New Oregon plaindealer. (New Oregon, Iowa) 1859-1866, 1861-03-29
WHOLE NO 80

in restoring him to lost manhood. 1t is my
duty to assist in restoring him to the CONT
dence of friends. and to position in society
When soci ty frowns upon the drunkard and
even vagabonds treat him with contempt. If
there is any thing that will strike his heart
with remorse and bring him to sense of his
lost condition, it is warm shake of the hand,
or a word Of advice kindly spoken by one
whose position in society he is bound to re-
'spect. A man that can turn coidly from
such treatment must be lost indeed; this was
the plan of the Naserine who dined among
Publcans and sinners that he might bring the
shines; net the Righteous to repentance. This
is the only plan that can save that unfortu-
nate class of our fellnw men, upon whose neck
the demon holds his foot, and who have SO
long been accustomed to yield that they can.
not eude his grasp.
We must also throw our Influence around
the moderate drinker, his influence upon the
young is far more dangerous than that of the
drunkard. The young are taught by exam
pie the example of the drunkard fills them
with lothings and disgust He is walking,
or rather staggering temperance oration.-
On the other hand, the moderate drinkcr, es-
pecial'y he who INDUCES very moderately, is
a walking embodiment of that seductive
sophistry that draws thousands Of young men
into its yortext OF ruin. Actions speak louder
than Words the actions Of the drnnkard saw
to US, the bowl is delnson; it is full of pei
son to the body, poison to the mind and poison
t, the heart:it has made man beggar, u
man &C, and a vagabond upon the earth. 1t
is full of disgrace, misery and remorse. 1t is
the instrument of death 1t destroys not only
the body, but also the immortal part Of man.
"Touch not taste not, handle not"
But the actions of the moderate drinker
speak in justification of that habit which
has never benefited a singIman but which
has ruined thousands They tell h thousand
falsetoods, they say to us little for the stona-
ach is good thing. It will make ynu proud
Cf you have song) 1t will not injure your
health: it will, not make you meaner or more
degraded; it will not influence your base pas
sions; it will not disgrace you among
your fellow men; it will not place you
in danger of being drunkard. This is the
sophistry against which we must guard the
young The moderate drinker will tell us,
that SO long as mis- course affects himself only,
it is nobody's business. answer, it is every
body's business. 1t is my business, because
NC StSCS cuCOuILSCIuCut W run AuO
rum shops are a nuisance, and an outrage
upon decent society. 1t is my Business, be-
cause his example is evil, and my children are
liable to be led astray by it. repeat It, wc
must by all means approach the moderate
drinker. We must say to him, you are con-
sinually working evil. Look at your sons;
they drive through the market place, flown
wi insOlence aud wine; or rather insolence
and bad whissey. They offend the ear of de-
ceney, and pollatc the very air with obscene
songs and vulgar revelry These are the con
sequences Of your exomple. These are the
fruits OF = course, on your part which you
consider perfectly harmless. This is the way
you are educating posterity Look again at
your sons. These are the men in whom are
concentrated the ardent and generous
hope of the future. These are the men that
are to maintain and improve the institutions
of the present day. These are the men that
are expected to 80" the seed of liberty and
universal enlighJnent to the four winds OF
Heaven, that they may spring up in the four
quarters of the earth. These are the men
that are expected to extend the true institu-
tons of america; over the wide world
These are the men that arc expected to 70.
ceiyc the grateful thanks of emancipated mil
lions; these are the men that are expected to
emancipate mankind from the night OF igno-
rance that has stranded them fsr ages
These are the men that are to lead mankind
from chains, darkness, sin and idolatry into
the glorious sunlight Of liberty, truth and
love. Yes these are the men who are to be
entrusted all the stupcndous interests of the
future, and you arc their fathers. This is
their commencement. and tremble when |
think of the end. If it be disastrous; ii it
disappoints the hopes of the present; you will
be in measure responsible, andthat respOn-
sibillty will be a burden, too heavy tor you to
bear. Quit then this course o; moderate
drinking, which is dangerous to yourselves,
and ruinOus to posterity.
Educate yeur sons for the destiny which
awaits them Educate them to meet the
great duties of the future. Teach those sir:s
OF empires yet to be, to plant the tree Of lite,
plant fair freedoms tree.
Thus we must approach the moderate
drinker, we must xhaust every argument,
we must appeal to every honorable sentiment,
and feeling. Of such u course can any one
doubt the result. Then sophistry will crum-
BILE like pyramid Of sand before the peri
odical winds of the desert But We must
not seek to conduct the young in habits OF
temperance entirely through the reform OF
moderate drinkers. We must bring our M
fluence to bear more directly upon them-
You ask where we can most etectualY ap-
proach them with this influence, answer in
the family circle. Parents must first be thor
ougnly imbeud with the necessity OF educa-
ting them in habits Of temperance, while their
minds are in embryo, while their characters
are undergoing process of formation, while
they are yet susceptible OF good impressions
from fathers admonition mothers fervent
prayers. and the gentle and restraining infin.
| esce O! sisters love.
These are more pstent than the appeals o
a hundred orators. These haunt the mem
orr of the inebriate. when all else are for
gotten. IF any indiqidual is SO sunk IN De