Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1858-09-08
TT is a Failure"

1T is a Failure" It
At no time during the fifteen years of our me
Give identity with the Temperance reform, bu
ave we known SO many of ITS friends to look glc
N despairingly, and pronounce the reform tn
"a failure" as at the present time. The SUI in
oneness and declension in interest of its pro- ri
;essed friends, together with the alarming IN ur
crease of intemperance in the land, have q
caused many, in looking over the desolated CT
fields which but a few years seemed ripenlng n
for the harvest, to conclude-'the Philistines Il
are upon us and will possess the land it IS o
therefore useless longer to resist the terrible a
power of the whiskey demon" s
Now. zoe confess to sanguineness in the ul- Z
innate triumph of temperance principles
ofor the mouth of the Lord hath spoken" the
overthrow of all iniquity. We believe that
the day-star Of temperance will again appear
above the horizon, and shed light, and hope,
and ioy upon our liquor cursed world. But
we are free to acknowledge that at the pres
emit time, the facts-the actual state OF things
present a most gloomy aspect. The dark
nall of drunkenness covers with disgrace
many of our cherished hopes and brightest
anticipations for deliverance from its fell pow
er. At no time, perhaps, for the last twenty
wears, has public drinking and debauchery
presented so bold and daring a front as IN
this year of grace, 1858. For a time, Wehad
driven them in a great measure to their Sc
cret hiding ~places-behind the screens OF
drinking houses, and into the cellars and OBJ
scure places of our towns and villages, and
- IN OUT Most public horoughfares, and
many of our most prominent men, and even
church membFs, think it Dot disreputable to
be seen visiting them. Public opinion seems
to be JaUor064 to drinking customs to-day
And what the fruit which this corrupt
: state of pubic opinion is yielding? Our
young men am old men are falling around us
some by tie poison administered by the
liquor vender4some by the hand of violence
nerved for the Deed by the conscience-searing
: cup-some by The hand of the assassin fo1
the sake of morey with which to still CRAFTY
his hell-infiamd thirst-every where, and by
all sorts of dev1ish agencies, the work of DIES
o~lation and deah surrounds us, and there are
few to cry against these things and call fol-
: popular ~vengeaace to destroy them. TIL,
father seems to submit, as though it were
matter-of-course, that his sons are to becom,
drunkards-drunken husbands and father
pollute the land and degrade and debase thei
families, and little is said, as though it il
something that is $50 to be-" Verify, tn
condition Of things is appalling!
) But, Notwithstanding the darkness of tn
picture which truth and candor compel us t
draw, shall we, the remnant of a once-power
full host, desert the field of action and Civ
up all that WE hold most dear on earth, AM
; our hope of felicity hereafter? Shall we ig
nobly permit our great arch enemy, agains
whom we have waged so many hard-fough
: battles, to trample US in the dust, and with
outan effort at resistance suffer him to crus
; and disgrace us! In the name of patriotism
humanity and religion, we say no !-and lie
: the echo swell till, from one extreme of on
, country to the other, it roll in thunder tone
-No-NOEbyfhe -elp of the God of ba
ties we viii never surrender!
Because our righteous hopes end aspir,
tons have been Observation-Disclosures wicl
edness in high places and in low places ha1
! trampled down and destroyed the good see
we had sown, and from which we expected
n rich crop of peace and good will to men" y
Q because the devil has gained a temporar
: triumph, shall we bow our necks and tamel
K submit to his CALLING letters Such was n,
q the spirit that actuated our fathers in IL
f. satanic majesty may call us .'cold water +
'e natics," and heap o~pprobrious and unpatric
, ic epithets upon us, but so did Great Britain
. in our infant struggles for freedom from B,
It fish tyranny. Then, we were rebels .soe
Gus traitors and the name of the great ar
good Washington was tainted with frank +
bellion." Our Franklin was arraignedb efo
the House of Commons, ito answer the sill
: questions of a pampered aristocracy." al
t, King George thought hanging too good f
e SamI. Adams and John Hancock; but we b.
= the right blood in us-we had a brave, cou
: ageous leader, and under God, we broueI
le our proud enemy to our feet and gave him
y good thrashing for his impertinence. I
was made to feel the power of our vict
+ rious arms once agan-and now, instead
looking upOn US with scorn and contempt,