The Portland daily press., 1863-11-04
COMMUNICATIONS.
Adam jerks Reviewed.


your heads, oh ye 'men of all ORDERS" for Il
new light hath broken upon your tagging re-
reiorm Gird yourselves, for Il new and wise
leader hath taken up the burushes in combat
with the iiend OF the wine cup; prepare yc TO
follow him!
The apathy and stupor which have crept
over the friends of temperance have, of late
been rudely disturbed. The dry bones have
been shaken, though not, We fear, by the spr
it of life or of truth. For this most desirable
consummation we have to thank "Adan
Jenks," though for little else which his arti-
cles contain. Shoddy garments and shoddy
arguments may answer well to excite the ire
OF soldiers and sensible men, but serve a poor
purpose to clothe the naked or reform the
vicious.
Let us briefly examine the logic of this
writeg and note its legitimate sequence We
will waste no time in discussing how much or
how little has really been accomplished in the
temperance reform during the past iorty
years. A sufficient reply TO the misstatements
OF his first article may be found in the
marching down again" OF his last. We will
simply examine this new theory of dealing
with giant evil as IL is. The modified and
explained theory of "Adan" is simply this =
Rumselling and its attendant results are evils.
Moral suasion has been tried against il, and on
the whole failed. Law has been tried against
1t, and partially failed Therefore, let us throw
aside moral and legal suasion, and instead Of
these, stop using tobacco, stop reading novels,
and on all occasions teach our children that
'there is higher lie than the mere gratifica-
tion Of sensual appettew
viii you tell us, Adam, whether the popular
taste for tobacco and light literature is any
less strong than for stimulating drinks; and
did you think it any easier to secure the dis
use OF the one than of the other; or did you
forget all this preliminary work when you so
boldly Jumped out OF the frying pan into the
fire." Adam, have you ever tried your
preaching" theory upon the children OF Cor
ham Cornero Or do you propose in your
scheme to seek out from the haunts and pur-
lens OF vice the children and youth there
found and adopt them into your own refined
home; or is it that your Acadian Club is only
to embrace intelligent enlightened and ele-
waited parents and their children, and that of
these you are to rear up your generation OF
temperance men and women" while the poor,
the Ignorant, the deprayed, in word all but
the ton, are TO go on their own ways to MS
cry and destrac tion?
But let us apply the same course of reason
ing TO another of the crimes which intests
society. This writer's argument will run as
follows: Theft is an evil. Moral suasion has
been tried TO prevent theft, but has not en-
tirely succeeded. Law has been tried and
partially failed, therefore let us abiure both
peoples newspapers and admiring our neigh
bor's fine clothes, and teach our children that
1t Is low and vulgar and naughty to steal
Brilliant, isn't it? Wouldn't petty thieves.
house-breakers, burglars, pickpockets and
"wharfrats" have q jubilee? And who shall
wonder if rum-sellers land beer-venders from
him in broadcloth and fine linen, down to the
hags who preside over our vilest dens held
like rejoicings over the temperance y on
sla ofss Ia ,l-eO
In our city who read the pamby y-nambyisms
which We are reviewing, could not give to
them his hearty endorSal and while preparing
the "toddy" or "sling" for his next customer,
decantuponth the first rate temperance article in
this mornings Press?" No men in the world,
are warmer advocates of the "let us alone
doctrine OF this writer than rum-sellerS and
rebels, and from beginning to end adam has
not written single word which the meanest
beer-swlzzler in creation will not approve.
But seriously we say amen to all that this
writer has said in regard to the use of either
physical or intellectual stimulants, and of their
deleterious influence both in themselves and
In leading the way to worse vices. We heart
lily agree with all his remarks upon the neces-
sity and value of early training; but when he
says "ttis is the ray Gad the only aray,'' we
must differ. There are many other mistakes
and puerilties in what he has said, but in this
we find ''the head and front of his offending"
The truth is, the Acadian Club of Adam jerks
Will answer very well within its own limits.
ana so long as its members are TO be subject
to no other influence, but while he is raising
up one temperance man, the beer-shops of Ex-
change st. will have made hundred drunk
ards.
Eighteen hundred years have passed since
the gospel of Jesus Christ was given as the
highest revelation oftruth, and it is not vet so
old nor has it failed so often that it is thrown
aside as the most potent instrument of moral
suasion upon the perpetrators of other crimes.
and the temperance men of to-day do not be-
lieve that it is yet time for its disuse upon the
minds and hearts OF liquor dealers and their
victims. 1t is now many centuries that othe,
crimes have been prohibited, and punished by
statute law, but nobody proposes to abolish
these laws because they have not secured
cessation OF all crime; neither do temperance
men now propose to allow the repeal OF all
prohioitory law against the rum traffic, because
through their own or others remissness in its
execution, 1t has failed to crush this giant
evil. o
In another paper we purpose somewhat far
ther to elucidate this subject. W.P.
EASTERN AND WESTERN PRoMEyADEs.-
Many of our citizens whose circle OF travel is
from their residences TO the Post Office and
stores III lnab Vicinity, are not aware that there
are such pleasant views in any part of our city.
as are described by a correspondent of the
Eastport Sentinel. He says
The view from the Western Promenade is
surprisingly beautiful, especially in one OF
those calm summer days when the sun is far
down the western slope of the heavens, shed.
cling flood OF mellow light on the surround.
ing landscape and the calm clear waters oil
the bay. Portland is a peninsula nearly sur
rounded bI water This Wesfarn nromenada