National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1867-06-07
The Rum Traffic.

But what Il disturbing element is
rum, in all society . 1t is the Pan.
dorian box of unadulterated evil,
with hardly hope at the bottom.
No where on the green earth OF
God has it proved other than an
ummiXcd curse. There is not q re
decming fact in its history. A dark
er, more checrleSs, beaconless waste,
never stretched away before the
misguided pilgrin.--TherG'is is not Il
ray Of sunshine in ages of gloom.
The most arduous and homes.
friend of the rum traffic, cannot
point to one blessing it has confer,
red upon man since its first foot
steps cursed the earth. We have
seen the system in its palmy days,
but it was the plague in midday
strength, stalking from house to
house, It's presence whitening the
greenncss OF the happiest life and
filling the land with wailing and un-
utteiablc woe.
Commissioned by government it
has gone forth, the Angel of the
Plague, and happy for hearts and
homes, if they mourned none but
their first born. npalace or hovel
ill wealth or want, the shadow
has fallen upon man and his hopes,
the one to Siclien and die the other
to Withcr.
1t eLters society branded as an
enemy. The very power which
sends it into our villages and ham
lets, Las smitten its character. 1t
glideS over our thresholds in fetteIs,
society mocking, decking its tail
with regulating cu.ctmcnts, and
leaving its fang bar for the work
of death. and from tens of thous-
audS of retreats endorsed and pro
tected by government, the monsters
go kissing forth with the injunction
to deSolate and kill within the pros
cribed limits and according to law.
/ The thief is imprisoned and the mur-
dcrer put out OF the way but here
Is worse than Il thief or Il murderer
the subtle embodiment Of air
crime allowed to carry on its devil
iSh work under restrictions and the
effects sanctioned by legislature.
II never entered Il community
without proving II curse. Some
men have been degraded SoiEe
wife has been made to weep in an
euiSh some child has been turned
out of doors to 90 hungry for bread
some paupcr has been sent to the
almS.huusc, or fclun to dungeon
some scene Of blood and violence
has been perpetratcd, and the mad
j dCucu instrument sent To the scafl
old some family has prematurcly
found u rest III the grave and an es-
cape from woes which will evcrbeg-
gar deSci.iption.-T W. Br0Wn.
How COAL WAS Discovered IN
/ pENNSYLNANIA.--lt CHANGED one
daY that in constructing lime KIN
. Col. Geo. Shoemaker, who lived OH
the Schlyl>ill rivcE used some oil
the black stones MAT were lying
about the place. "Nlinc Got! mine
Gotl der sthoncs pc all on fire." cx-
claimed the astonished Dutchman,
when the rich glow of the ignitef
anthracite met his gaze. The neigh
borS. WHO, Of course, were few aud
far between, were, after much ado,
assembled 10 witness the marvel
This happened in 1872. Shortly af-
ter mine host loaded Il PENNSYLVANIA
team with the black stoncsand jour
ncycd slowly to Philadelphia, dis
tancc of ninety.thrcc miles. There
unforeseen difficulties were present
ed. The CRATES and stoves then IN
Use were not constructed 10 facilitate
/ the combustion of anthracite, and
/ burn II would not. After many IN
cllcctual efforts to ignitc the prod
uct il was thrown aside as worthless,
aud our discounted German, who
had bcguiled his folsom way to the
mctrol oils with dreams oi ingots,
returned to digest his disappoIht
mcnt in his mountain solitude