Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1858-04-15
Temp&rarl&e Sf(atter*
From the Spirit of the Age.
"WHY STAND YE IDLE ALL THE
DAYP"

upon earth, a large class OF men VINO STOOD
idle, as though there was nothing to do, so
it is now. You may fud in every communi-
ty a class of men, although they are among
our best citizens-many of them consistent
members of the Church of Christ, moral in
their lives, who Notwithstanding, stand aloof
from the noble cause of the Temperance re-
form, as though they had no "lot or part in
the matter" They know and will admit
that %intemperance injuriously affects all
classes and conditions of society-that not
only their peace and happiness is affected by
it, but their sons, yea, and their daughters
too, may experience its ruinous and desola-
ting effects; that the Church must suffer the
taunts and jeers ofa scofing world, in con-
sequence of her Incorporate members-yet,
when efforts are every where making to sup
press and destroy this dreadful curse to the
Church and to society, these good men stand
idle as though they had nothing to do, or as
though this terrible evil would finally cure
itself. These good men do not act thus in
other matters. IF their country's rights are
i%nfringed, or trampled upon, they are among
the first to take up arms to rcpel the inva-
ders from our SOLICIT when the are
enacted to encourage and ~perpetuate the
dreadful curse of intemperance, they seem to
be at ease, as though they could do nothing.
1t may not be amiss to inquire into the
cause or causes of this %inaction or apathy
and indifference. There must be a cause for
every effect, and if these good, but idle men,
have good reasons for remaining idle, when
there is so much to do, We would like to
know their reasons, that we may not do them
injustice, or impute motives to them they
would Indignantly disown.
1t is amusing, as well as provoking in some
instances, to hear the reasons assigned by
these sober steady and excellent men, when
the subject of the great reform is introduced,
especially if they are urged to enlist under
the banner of the Sons of Temperance. Some
of them tell US they would cheerfully join a
Temperance Society on the old plan, but
they are not willing to join in an organization
they know but little about, and consequently
their ignorance of our order seems to be a
sufficient reason why they remain idle. A
mother one tells US, he is as much opposed
to intemperance as the Sons are, but he is
opposed to the secrecy of the Order. This
plea seems to form a sufficient excuse for him
to remain idle. Another tells US he is a
stronger temperance man than the Sons are,
for he would be in favor of banishing ardent
spirits from the country entirely-but still
he remains idle, as though he had fully done
his duty by assuring us he would carry this
matter farther than the Sons would Anoth-
or tells US that all our efforts to suppress in
temperance will prove abortive, as they al
legc that spirituous liquors will be made
and drank, while the world stands, and that
he has more sense than to waste his ammuni-
ton upon a hopeless cause. Others allege
that they are unwilling to surrender the right
to take a dram when they feel like it would
do them good. Others pretend that the Sons
must have SON wicked, ncfarious purpose
to accomplish, orthey would open their doors
to all, and have no secrecy about the order.
Thus we find every man has his excuse for
remaining idle. Now it matters not how Of
ten you refute these objections, or show the
futility of these excuses, they bring them
forward again and again, as though they pos
sessed sufficient merit to justify their course
evea at the bar of their own consciences.-
But alas-alas-if these pleas were valid,
then might zee also fold our hands in idle
ness, apathy, and Indifference, and let the
worst enemies of our peace and happiness,
reign and triumph to their hearts content,
and society, be stripped of every vestige of
morality, religion and social order.
Now it would be easy to show the futility
of all the excuses that have been noticed, but
this has been done again and again, and still
they are relied upon 70 Justify the course of
those who stand aloof from the noble cause
of Temperance. Were I allowed to offer a
few conjectures on the subject, would as
sign other reasons as the real ones-and here
1 would remark, that I will not do injustice
to any man Willingly or designedly. Some
men will not join our order, because they
have taken a stand againsti it heretofore, and
have not only argued against the order, but
have thrown out innuendoes, or insinuations
to our injury, and although they may have
afterwards become convinced of their error,
yet they are too proud to admitthey arc wi
ser to-day, than they were yesterday, and
therefore retain their former position. 9th
ers remain idle, or stand aloof from our Or
der, because they are prejudiced against the
order, not from anything they know about
US, but from information received from the
enemies of the cause of Temperance, or of the
Sons of Temperance, and they have never
given themselves the trouble to enquire into
the matter, to see whether their prejudice
was we'll or ill founded, and thus remain idle
and stand aloof. Others, although sober men
were perhaps neverdrunk in their lives
yet they are fond of the taste of liquor, and
are also very tenacious of one of their inal'en-
able rights, as they call (which isto be at
liberty to take a horn whenever they may
feel like it. This is doubtless a weighty rea-
son with some. Others do not like some of
the Sons, and are unwilling to call them
brothers. Others believe that the Temper
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