Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1856-10-15
Individual Effort.

success and trlumph-lG Dld ialr 10 uS
prevailing sentiment of the masses OF the Ut
people-it exercised a commanding influence. 10
and almost every thing and every body paid ;" y.
a respectful Difference to the cause OF Tenn al
perance. Now, this was no accidental thing. -
1t did not come about by the friends OF the O.
cause sitting down, folding their hands, and IN
waiting for the tide of popular opinion to $
rise in their favor. 1t was not owing to a y
miraculous interposition of Divine PrOvi- "
dence in behalf of our principles. Indo- 81
lence was abjured, and looking to grand 8
agencies was supplanted by general personal, .
individual efort-in a word, every Temper P
ance man was wide awake and put his hand a
to the work with a resolution which merited 1
the aid which Heaven bestows on those who =
help themselves. :
Now this iadiUiduag effort, is exactly what ,
we wish brought to bear in the present as .
pect of the Temperance cause. Had our
friends, some few years back, .contented
themselves with getting up mass meetings,
bringing in celebrated speakers from abroad,
and providing abundance of campaign docu-
ments-had they rested here, the result
would not have been decisive and telling as
it was. These instrumentalities are needful
but much more was required and given to
the cause then. What was Of especial val
ne was the personal interest and personal
labors of individuals. That interest was
widely felt, and those labors were devoted to
the cause without stint. The work which
lay nearest him was what each one saw him.
self called to do. Among his neighbors, and
in his own school district there was enough
to be done. And in no larger fields of oper-
alton than these, many of our truest labor
ers spent their best strength. Wisely did
they do SO, for they thereby accomplished
much.
, Temperance men then felt perfect conf
; dence in the justice of their cause-an a.
: Weakening sense among the people of the
: corruption and degradation, of society, of the
: ruin of many of the best minds and hearts
i of the country, caused them to strike for thu
e respective communities and they felt that
a healthy, energetic organization was e~ssentia
to accomplish it. On the one hand, they saw
h hundreds and thousands bound together
a against our benevolent projects by habits
IS time-honored customs and the power of ap
d petite. Liberty was the magical word whicl
le held thousands in the ranks of our oppc
a. nents-" liberty to eat and drink what W
8. please" was made the hypocritical, instr
ts cere antagonism to our temperance princi
re pies /; and by it they held thousands sati
te fedly enthralled in the slavish chains of il
To- temperance. It was to demolish this horr
20 bic GrogOcracy to which temperance me
,le then beset themselves and they felt tht
,ot those who would overthrow this huge fortre,
of wrong, armed, manned and provisione
~aasit was. must hiring abnndant actiyitc
coArage and perseverance to the task. The
success was glorious, for a time, and as Ion
as they kept up their active personal effort
But these gave way, and then the cause
AL Temperance began to decline.
ms Yet we are not content to give up t
e. struggle. This dangerous power in the Sta
on must be met and vanquished. How, is tt
question for US now. 1t mu t be done
filling up our ranks. Whence are they
ay, come? There are many who are indiffere
ost on the subject, because they have never e
the en- it very grave consideration. There
the others who entertain ~ill-founded prelude
on And there are many who are uniformed
misinformed on this great question:
sen there are many others who are right in f
the ing and sentiment, but who have grown
the lous and unconcerned, or perhaps
nth couraged, because victory has not perc
are upon our banners already. We must di
Will our efforts to secure the aid of all these
suppress, peryert, or lie down the facts b
Tue ing on this question, and it is not strs
lser that there should be some whom the t
nan has never reached. But when the trut
ring fully and fairly presented to them with
my, proofs it is capable of bringing, there
AZ; witnesses enough to attest that # ba
perfect work. The Indifferent can be al
Eat ed to their responsibility, and multitud
lyats those who are deluded by falsehood, ca
'eing convinced.
inch Th;.
fred
- ly commends itself to the individual.
~ deed, it can only be efectually done by
sonal appeal. An attractive public spe
With may move the multitude, but the impre
s,b- thus made must be followed mp to be re
o an ed lasting. Documents may be left vi
Com when coming from a strac ger, while a
n Ex- Hom an acquaihVahce Woulo ensure
Fair perusal. And they who will not 90 to
'ne puDho speaAer' nor fead the oocun
,onth may yet listen to a calm statement Fl
q all friend. The principles and facts we s
an before the people will bear a chimney
" feel canvass. We are stronger than our
istom- menus 'nefe.
burg. our success IN the past, should insp
with hopes of a final triumph, if W,
forth our energies. Let each and
man, woman and child who feel int
!. ~ in the Temperance enterprise, go to W,
- enlist others in oar great crusade. II
- new recruit. in every one whom we ms
, - over, we secure another laborer in our
Soldiers of the cold water army, the
70 this great matter depends upon the in
q pow ual, personal efforts of each one of yo
on YOU will work. and pray. and never OF