Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1860-01-13

! correspondent SAYS of them that they seem to
/ have had a 'shock of palsy on both sides,
and the question is significant asked, Who
shall keep the temple when the watchmen
sleep at their posts p -
Such being there's Its to which we are bro t,
the grave practical inquiry is, What shall
| be done? Shall we go to WORK at the law,
and make that more stringent? Is IL in TINS
| direction that special effort * needed The
! Committee think not. We believe Tor sub
stance, our law is all we need. In some OF
/ its details, IL doubtless might be improved
and mad more efficient; but IN all It's mai I
/ features 1t is what we n5ei, and all we need
/ la medicine and the arts alcoholic liquors
have their place and importance-the law
allows them that place, aud prohibits their
use Tor any other purpose. W peiieVe IL
/ goes far enough in It's prohibition, and none
too far In its most rigid execution II ihiringes
( upon the Just rights OF no one, but protects
and conserves them all. The execution OF the
law is put into the hands OF every c0mnunl-
ty; Urey can see it done if they will But
the difficulty is-and 1t is a wide spread one,
that they do not do it 4 timid, vdciIla-
ting tempJrzing policy is pursued, and the
law is suffered to shift for itself. The dlfti-
Guilty is in community-no human enactment
rlev must uu- it IN uperltioo Oar first IT.
ply taen. t3 ,j., inquiry, WHAT shall he done
is Be tru. % the law, aGd put it IN force
Lit its friends league themselves in its de-
fence. and. S often is il is violated bring it
with all its force upon the violator. To do it
is mercy to hlm and to community.
But shall we trust to the law to do the
whole work? Can we successfully legislate
n, or nd # oil
the vice of intemperance. With liquor free
lv sold on almost all our borders, with so
much positive opposition to the law among
our own citizens and such determined
purpose TO eyadc it and disregard it, and
with the agents and emissarie> Of the cities
entering every community and clandeStinely
dis riburi7y their ooisonous drugs,-no law
is adoquat. @, meet or arres- r." evil. 1t
has Don a.,75 impfrt,a. 1.. lining
the busiu.-s iul, tue u4r.. l.i lA king it
contrabtnd and if p ssible il should lay
more terrible hand upon the emissarias of
destruction from the cities, but we may as
well expect to fence out the birds of prey
from the State, as by legal enactments alone
to shut ont the evil @. iDtemperance.
Our second reply =, the inquiry, What
shall be done? is Kemust return to the
and personal influence. We must make
men feel the be aud wide sweeping evil
of intemperancl-nOw it fills prisons and
poor-houses-how it desolates homes and
hearts-how 1t brings ruin upon body and
soul, and wars against every sacred interest
of man and society Aud here we have been
more at fault than in the matter Of the law.
Here is our weak point We have been at
~ g. la Will Ia
whole generation has grown up utterly un-
instructed in the great principles of temper
ance, and hence young men are SO easily led
astray.
If we will arrest this evil, and turn the ter
ritle tide backward, and rescue our sons
from drunkards' lives and drunkards' graves,
we must begin where our fathers began. The
pulpit, 50 long mute, must speak again.
From the pulpit rung the first note Of alarm,
from i; should come the last. This evil lies
directly in the preachers path, warning upon
body ard soul, pulling down all he Is build
ing M. and he IS coward, or d traitor to
the truth, va5 deals leHiontly with it OF
turns aside from it. 1t is impossible 70 main
tain Q sound moral sentiment in community
on any subject, If the pulpit Is dumb upon
With the plain and r-e;-ire utterancss oI
the pulpit, We should renew associated effort.
In some form Temperance societies should be
revived. and the subject repeatedly and pub
liclv discussed in every town aud neishbor
hoo1. Tie virtue OF the pledge should be
tried again.
Wer, there an Efficient temperance organ
izatiou IN every town. not only should sc
thus exert a moral infIeHcc ana throw d
shield around the young, but We should be
terror 70 t-aus.resSo1S, ard the law would be
executed with ease.