Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1855-06-13
1855.
Let us Reason About it.

hhob
reasonable things ought to be reasoned al
ways in a reasonable way, and then proceeds
to call upon every freeman to lay aside all
prejudices, and, without any skulking or
lodging, look this fearful monster, the Liquor
Traffic, full in the face. He is a brazen- faced,
impudent wretch and it will require moral
effort on our part to come up square-teed,
and look him in the eye. lie is flushed with
pride at the victims he has slain, and bids
defiance to our efforts to look him out of
countenance. He prowls about in the night,
and stalks abroad at MONDAY, prosecuting
his hellish work and to all our efforts to
check his onward course, he replies by grin
ming horribly a CHASTITY smile, and shaking
his CORY locks defantly and contemptuously.
He chuckles over the miseries of men, and
the wall Of the widow and the orphan is
music to his ear. The blood of his victims
he laps with eagerness, and laughs trium-
phantly when he sees the gibbet reared. He
is in every city, in every town, in every
community, ca1ying onns work ofiniquity;
crushing the Apes, and blighting the pros
poets of untold multitudes. He goes about
} as a roaring lion, and DEATH and HE'LL fol-
low in his wake He sees with fendish de-
: light the pale, emaciated woman, as she,
with crushed spirit, tries to hush the cries of
her hungry children when they plead for
, bread. He triumphs over such a scene as
this, knowing that he has caused it all, by
inducing the poor husband and father to
spend his all fordrink-for accursed whisky!
Now, fellow-countrymen-shall we, can
we, conscientiously permit this fearful mon
ster to continue to wander at large over our
fair fields and valleys, devouring multitudes,
F; and scattering the hopes of multiplied thou
sands? We cannot! In the name of God
ly in the name of all that is sacred and holy,
e. we ought to endeavor to stay his bloody hand.
III The responsibility resting upon US, upon
70 every man in our State, is fearful indeed
If the Liquor Traffic produces so much mis-
cry, land no man can deny It'll what will be
~ our reward if we refuse to suppress it? If
10 we foster and sustain such a hideous mon
ster amongst US, are we not responsible for
- its deeds of crime? Who can deny it?-
No If the Liquor Traffic sends the souls of men
to hell, land no one will dispute it, are we
not responsible to God for licensing and con-
tinuing the traffic, and for the souls thus
:, damned? Let conscience answer.
be M !.
hi =,
at the bar of God for the part he is taking in
the perpetuating the Liquor Traffic. He must
a answer for himself, and himself alone. If
der a man, by his vote and influence, s~ustains
- fh1o or;1 &c ,,b;,b- ,o1Ia- - - ,nd1v,duollv
the guilty of continuing the traffic, and, there
and fore, responsible for the evils that follow
nth The man who sells liquor, and thereby sends
souls to destruction, is guilty ofmurder and
90 the man who supports, upholds, aids, and
w abets him is as guilty as the seller. AND
" when the spirits of the damned come up il
lille Judgment, with hopeless despair depicted
upon their countenances, and the worm tina
never dies twining about their heart-strings
K OF they will then point to the man who deal
Ices the maddening liquid that caused their eter
nest nal destruction, and say, You brought m
dest here you twas that dealt out the fiery poison
'slst that crazed my brain-that made me neglec
ure, my business, abuse my wife and children
ence and run into all the forbidden paths of sin
LOu ~ was tndb mdu6 me WHdb Il dmy duA
rock must forever bo a su fferer in the flames O
rong endless VOL
The conseience-smitten and trembling !
rea1 quor-dealer will then vainly try to excus
a. himself by accusing the people. He Wi
IN point to them and say You did it all! Yo
4 oi made the business you made it respectable
the you made it lawful you put me in it you
, !" you upheld me, and defended me again
soeS the attacks of good men you rallied roun
; 'e me, and made me your instrument in eleC
tons! And must | suffer eternal punisl
ment for doing what you made it lawful an
sen- respectable for me to do p And with groal
iame and cursings he will sink down into region
man. of despair while the men who upheld Il
hon. ira ;c on aartb ,Y;u hoor .ha =,
will not be able to offer even the shadow
Ca an excuse. And it will for ever and ever
II l.. a source of torment to them to see, and kno'
his and hear the groans of those whose etern
inn in destruction they caused by perpetuating th
% oc. traffic in liquor.
Then, in view of all this, should we not
rance uons an 'nat Is a OUT power 70 suPpre
How this dreaded evil? Surely every reasonab
I and man Will answer, les, ana VIII go 10 WO
with might and main to crush this Nigh
COW monster. 1t can only be done at the ballo
and box; and he who refuses to contribute bis mit
will not be held ~guiltless in the great day
n the accounts No good man, when he looks
peo- the question in its proper light, can refu
httul; to lend a helping hand, without doing Vi
nue, lence to his conscience; and, in that case,
tic in will cease to be a good man.
they Then, friends and countrymen-one a
they all-every voter-let us ponder the matt
lass well before We cast our votes. Let us vo
= tho fOrmen who favor the downfall of the Lieu
for Traffic, for this is a matter of more vital i
louise p~ortance to our people than any quest,
ever before presented.
Luna "
lie lar KNowLEDGE.-YouBg man, improve the n
NE ments as they fly. Moments are the precic
i grains of gold dust showered around you
n Oafhor thopn ne L. r. II 49, l---4sf -