Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1865-12-15
Of Crime-Temperance
Revival.


TO the enormity of a vice,or to induce me
to take steps for its extirpation, until
becomes so huge an evil as to be un
bearable. Thus it was with slavery. TIL
North connived at it, and even defende,
il until it had grown so monstrous and s.
aggressive as to attempt the subversiol
OF the entire North-of the white as vel
as the black. Then the whole countr'
rose up and pronounced its doom of death
and through four years OF agony ant
bloody strife proceeded to execute il
Thus also it is with the sin of drunken
ness, For more than a quarter of cen
tury there has been going on strife be
tween temperance and intemperance
which has not vet terminated, and which
has never resulted decisively to either
side. During the war, drunkenness hal
increased fearfully, and there has beer
at home and in the army a general letting
down Of the moral sentiment in reference
to this evil. Now and then an abortive
remonstrance, or feeble lamentation has
been uttered from the press and the pul.
pit-bnt as general thing the demon oil
intemperance has held high carnival in
both military and civil life. ts.-ts
The war has ended, and now we begin
to realize what the greatly and generally
increased habit o. drinking has done for
US. We have been sowing to the wind,
and as we have commenced reaping the
whirlwind, we are taken all aback, and
wonder what it means. Scarcely paper
comes to us from any part of the country,
whether published in cities or villages,
that does not horrify its readers with
startling accounts, murders, robberies and
other outrages on persons and property.
In almost every instance that has come
under our observation, those villianies
are directly traceable to drunkenness.
The close of the war has let loose upon
society great many desperadoes, who
were the pests Of the regiments with
which they had been connected, and whoI
with the bounty-jumpers, vagabonds and
roughs OF our cities, are revealing in lust
and blood, outrage and robbery. Bad,
'eckless and desperate men, their vilest
passions are infamed with liquor, and
drunkenness is an almost invariable ac-
assory to every crime which is cbroni- I
led. We seem to be in the midst of
arrival of crime--"a scarlet era" whose
ause and remedy challenge the attention a
t the moralist, and lover of law and t
rGer. t.,. C
AT last the community is aroused, and Il
ON various directions we perceive that Il
lere is to be general mastering Of the r
'rces OF temperance, to do battle With g
lis increase of crime and its cause. We v
re on the eve of temperance revival. a
he Convention at Saratoga, is an omen tt
'r great good. That Convention will be t
lit throughout the country. 1t W Is
cid at the right place. 1t convened |
'here the sin of drunkenness abounds. t
nd " bearded the lion in his den." The |
was made up of some of the t
men in the country. 1t went Z
0 the very root of the evil, condemned c
be use of Intoxicating wines at the com. t
nunion table, and as a medicine, and dis 8
the use OF home. made |
vines, bitters, and beer, inculcated the
ormation Of juvenile associations and
publications, called on the pulpit and the
'ress to aid in the reformation, and went I
trong for legal prohibition of the traffic c
n liquors as the only effectual method of 9
it. Reconsecrated to the work
be three hundred and fifty delegates t
eturning to their homes, to labor with '
enewed courage and faith for the over Il
brow of this great evil. t
There is need of temperance revival. q
All lovers of the race, and of virtue and
obriety, all teachers, clergym~- al
ors, should awake ~ On and edi-
esolatlnS ~ the extent of this
Q scourge. Nowhere is there
greater need of a temperance reform
than in the West. The prominent part
played by whisky in the criminal annals
of the West should lead 10 merciless
war of extirpation on the prolific source
OF so much wrong doing. Saloons and
groggeries, to say nothing of The elegant
restaurants, and genteel tipling places,
aboundin every city, and town, und vii
lage, and the evil work they perform is
visible in the staggering, bloated forms of
men and women, that one cannot avoid,
for they are in the halls of legislation, on
the railroads, in the hotels, on the street,
in the places Of business and amusement
everywhere. Shall we not awake to
our duty in this matter, and rise and