The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1864-05-04
TEMpERAScE.--Rev. L. B. Potter preach


"Now the works OF the Gesh are manifest,
which are these: adultery, fornicatioa, uneieAn-
less, lasciviousnes-, iolatry wiEcbcrait, hatred.
-ariance, emulations, wrath, strife, sedi'ions,
leresies, envyings, murder, Drunkenness, revel-
ngs, and such ike Of the which l tell you be-
ore, as have told you in times past, that they
which DO SUCH things shall not inherit the king
1om of God"
The speaker called attention TO tie company IN
which druukards are placed by the text, With tn
vies, classes Of mankind. And this classification .
With actual facts When was a man /
ever known to drink himself into the society Of
the virtuous and the good: The more he crank /
the more degraded be became.
When the population of the country was To-
600, 100 it was ascertaiaed bg statistics careful
IL gathered, that 1000 drunka ia died annually
Was this TOO large al estimate: Tie proportion
of our own city would De seven deaths annually
from this cause; and had not seven persons OF
this class been buried in our cemetery the past
wear: One "A ten Of the adult male population,
or one in five over sixteen years OF age are Oh
the road TO drunkenness Are not these things 50
Are four fifth of this class teetOtaiers 10 THIS
city? The devil has twenty-six recruiting Offices
here, with an agent in each, where the wasting
ranks of intemperauce are continually replen-
ished.
The speaker proposed to speak first OF the
cause. Of incompetence, and then Of the remedies
l. The vending OF the poison was principal,
though by 10 means the only cause OF druuken-
ness. The business Of vende re is to sell al they
can, and this is done mostly for profit. They
entrap men and BOYS, and when they have drank
one glass they are lntle drunk, aud more
glasses make them more drunk, until they be
come insensible. There was gait AID wrong in
this, although he was not disposed to charge all
vendors indscriulinately with bling absolutely
the meanest or vilest OF men in their motives or
character.
2 The c'ass of men who drink tcnpela,ely
are responsible for very large share OF drunk
euness among Us. They are very large class,
aud are the preparatory one for the sOts, as they
furnish all the recruits for the army Of the drunk
aids They do more injury 10 the community,
aud are more guilty than any other clsss of men.
Respectable, they drink aud show 10 immedi
ate signs OF any wrong consequences, aud there
BY seduce the boys TO take the fist steps, aud
join their class. The speaker argued that thi-
class had no moral right 10 drink, it their neigh
bore We're tempted to evil and damaged thereby
2. The domestic and social use OF home made
wines aud beverages, was another cause OF IN
temperance. There are many different kinds
aud il is popular to make them, and parents sip
and Chi dren sip, aud friends zip, and hnd then
pleasant, aud these dsi. ks prepare the way ioi
Others Il is as mall seed, but vast amount Q
fruit grows from it.
4. Ladies' often help others on in the intiatorl
steps of drunkenness. Everybody knows this
They countenance winedrinking socially, wheI
they have it in their power TO do much to rem
der tipping discreditabe and unpopular. Ladie
have reclaimed some, and they have rune'
some They are responsible for the Influence the,
exert.
5. Parentsare not sufficiently careful to instruc
their children on the subject while they are quit
young
;Pai.cisns e-art an Influence in favor O
7. The discussion Of temperance on Its mora
grounds has been made secondary 20 the ques
tOn of legal suppression. We have Il right t,
legal remedies, but they arc useless without tn
moral power which will cause them to be execu
ted. We cannot go beyond the moral sense Q
the munity.
s. People expect too much Of temperance as
sociations, ike the Sons Of Temperance and Goo
Tempers. They accomplish good, and help tn
cause, but they cannot be relied on as, in them
selves a remedy for whole community.
The speaker then referred to the remedie
which might be used, and in regard to the com
mon assertion that the grace OF God is the onl
sure and certain remedy, he said he believed it L
be true. But grace comes by faith, aud faith with
out works is dead He who relies on the grac
of God, aud at the game time abstans from a
that can intoxicate, will find therein sure RENE
dy. Uittout that abstinence, the grace of Go
mihgt be found an unsafe dependence.
l. The law against vendors should be enforced
TIE % sellers in this city paid 5000 last yea
for what are called e. s licenses: but tl.,>e ~er'
no licenses in reality, and the State law ght b
enforced and should be.
,. Temperate drinkers should be held 20
closer responsibility.
3. The manufacture and use of domestic wine
should be stopped.
| g. Ladies' must take a mart in this work Tho,
are able 10 do much towards discountenancinl
the evil.
3. Parents must take more pains to teach tbei
children on this subject.
6. Temperance should be carried into polite.
10 proper and judiciOus manner. This Was tC
be DONE not by destroying the old parties, OF
making new ones, but by using the balance o.
power temperance men possessed for the cleo
ton of friends Of temperance, who would en-
force the laws. When politicians found that in.
temperate men put in nomination we're always
defeated, and the friends OF temperance Away,
elected, they would be sure to nominate candi.
dates who could be elected.
7. Temperance societies may do something
but the great reliance must be placed upon a
popular movement in behalf OF the cause. The
statistics of drunkenness are appalling. Four
ff'hs of all the pauperism, fvesixths of all the
crimes, three-quarters Of all the criminal expen-
ses are from this source. How is il at our own
doors? Are not boys into1icateds Are not
men and boys carried bone drunk? Are not