Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1855-09-12
A Year Of Plenty. :

PROVIDENCE has abundantly blessed the
earth with plenty. The great horn has been
emptied of its rich contents, and the earth
groans with fairness. A bounteous harvest
has already been gathered, and yet the fields
are burthened with grain for the garner
The poor man feels that he shall not suffer
for bread when tho Winter comes, and the
rich man builds to his ample barns. Carriers,
cribs and stores are crowded with the blessed
staff of life. The orchards, too, are burthened
with their luscious products, and the red
cheek of the peach and the apple turn up
lovingly to the kiss of the sunbeam. We in
voluntarily bless God for his benefits to man.
But the heart sickensw when we contemplate
the fact that these blessings are being rapid
ly, with every days sunlight, converted into
instruments of destruction. Prompted by
that child of hell, Audrice, men are kindlng
the fires of the distilleries all over the land
and changing the sweet fruits of the earth
into compounds to blast the happiness Of the
nations. From a thousand v~allies, a dark
cloud of smoke is rising, blaekening the heay-
ems with its unholy incense. Thousands of
still pots are sinmering on the heated furna-
ces, singing the song of Death. Thousands
of men are watching the poisonous juices
dripping from the copper lips of the fatal
worm, and calculating how much they shall
clear in gold and silver for this service
Who are the men thus engaged? Are they
the wicked, outbreaking, outlaws of the land
II No. -o,;Ir ~ 4bo ~ n Of h;rb
standing in society-mem6ers Of the church,!
Tell it not in Gath !" Sad reproach to
the Church This day there are members,
: and official members of the various churches,
! industriously engaged in distilling ~intoxica-
ting liquors for domestic and foreign con-
sumption! Oh! the fact looks badly when
! written Men who go to the house of the
Lord on the Sabbath, and respond hearty
Amens to the prayer of the man of God for
the salvation of sinners, are busy all the week
? in making a " ~perilous stuff that their bet
ter judgment tells them will, in it's use, damn
: scores of their fellowmen to regions where
! their hypocritical "Amens' can never reach
them. The love of gold is the secret cause
that drives men protesting the humble relig-
ion of Christ into deeds of wickedness-it is
= this that prompts them toconvert the blessings
of Heaven into curses that sting the people.
For this, avaricious men would wade through
: the blood of their brothers and the tears OF
their sisters and orphan children to a good
- and profitable market. For this they would
trample under foot the most cheering pros
pect of life, and sever the hottest ties of ma
ture. For this they would send thunderbolt
to the hearths of thousands and SILVER tn
- dearest idols of home! For this they would
:. dig up the green bosom Of the earth in yawn
!, ing graves and crowd hell with the yellin;
nj damned God help such wicked church
men
The course pursued by liquor making, L
quor selling .Methodists. Raptists, Lutheran
=, etc., is a great stumbling block in the pat
Of the Temperance reform. They are hel
up as commendable examples by those VII
make no pretentions to morality, and by the
code of morals they excuse themselves
crime. Churchmen make liquor, and VIII
" should not 1? This is the stumbling bloc
over which thousands have, and Thousand
more will fall into an unknown land of tie
ror. God forgive liquor making Churc
men!! X