Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1857-07-29
For the Spirit of the Age
An Echo from Mecklenburg.

Here l send you an echo of the feelings
and sentiment Of a large number of the good
people of Old Mecklenburg; and would to
God that the echo might, as in the days of
ITS, vertebrate and reverberate, until it should
reach the most distant corners of the land
and the ruthless Var horse, aviM iron boots
heated hot an hell, should be forced to quit his
track Of smoking blood and mangled flesh,
and leap back to has internal home.'
go6f oId county Tor the last six months is,
l imagine, unexampled in the whole history
of Temperance reform. Three Divisions have
been recently organized, Sharon White
Hail. and Big Spring and all are going
into the work with o zeal and energy com
mendable in the highest degree. Steel Creek
for a long time stood alone in the fight
struggling at times for mere existence under
fe ar of q forfeited charter-and now she
numbers about 40 male and 90 female mem
bers-after having aided in forming Sharon
Division, 6 miles East, and While Hail. 5
miles West; both of which, under efficient
officers, Silas Alexander, W. P, of the form.
er, and Col. VIM. Grier, W. P. of the latter,
are fourishing increasing in members and
interest at every meeting. When there was
hardly q sufficient number of members to
hold its meetings, almost in the last stage of
vitality, ten members'-our Worthy Patri-
arch, w. G.sPhillips, S. H. Smith, S. H. Ell
lott and others, be it said to their great
credit, went forward, took anew the obliga-
ton of total abstinence pledged to each
other their mutual effort and cooperation and
resolved never, under any circumstances, to
give up or surrender ingloriously, without
making another aad q frmer stand-While
the triangle of Love Purity and Fidelity re.
minded them Of their trust, and the Star
doomed them on in the pathway to success
And now they have the satisfaction of meet
ing every Saturday evening in q crowded
Hall, where their pledge was taken.
Sharon Division meets every other week
and as the 4th July was their regular day O
meeting, they met at 10 O'Clock to spend the
day. There was a full attendance of it's mem
bers, of which | could not fail to take notice
when l heard a roll of the members called
and their read. responses-a plan which
think might be adopted with advantage By
every Division. After a sumptuouS rspast
the Division was again called to order, AM
the writer of this letter, in obedience to
previous invitation, attempted for a shor
time to entertain the Division. Five persons
were initiated into the Order, a less number
l was told, than at any previous meeting
owing to the fact, that they were the last il
the neighborhood, but three-who eithe
from principle or love of the c%ritter' have no
as yet come over. They had we'll on to fit,
members, with the ladies while Whit
Hall can boast ofnearly 60 members. Fron
this state of things in Old M~ecklenburg, an,
theincreased interest manifested everywhere
who can pretend to tell the great good il
store for our people, The truth is, the
have awakened to the Importance of tn
cause, and ceased to regard it as a %visionar
scheme set on foot by a parcel Of dreamin
Philanthropists.'
Even its avowed opponents are forced t
throw down that imp1e gna6le fortress tho
demoliShing GrgumentJl That the abuse c
a thing is no argument against its prope
use'-behind which they had hoped to res
secure and ward off the strong argument c
Temperance associates. But it is alread
known to their astonished ken, even admit
ting there is a proper use'-that the adag
must be understood with limitation, and ths
it only holds good in those cases where th
proper use,' is the general rule and tn
abuse the exception. Whereas, the COZ
trary is true in its application to the use
Intoxicating liquors for the abuse is tn
: general rule and the proper use the RAJ
exception. But we hold that the very us
of lis an abuse. st. PauIhas laid down til
Magma Charter of Teetotalism in thes
words-'If meat make my brother to offend
l will eat no meat while the world standeth
&c. 1T is good neither to eat flesh nor
/ drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brotl
| er stumbleth or is offended or is made weak
And we must bear in. mind that flesh an
wine are here mentioned by Paul as goo
: creatures of God. This saying of st. PAT
: will ever remain the charter of our mob
] cause as long as the world endures, or 9