Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1860-10-30
PREFERRED COURTESY.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN The oc-
casIon that has called us together IS one
OF intense interest TO every human aud
generous heart. 1t Is to contribute our
AID 10 arrest one of the most fearful evils
thai preys upon the human race-to dry
up the fountain whence proceeds The
waters Of death 10 some of the most no
bic and respected of our fellows, 10 wipe
the tear Of sorrow from the paid cheeks
OF her who has so often sat cherries
beside The cold hearlh-stone uuswept and
unused except by the pauiug feet Of lit
lie ones crying for bread. The object
IS then, not so much "to promote
temperance directly" as one Of the chief
ornaments of a christian spirit, as it Is
- remove drunkenness and The lhous-
aud lis that 1t entails upon lis sufferers
ty " drying up the sources" whence il
proceeds. The object, l need not assure
YOU, Ladies and Gentlemen, IS a noble
one, well worthy Of the lirmest hard and
the warmest sympathy OF one, who bears
love 10 the members OF the human lami-
ly-or would give cheer 10 the desoIate
hearts Of unfortunate lnor;aIs. For who
can measure the extent of the evils OF
lnlemperance its bhghling power over
the prospects Of many Of our race Who
can sound the deplh Of grief in which
mortal hearts are forced 10 swim strug-
g.ug for hfel Indeed we may know
something Of lis evils by observation, the
bloaJed body burning with a self-created
ire within, reason unhirged, memory
confused, moral nature debased and tn
springs OF generous affection dried up,
all teIl something of the rum and desc
.auon of intemperanoe.
Indeed they leIi Us sJmething, but we
never can know, and may God grant that
we never shall know the horrors that
haunt the inebrlate brain or the depth 81
Tie gloom aud misery tina, Visit the hearts
of those of the druukard's family. Be-
! hold the shame and the misery and the
guill that close in about the druukari :
home with whom you each one mlgDl be
The most familiar, and then cast your
eyes over our land and consider how
many hearts are writhing in anguish, how
much moral dcsolauon drunkenness is
spreading over he hearts and minds OF
The rising generation. how many men
are worse than lost to society, a curse
and shame 10 their families, and whose
heart does not bleed, whose sympathie.
cannot move in behalf Of this class d
our unfortunate citizens. No one car
say he Is no, interested IN the removing
OF the evil, for It touches the character
and the Heart of society. But how DC
men fall victims? God does not com
pei them 10 drink and die. Fate doe:
not drive them; there IS no unavoidable
necessity that men become drunkarLs
Storm, tempest, earthquake, famine
drou,h, may come from the hand OF d.
vine providence, but drunkenness never
TINS Is an evil Of mans own creating, of
mans own afilic,:on. And yet, say not
that men with their eyes open purposeiy
rush into such an evil-that they lnleu-
,icaally take TO themselves the ignomIny
and The woe Of druukard'S life, and
the shame stamped upon his memory
after death. No. fellow citizens, no IA
uoual being willingly vicimIses hinseif.
lis very nature recolls with horror from m
such evils "as from the fowl embraces
Of the serpent" He shrinks with con-
tempt al the idea OF rushing into that
bIoated and degraded stale into which
too many that crowd our towns are fall
len. The evil has stolen the march up
on them. Il has crept over them una
weres with lis sof; and gentle touch, and
bound them in lis strong folds there TO
be crushed to death. They have teen