Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1863-03-23
It is Time it were Arrested.

Dis country should make a great eifort 70 eX
terminate the evils of intemperance. 1t was
high time this was lone when the first drum
kard entered eternity to receive The award
OF Him v no has d~eclared that no d.unksrd
shall enter the kingdom of God. The de
mand for this effort has been growing IN the
peremptory tone fits cah, as " the overflow
ing scourge" has passed With constantly ex-
tending sweep through the land But 2
strange apathy has prevailed among us. AS
if the whole nation had been drinking the cup
OF delasion, we saw the enemy coming m like
a flood, and We lifted up scarcely a straw
against him. As if the iaaglcians OF Egypt
had prevailed over US by their entertainments,
We beheld U waters of refreshlnent turned
into blood, and a destroying sword passing
through till ''there was a great cry" in the
land, for there was scarcely Va house where
there was not one dead; and still our hearts
ere hardened, and we would not let go the
! great sin for which these plaques were
brought upon us. 1t seems as if some foul
demon had taken his seat upon the breast of
the nation, and was holding US down with
the dead weight of a horrid nightmare, while
he laughed at our calamity and Knocked at our
fear-when our fear came as desolation, and
our destruction as a whirlwind.
Shall this state continue? Is not the
desolation advancing +? Have not facilities
OF intemperance, temptations to intemper-
ance, examples to sanction intemperance,
been fast Increasing ever since this war
tegsn : Without som ~effectual effort, is
It not certain they will continue to increase,
TIL incorporate men and their abettors will
form the public opinion, and consequently
the public conscience and the public law of
this land-tin intemperance shall become,
like leviathan of old, liking over all the
children of PRIDE" whose breath kindleth
Goals, ami a fame goeth out Of his mouth?
Then what will effort Of man avail :? tCanst
thou draw out leyiathan with 4 hook ? lis
neart Is as firm as a stone ; yea, as hard as a
piece of the neither milestone. He drinketh
up a river, and hasteth not. When he rails
eth up himself, the mighty are afraid"
We therefore call upon every one to come
to the work of deliverance. 1t is demanded
oy the common sense, and urged by the COM
non interest Every feeling of humanity,
every high principle of patriotism, every con.
sideration of religion, demands that this
great enemy of mankind should be driven
from the land. Who will hold back
Extract of a letterto the Editor
| cheerfully pay the advance on subscrip.
ton, as | know the high price of everything
makes it necessary, and if there is a paner
in the Southern Confederacy worth the mon.
ey' 1t is the Spirit of the Age this | say
without fattery. And the friends of Tenn
perance must sustain this Organ or the prin-
ciples which We advocate must suffer. Since
a visit to the army l am hore than ever con.
vinced of the necessity of a more vigorous
effort to suppress the evil of intemperance-
saw young men who were once sober
Jealous temperance men, now hankerine af.
ter tins accursed thing. l am glad to know.
that there are many others who are still firm
in their temperance principles. A friend Of
mine in the 18th Regiment, with others ;s
making an effort to get up a temperance
society of some kind, and they have hope of
success. In this way many of our young
men may be saved from lntemperance and
return home at the close of this war "a ho
a comfort to their friends, instead Of q dc
grace. Ii there ever was a time when tenn
perance men should be active and eneroet;c
now is the time. e'
Jacobs Fork Division is Still HOLDING ;ts
regular meetings !; at our last meet;ng wa
had the pleasure of Initiating two yo,,ns
men. Thus lille our number is dim;n;sbaS
by our members going into the arnv. we
are occasionly gathering strength from those
who are not subject to enrolment. assnra
you Jacobs Fork Division will be the last II
lay down her w~eaponsfn this stynoole for
freedom from king Alcohol.
Fraternally yours, II. F. r
We are glad to hear that at least one III.
vision in North Carolina is bearing aloft the
proud Banner of our noble Order, and that
she is encouraged by the reception of new
recruits, also. But are there othersr We
never hear from them, if there are. We
know there are a few more still !" striving for
the mastery over the enemy" but they never
write a word to the temperance ,.aper. as
they once did, of their success and of their
high resolves. And we also know that many
others have given over the conhict-closed
their Division rooms-who had they possess
/ ed the same shirt of .tIacoh,c Eor,. ~