Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1863-09-14
BLISS HoME, August 25th 1868.

enter luJO -LuiS S1auu pidCIiCdi, Hou- l
orable Military School, just opened, Il
to teach the important lessons of ODE l
dience to those in authoritative COM |
mand for the time being. You have
now entered the boisterous and heart- t
less word in the Military camp, to
form your character and habits, with
no guide save your console nee and feel
ing heart. And should those two
monitors become SO scared over or
dried up, as to induce you to form the
habit of intemperance, how wretched
and unspeakably miserable will it make
your mother, whose every pride and
earthly hope is centered in the well
being of her beloved son.
And though you may become SO de-
graded by intemperance and other Vi
ces as to cease to be compared only to
the brute-though you may. be led on
by intemperance to commit the most
horrible crimes, to violate the laws of
your country-yet will your mother
seek you out, pardon your faults, ad.
minister to your wants, claim you as
her erring, lost son, and seek by all
means to protect and defend you, from
your country's outraged laws and
finally, when justice shall over take
and demand your punishment, even
unto death-she will still cling to you
until Hope has taken its fight and
snapped asunder the cords of her heart,
and you will then stand forth in the
ewes of all conscientious and feeling
men as the murderer of your parents
and when you enter into eternity, you
will there find on record in the Court
of the Just, amongst your other crimes
the worst Of crimes-thou paricide en-
ter into the everlasting torments pre-
; pared for the Devil and his compaion
/. ia the bottomless pit of woe
{ Young friends this is nc imaginar
picture-nay, it has frequently occur
: ed, and is now placed on the tide c
the Mind to deter you from that gulf {
| misery which intemperance has an
] will again inevitably lead on to. BIZ
happily for you and mankind, th
Y friends of humanity have reared up
barrier-a preventative that has checl
t~h.-eh+ias wanderers to ths
q gulf of misery. Win you be checKe
IT by that barrier? Will you before yc
Q leave your fathers home, bring joy
your mothers heart by signing tt
st total abstinence pledge, to be. in tt
Cold Water Army, now nearly 1,O0(
IT 900 strong? And to nerve you (
- to that elf-ennobling and preservir
n act, | will here relate the circun
N stances of a little boy only Q years O
* who was in the habit of taking a dra1
er with his father, who was ever scarce
ut sober. This youthful drinker we
at to hear an address on temperance, al
op SO accurate were the evils of intempe
re- ance portrayed-so completely "
nd this father'spicture painted, that the
of tie fellow burst into tears; and as soon
We the address was finished he stepp
w manly forth and enrolled bis name
EN- the cold water Army. Yet the g;
ng liant lad left the congregation Will
by troubled, a sad countenance-for
Die well knew what he had done wor
Ike meet with his fathers condemnati,
is if not chastisement, but this gall
Us; lad did not shrink from his faith,
n frowns or the responsibilities he !
k assumed.
But lie went home and communica
ME the fact to his mother, who was thro
the into ecstacy Of JOY it would be use
End to attempt to depict, and had it
ght been for the trial she full we'll knew
ons, son would have to undergo in
'me morning, her cups of bliss would
have contained one drop Of bitterness
err but the morning came. and the gal
and lad entered his fathers presence
5 Of a firm, steady, yet troubled counter;
eg- the toddy was handed round,
stu with the angry countenance of
p to father staring him in the face, the
eace liant lad adhered firmly to his pie
,. The father noticing his sons re.
to drink, exclaimed with anger,
why don't you drink your toddy;
,ond ipect you have been to hear som
those accused temperance lecturer
passionate burst of tears annou
the correctness of his fathers ac'