Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1866-01-24
A Temperance Revival.


worthy of the attention Of the true N
friends Of the country at the present CT
time than the temperance cause. For fl
several years it has been greatly neg n
lect9d, and with most injurious results. l
Public attention has been so almost d
exclusively absorbed in the war, and a
public effort so largely devoted to the V
great work Of crushing the rebellion, Fl
that this cause. in common with many Q
others, has been sadly neglected. 1t |
was natural that the duty of saving the '
country should seem to take the pre- |
cedence of all others, even to the com /
plete ignoring Of them. But now that !
the country has been saved from trea-
son and rebellion, it needs to be saved ;
the second time, from the evils Of in {
temperance.
For the condition Of the country "a
respects temperance is great deal
worse than it was when the war be
Gun. While men have slept, the enc
my has been sowing tarcs, and that In
no scanty measure, but with a most
msparing hand. In fact, while the
war was in progress, the country was |
in less danger from rebellion than from
incompetence. Battle after battle was
lost to the Uniou through the incOm-
potency of officers who were incompe
tent only because they were drunk
Thousands upon thousands Of Union
soldiers were ordered by drunken
commanders into positions where they
were slaughtered like sheep, with no
possibility Of doing any good by the
sacrifice of their lives. 1t is no small
proportion Of the deaths, sufcrings,
and sorrows of the four years Of war,
that ought to be charged to intemper-
ance. 1t can hardly be doubted that
if there had been no drunkenness in
the Union army, the war could and
: would have been shortened by sever
" al months.
But not in the army alone, has in
II temperance been working special mis-
y chief during these years Of inactivity.
=! The pblicu mind being turned away
q from the subject Of temperance, public
II sentiment has become debauchcd to al
Ii alarming d egree. The discredit
= which formerly attached to the use o
intoxicating liquors, and which pre-
II vented men who respected thcmseNe:
or desired the respect of others, from
. public drinking, has so far ceased t,
~ be operative that even in the cars We
" see men, and sometimes women, drink
III inc whiskey. brandy, or other iquoI
81 apparently in entire unconsciou5nes
IT, that they were disgracing themSelve
III and insulting their fellow passengers
> Into many households too. from whic
"a every thing intoxicating was formcrl
IL banished, the insidious enemy ha
g. again gained admittance, sometime
III only in the form Of cider or wine bu
q none the less insidious nor less dar
" gerous on that account. Even Chris
=" ians, and sometimes ministers, tell
III not in Gath have learned to "Iook u
~ on the wine when it is red, when
LIS giveth its color in the cup, when
Il moveth itself Alright"
"y In the debauched state Of publ
Il" sentiment and public practice is the
81 not reasonable cause of alarm? Is
= not high time that there should be
i0' temperance revival? Is there ne
= need that the real friend Of tempe
us ance should begin once more at ii
'S' beginning of the work, and "buil
i0i again the house that was buided thes
90 many wears ago." The evil that hi
'"7 come upon the country in this regar
'" has come by neglect; it can only |
removed by diligence, zeal. and pers
If verence. While the press, the puipi
-o and the rOstrum have been to ore;
ri degree silent on the subject Of tempe
n ance, the public mind has been uni
,o4 formed or misinformed as to the re-
Of evils that result from the use Of ale
ro holic beverages. The injurious, ma
80 murderous effect, Of alcohol on Il
90 body, the mind and the soul must |
I'D known. The drunkard must be mac
a., to see that he rs committing slo
- suicide, and must be kindly and ca
-, nestly entreated to abandon his rui
h. Gus haLits. The moderate drink,
ob must be reasoned with, and convince
'bo that so far as example is concernt
l. his influence is more mischievOus tina
of that of the drunkard The your
., must be taught that their only salet
no lies in the early pledging Of themsclyC
no to total abstinence from all that ca
nd intoXicate. The potent influence
rst woman must again be enlisted in tn
# good cause sermons must be preac
~ ed, lectures be delivered, documen
mo must be circulated, and by all pos,
mo- bic means puclic attention must
at aroused, and u new and powerful ii
petus be given to the cause Of tempe
ance.