Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1863-03-09
Promoting Temperance.

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circulation of Temperance reading among
the people. And YET, strange to say, there
are many men who profess great zeal for the
cause, and SAY they dsplore so much that
the Divisions all orer the country have been
necessitated to suspend operations owing to
their membership being almost entirely in
the army-we say, strange to say. many of
such as these do not contribute a dollar to-
wards keeping up a paper, one great object
OF which IS to keep alive q temperance SEN
f'inent in the land, around which the friends
o. tue cause may rally and again build up
our benefcient Order.
They profess to be very anxious that the
meetings of the G:anl Division should be
held:-they declare that unless We have the
Order of the Sons of Temperance to fall
PACK upon when 8 wars dread din shall be
hushed,' we shall be ruined; and that the
principle OF Temperance must be kept before
the people. They pdmit that the Press is
the very medium BY which this thing can be
done-and yet when you come to look for
their names among the subscribers to the
onty Temperance paper in the State and in
the entire South, lof they are net tAere!l
They can pay ten and twelve dollars a
year for a daily O. five or three dollars for a
political paper-but when it comes to paying
two dollars for a weekly Temperance paper,
their enthusiasm and interest for the cause
oozes out, and they don't do st-that's the
fact.
In looking over the proceedings Of the
Grand Division of this State Tor several wears
past, we find a score or more of P. G. w.
P.'s and P G. W. As, who are still living
IN North Carolina, and yet there are but three
ofthe former and two of the latter, whom the
order has exalted to the highest places in its
gilt, whose names are to be found on the
subscription list of the Temperance paperi-
viz: Z. G. W. P's Sterling, Foard and Cum
inings, and G. W. AS Robert and Jas. Sloan.
Again; we look at the lists of other OFF,
GERS and Representatives Of the Grand Divis-
lon, and we find one P. G. Chaplain (Aber-
nethy) and about one in a hundred of he
members OF the G. D. on the Temperance
paper's book
NOW the question very natural y arises.
what has become of these dignitaries and
these worthy brethren? Are they dead
gone into the army-or deserted to the enc.
my, old Alcohol? No-neither Of these
They are alive, at home. and dan,t dr;nL
nqooi affarf07tt Sttgesso zo4,5pOs rr1s
30 OF hundreds. of mem bers of S,,hord;nata
DIVISIONS who are at home-they don't take
the Temperance paper.
And yet, now and then. one of these mis-.
SAINT friends chances by accident to see .
copy of the Spirit Of the Age. and after f,et
reading its well-flled columns of imnor,ant
and interesting neaos, hastily glances (more
truly s62ps) over the excellent Temperance
reading it contains, and expresses his regret
that the Editor does not give more 7e,,.,e,.or..
reading!
Away with this hypecr5ticaz, Judas like
affectation of love for the cause, We arc
disguised with it. There is no sincerity -
it. If they truly loved the cause and wished
to promote a Temperance sentiment IN CON
nunity, they would not only pay for the pa-
per themselves, but would do all they could to
induce Others to do likewise. There are a
lew Temperance friends who still con,in,o
to labor for the circulation of the paper and
thus to maintain a temperance sentiment in
the land. But how few
But thanks to an enlightened public and
especially to the Jair uomen of the land. we
nave been enabled to keep the good old shin
above the turbulent waters, despite the neg
leet of those of whom we had a right to ax-
.pect an unhinching support. And thopob
we Shall publish such a paper as is most con-
genial to.the tastes and wishes of the large
majority of our five. thousand subscribers
yet we will not forget. nor neglect the ore.t
cause Of Temperance, although the great
majority of its ayowed adherents seem to
have forgotten, and certainly have neglected
us, On account of this neglect, we might
have been justified in ignoring this subject
which makes the paper obnoxious in tba
eyes of many, and thereby have Increased
its circulation hundreds and perhaps thou
sands. But we would not. While we live
we intend TO promulgate the pure principles
of Temperance, altho' the large. majority of
Yf, fr1pAflr ~ n c0 + - r4~-l
We will see If this exllorta.ion will ava.