man and niggardlv indeed. did he no, have
his sideboard prominently displayed, cover
ed with desanters and wine glasses, with the
invitation ever on his lips for his friends to
"step up and take something" Now, ex-
eep; in liquor shops, decaute-s and wine
glasses are obsolete, and glass works have
almost entirely ceased their manufacture.
Public sentiment is decidedly aeainst the
Indulgence in stimuIants that bring with
their use temporary insanity, succeeded
by prostrstion Of the mental and physical
energies.
4 man establishes himself o. the corner
oil the street, in q conspicuous part Of the
city, and daily holds cut tempting allure
nents to our sons, and We are 10 treat :hat
man kindly and speak Of him respectfully
and admi, him into our society as though he
were eng ged in work Of beneyoIeuce.-
We pay our preachers for dispensing the
gospel, we pay teachers for instructing our
youth, We labor to instil morality into the
minds or our children, and al the same time
on prominent corner is man engaged in
the etfor; to thwart our labors and to SOW in
the minds Of our offspring vice more con-
,aminating than aught else the most infer
nal intellect has ever conceived and-we are
10 be silent. Why Because Tie Law pro-
tects him in his business. Away with such
laws. Let US no longer be Knocked with
statutes that pander 10 crime. Let us be
no longer accessories to the ruin Of our own
children. Let us arise in our strength anC
resolve that the statutes of our State shall
no longer be stained with q provision H.
cepsing misery and wo. As other State:
have given US an example let Us initiate it
and DO oar part az men towards rdding our
land of a traffic that curses community JUS;
IN proportion as it il encouraged.
Weappeal then to the better sense Of CON-
munity, whether i be ~, preferable to ex-
terminate the evil than to foster its c9nse.
quences. We ask the man who INDUCES II
the social glass, if it be net wiser that
the temptation be removed away from his
children, than that it NEE, them At ever
turn. We implore the dronkard in his So
Der moments, to think Of the perilous ground
upon which he stands and OF the allurements
proaefed him at the grog sLop and come up
and help Us with the stroag arm Of 1qC to
protect bis wife ard children from the en-
ticemeats of the man with the scared con
science ard himself rs2n the coils Of ser
pent, mere deadly ia its embraces than those
that infolded the LAGOON