Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1865-06-28

to the very dfegs the cup of sorrow and
suffering lie had seen the n0blest oi
Gods creatures fall beneath the curse
he had seer hearts broken houses render
ed desolate wives worse than widowed
an children worse than orphaned He
had seem misery and anguish in all their
forms; he had seen vice and crime in all
stages, resulting from rum drinking; and
yet he lad never seen one good result
from it we had heard Alfred HAYNES
preach some eloquent sermons but ws
had heard nothing like that before. His
+ picture of the druukatd's home was. ter
rible almost beyond description; when he
drew a picture of the home of the re
deemed where peace and Joy once more
prevailed, more than half Of the audience
were in tears He osed by producing
to total abstinence pledge, and inviting
/ those who felt so inclined to come forward
and sign it.
BY the Lord Harry cried Tim san
ders, starting to his feet, III try for it, if
| irot
And Timothy Sanders with bloated face
and ragged clothes. marched stoutly to the
char eel and scrawled his name upon the
pledge.
By, uttered George Everett, using
an expletive in the heat of the moment
which was hardly proper for the church,
if Tim can stand it guess | can. What
say, Molly, shall sign it?
And the woman who sat by her side,
with tears and sobs, quickly answered
o, sign it George Sign it, and God will
bless you alwaysi
And very soon the name of George
Everett was recorded upon the magic pa
per
Away in a far corner of the church
poor Alice Fisher had wound her arms
abou6 her husbands neck, and when he
finally broke from her embrace he walked
to the chanccI as straight as his palsied
limbs would permit, and added his name
to the list
Others signed but these three were
saved oncs-they were the brands snatch
Ell from the consuming FIRE of the taverns
i the congregation dispersed some shook
their heads, and sagely prophesied that
Parson Haynes stay in Bytowa would be
very short
The following morning, bright and
early, Mr. Haynes was at work. He called
upon Tim Sanders, and upon George Ev-
erett, and upon Alonzo Fisher; and when
he had made himse acquainted with the
needs Of their families, he went among
his friends, who were able, and enlisted
them in the work of aiding and saving the
unfortunate ones
On the,ncxt Sabbath evening the Parson
delivered another Temperance address,
and This time he made arrangements for
the organizing cf regular Temperance
Society. One week later Timothy Sanders
and Alonzo Fisher addressed the meeting;
and so effective were their simple stories
of trial and sutTering-of suffering to
themselves and families of pitiIess want
and ke nest arony-and so glorious were
their songs Of thanksgiving ard praise in
view Of their redemption, that a large
number of those who had been their com
panions in vice, came up and signed the
P edge determined to try the Better
Way.
The society was organized, and George
+ Z erett xas chosen president; and at the
second meeting thereof there were found
to be over two hundred names urou the
Pledge between twenty and thirty of
whom had been p'uckei from the Gehen
/ ma fire. Alfred HAYNES worked night and
dav. determined that Bytown should be
rerenerated, and that the suffering ones
should be saved to peace and prosperity; (;
and { wonderful success attended his la
Lors. He visited the haunts of poverty
and vice; he preached to the fallen ones
in their homes Of sorrow; he spoke words
or cheer and comfort, and he took the
wanderers by the hand and kindly, gently
+ led them up into ths Better Way.
But there was other commotion in
Bvtown than that Of reformation. Ben
Foxton, the keeper Of the tavern, raved
.
have vengeance. Some of his most profit
ahle customers had been stol n away from
him; and he saw plainly that if the Par
son continued his labors without tagging
in zeal, his bar would cease to be source
of profit He shook his ist savagely,
and swore that he would put a stop to it
Aud Foxton was not alone Luke Aid
wake. and Simon Lamsdell, and Peter
/ Savage. Joined in the opposition They
kept the three stores in the village, and
we're retailers Of rum; and, moreover
they three had been the highest taxpayer:
in our society A parish meeting wa;
called. and Luke Aldwake and Simor
f Ramsdell, aud Peter Savage announced
[ that ghey should never pay another penn.
= towards the support of Parson HAYNES
Tim Sanders arose and said that be woulC
= make up IN full all that might be lost tt
the society by the withdrawai of Lux,