Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1854-09-27
Original 4agers. /,
FOR THE SPIRIT OF THE Aer

FOR THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE.
Vindication Of the Sons Of Temperance.
In the beginning God made man upright.
but by the serpent beguiling Eve, aud she
eating the forbidden fruit and giving some
to her husand, sin entered into the world.
and death By sin. The devil has ever since
/ been ingenting some new vice. evil audl
telaptatiqh, bys which he may ret his bFitp.
stond KINGDOM inhabina nifh che seuls afl
men, and make them We lxed. lilisers.s..ess
and internal as himself aud his companions
Among the many evils abroad in our land. |
that of the immoderate use of alcoholic
drinks as beverage, is as hurtful as any
other. 1t makes man incapable of trans
acting the common affairs of life and brings
on himself and family misery, poverty and
j disgrace. Some christian and benevolent |
i persons, seeing the evils of intemperance,
conceived the idea of forming a society to
shelter the poor inebriate from the effects
of intoxicating drinks. For this purpose
they drew up an obligation for those to as
sign who choosed to-and by adhering to
it, they were saved from the blighting
curse of Alcohol The first society was
constituted about the year 1903. Other
societies have been formed, at various times, |
and called by different names. Last and |
best was the Sons of Temperanc@ Six
teen men in the city of New York, having
seen the progress of the different societies
in the United States, saw that they were
not binding enough, and like rope of
sand, too easily broken-conceived the idea
OF forming one on more solid foundation
and therefore formed the Order of Sons, on
, the principle that the other ones are, only
E their manner of meeting. Their constitu-
/ ton says for them to meet once every week,
and their often meeting strengthens them
! in the great principles for which they meet.
The other societies seldom met person
might be once in his lifetime at a meeting
I. and never again. The often assembling of
= christians, strengthens them in the great
a principles of the christian religion-so it
: is with all other societies, whether it is for
! good or evil.
2 People generally have an objection of
!, some kind to every thing that is new-or
!, that they do not understand Christ when
: he was upon earth met With powerful on
position, because the doctrines he taught
were new and too simple for the proud,
l. high-minded, selfrighteous Scribes and
r, Pharisees; and from that day to this, those
who have professed the doctrines of our
J. Saviour have been prosecuted and the
al reason is, that they come in contact with
z the carnal nature, or are in opposition to
4 that nature in man which prompts him to
IS do evil. These assertions are true from
Of Scripture. Ever since the time that Adam
of transgressed in the garden of Eden, to the
S present, man in his carnal or natural state
e. has been opposed to almost every thing that
m has been for his good The Order of Sons
es is opposed on the same principles above
Us mentioned. If it can be proved that they
at are committing an evil in trying to put
le down the immoderate use of Alcoholic
We drink, they will stop forthwith, and all
le other societies will quit trying to promote
it the cause of Temperance.
70 OBJECTION 1.-The Order is opposed
le because it calls for money. Every institu
~ tioD is Obliged to have money. The Sons
so need it not for a speculative, but for be.
ly nevolent purpose. They are obliged tc
ly have money to promote the cause Of tenn
1t perance. The church is obliged to have
money to carry on her works of benevo
re lence. Does any man of common sense
ed expect man to quit his home and preacl
or the gospel, or lecture on temperance, fo
ell nothing? It is an absurdity to expect it
he when the pecuniary affairs of some are 81
til that they are not able to do it. If thos,
by who are opposed to the Order will take tn,
lc- trouble to examine their constitution, the,
Or will see how the money is appropriated
tly Every person who joins is allowed not les
ne than two dollars week when sick, and i
lot man dies his wife is allowed fifteen dol
. lars for funeral expenses and if the wifi
be dies he is allowed ten dollars for her funer
ar al expenses. All these things requir
an money. If paying man when he is sick
ese is not benevolence, it is not known wha
benevolenee is. Many person pays NOR
tu- money in a year or two at the shrine {
nc Bacchus, than he would in a lifetime t
is the Sons. The Scripture speaks of none
I'm, being paid into the treasury of the Lore
EN- OBJ. 1.-The Order is objected to 5ecau:
the it is secret one. The word secret NEAR
one hidden. The Jacobin Society in France W;
ex- a secret one, in every sense of the word
They were united for the overthrow of tt
on, kingdom of France. Persons that did n,
by belong to the society knew no more abol
ago their transactions than the child unborr.-
for They worked SO secretly that they had tt
nth King and Queen beheaded, and started a r.
rms volution that caused the lives of more than
ere million of people to be DESTROYED. The Sor
of do not want to take your lives from you, b.
the they desire to persuade you not to destrc
pes it yourselves. The Inquisition was seer
re- society. The members of that body carrie
the on their proceedings SO secretly, that thol
mu- sands of innocent persons were taken at tt
'ay. dead hours of night and conveyed to II
this prisons of the Inquisition, without KNOWN
Ian who their accusers were, or what their erin
'orn was. These were purely secret societies.
but The Sons, therefore, cannot be called secrt
not for every person knows what they meet f
SEN and what they do-and those who say th'
atldo not, can if they WILL The password is