Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1864-12-21
Whiskey.

; Messrs. Editors:- propose to write
a short temperance lecture, and for
the purpose OF attracting attention,
have deemed it expedient to head If
with something the reverse of what
my subject is, forl have been painfully
reminded, on several occasions, lately,
, that in this community, at least, there
is little in the name, Temperance. to
q draw a crowd; whilst we all know
the powe- of phiskey in that line;
hence my choice.
Now in proof of the assertion tina.
temperance will not "draw," / refer
the reader 10 the fact, that in our
town, not longsince, it was announced
in, perhaps every pulpit, that a gentle
man, coming well recommended,
would deliver a temperance lecture in
q certain hall, on the next evening
Well, the evening arrived, and TO
be certain of getting a seat, l went
early, for I knew the lecture had been
thoroughly advertised, and from the
favorable manner in which the lectur.
er was mentioned, it was but reason
able TO expect the ball would be crowd
y ed. 1ly
had picturedin my mind the front
seats, occupied by the SIX or seven
elergymen who had only the day pre-.
yious, announced the lecture, and
urged their congregation to attend.
Next, were supposed to be the men,
bers of their respective iocks. which
would have pretty well filed the
large room.
Editors, or reporters, too, | prcsum.
ed would be there, to publish, for the
benefit of those who Were unable tc
get into the hall, the nice points o.
the lecture on so important q subject
But Alas /! for the frailty of human
e%alculationsl On entering the hall
not a minister was there, and of the
whole seven churches in the town.
only two, / believe, were represented
One of those by one ! member, and the
other by or eighth The re-
porteris table, too, was empty.
Parents were not there, and conse-
quently children were not there. In
deed, l may say, nobody was there,
the gentleman did not deem it worth
while to deliver bis lecture.
Again, only last week, there was a
proposition TO introduce to the citi-
Cons, n of the rarest specimens of
animate nature, a reformed drunkard,"
but the exhibition was coupled with
that seemingly repulsive word, tenn
perance, and consequently, very few
took the trouble to turn out, thereby
missing quite an intellectual treat.
The lecturer was a good deIiueator
of character, and few could show the
Stiffness and folly of the in~ebriate, bet
ter than be, and his lecture had many
passages OF real ~eloquence, and should,
and nigh: have resuI ed in great good
If tie people had heard it.
r But the spirit of reform, in this d.
~rectiou, seems TO have died out with
us, the people seem careless and un-
eppcerned; the church, that mighty
power for good, avoids a contact with
the blighdng curse of intemperance,
as though fearful of soiling its gar
ments thereby. Week after week,
are evils of a tenth part of its mag
nithde, dwelt upon in the pulpit,
whilst this monster evil, that is di.
rectly, or indirectly, silently working
its accursed presence into nearly ev-
cry family in the land, is passed by as
though there was no such thing.
Parents whoso sons spend their
evenings in the drinking holes oftown,
shut their eyes to the fact, and trust
something, know not what, for it is
evidently not their own exertions
and influences, to a v their boys.
The children r sadly neglected in
this respect. Instead of finding them
in schools, through the week, and in
their classes in the sunday schools,
preparing for the responsible duties of
manhood, We fDd them on the streets,