Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1857-02-20
commencement of Temperance
Reform.

pendent, Rev. A. Prince. for his notes
on the commencement of the Temper
ance movement, but wish, with all re-
spect. to be permitted to correct his his
tory. ! think that can date the begin
ming Of this reform back to time ante
cedent to the existence of the Wesl ey-
ans as separate denomination of Chris
tians. And l can even show that the
reform did not commence in the church
Of Christ-that is, it did not commence
there as special popular effort, church
action being in the outset circumscyibed
by church membership.
am prepared, if needs be, to go back
to the time of Xenophon, to show the
existence of reformatory movements to
arrest the progress of intemperance.-
Bat lprefer to come to later dates The
first extraordinary effort was, perhaps,
made by the Emperor Justinian. The
next and most remarkable is the refor-
nation effected by Mahomot, in the sew
enth century, over the whole of the
countries that adop ted his creed. At
the commencement OF the eighth contu-
~. Terbaldus, Prince of Bulgaria, caus-
ed every vine in his dominions to be GU.
up by the roots. Charlema gne, who
lived during the latter half o the eighth
century. made many wholesome laws for
the regulation of the Franks, over whom
he ruled, with regard to TEN pcrance-
He strictly forbade the drinking of
healths in company and tipping in all
its shapes, was prohibited by penal laws
of great severity. King Elgar acted in
England similar part: and both in
Scotland and Wales laws of extreme
antiquity still exist on the subject Of in
temperance. BY a law of Constantine
H., king Of Scotland, young persons Of
both sexes were commanded to abStain
from the use of intoxicating liquors.
D'ath cas the punis hment on III, conric-
ton of druukeuaess
As early as the reign of Edward l. Of
Eagland, the attention of government
was called to the practice of vending in
toxcating liquors in and around London.
aud several prohibi:ory laws of great
severity were passed. In the reign Of
Philip AMI Mary, we find recorded
Parliamentary act to prevent the making
of aqua vita in Ireland. About the
same period, a singular kind of Temper
ancc Society was instituted in Germany
to pat down the practice of drinking
healtns and fsr the purpose of restrict
ing knights to seven 'goblets of wine at
a meal, and that not more than twice
day.
Your correspondent would have US
infer that the Methodist church was the
first to introduce laws of temperance in
to is discipline. do not wish to pluck
from that body any Of its well-deserved
hurels-but this one it cannot wear. 1t
cert .inly must be known, or ought to be
known, that the Church of Scotlan nd.
rerceiving the rapidity with which in
Temperance was spreading. aud attribut-
ing it in great measure to the habit of
drinking healths, forbade i, anon. is
members in the year l64o. by an act Of
the General Assembly. This was about
century previous to any special roles
being adopted by the British Wesley
ans and about so years before Wesley
IN Methoaism had an existence.
Your correspondent is equally at fault
touching the commencement of what he
terms 1.-THE more aggressive movement
He gives Jan. 10, 1926 as its birth day.
If he will allow me, will date back to
1903. In 1901, DR.. Rush published his
far-famed inquiry into the effects of
ardent spirits upon the human mind and
body Tie pamphlet, we are told, fell
like bomh-shell in the camp OF an un.
suspecting enemy. Ministers of the
Gospel began to take up the subject :;
and, in the ensuing year, the Rev. Eben-
ezer Porter. in an eloquent discourse at
Washington. made a powerful assault on
intemperance. The circulation of this,
when published, and of few other dis
courses of similar tendency, led in the
year 1908, to the organization of the first
Temperance Society. This took place
in the town of Moreau, Saratoga Co..
New York. under the title of "the Mo-
reau and Northum berland Temperance
Society" The fourth article of the con-
stitution provided that no member should
drink rum, whiskey, gin, or any other
l,et,llal ~,t r :,