Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1867-05-30
GEN. wEIRs LECTURE.
synopsis OF Lecture, delivered before
the Temperance Association OF 81.
C1atrsville, by Gen. James Weir.

Clairsville, by Gen. james Weir.
When came to reside in this nlace
some forty odd years ago, found femal
society, old and young, married and sin
gle, to be of the highest responsibility
l have watched its progress, and an
happy to say that it still carries with i
the same high moral worth and respecta
bliity. Az that early period we had bu
one drunken young man of any note II
this place. But 1t is in sorrow have {.
say it, we number our drunken youn,
men and boys now by the DOZEN Thi
results from the facilities afforded b,
your doggeries to boys of all ayes to oh
I tain poisoned whisky. Thirty year
ago you had your temperance societies
ana they all proved failures, simpl,
Though the weakness OF our penal laws
Then 1t does seem to me that the grea
OBJECT and business of temperance organ
1zations should be to so shape publj,
opinion as to bring high moral infiu
ence to bear upon the legislative action
OF all the States, in regard to an evil SC
demoralizing and destructive of human
life. But in all your movements YOU
must be careful to avoid q partizan war.
fare on the one side, and fanaticsm on
the other. If you enter the arena OF
political strife, you will divide and fall .
and on the other hand,
"You may rouse the tiger Of Hircanian desert
Strive with the half-starved lion for his prey:
Fires of wild fanaticsm."
There are two classes of persons, mi
nors and habitual drunkards, who need
the Kind protection. of your laws; and
there are two classes of scoundrelism
that ought to be dealt with by stern
and infeXible severity.
1st. The man who adult crates spirit-
Gus liquors with poisonous drugs-and
secondly, the man who sells such liquors
either to minors or drunkards. One of
the agents employed in such adultera-
tions is strychnine, and one of the pro-
perties of which is, that one "drink -
of such adulterated liquor creates an in
ordinate thirst for another, and SO on
until the unfortunate drinkers lose all
self-control, and will trample over tho
hearts and hopes of kind parents, wives
and children for another "drink. ~
The effects of such poisoned drinks are
to discolor the membrane lining the
stomach and covering the brain, an en-
largement of the minute blood vessels.
detl'3unl tren1e,1s, and death. The NOR
al turpitude of such adult erations carries
with 1T the chief element of murder, that
of malice, heart regardless of social
duty-regardless of the happy state and
condition of man. The man who steals
a horse worth only five dollars goes to
the Penitentiary. On the other hand
man distributes poisoned whisky, to
the utter ruin of thousands of men.
Which is the greater crime? Now look
at your saloon keepers, who retail their
POISONOUS whisky to your boys and
to drunkards. We have seen them strip
the drunkard of the last COW of o starry
ing family. But, in this localityyou can
form no conception of the vast sum of
human suffering and want from drunk
enness in the United States. Go to Your
cities and large towns-there YOU NAV
ind hundreds of thousands in novels,
damp cellars, and cold garrets, naked,
dying, and dead wives and
children, unheeded, and sometimes un-
buried.
If a man pass one dollar counterfeit
dill knowingly, he goes to the Peni-
jentiary. On the other hand the saloon |
keeper makes a drunkard of a young |
nan OF promise and ruins him forever
Which is the greater crime? But, to !
make the point still stronger; let il be |
rue that you have two sons, that one of |
hem is shot down a corpse in the inno-
'ency of youth, by some one in fit of
may say as David said, "I
hall go to him, but he shall not return
o me-" And agreeably to your Christian
heolOgy your mind will dwell upon that
Meeting as the brightest spot in memo
US waste. Then let it be supposed that
he retailer of his poisonous whisky has
ed on your other son to the last stage of
When an English noble
nan was dying and speechless, the King
,egged of him, If he had any hope in
he future to make sign" He paused
or a moment, and then exclaimed, so
fod! He dies without sign.n Your
OH sinks into
"That night, to you of deepest sorrow.
That night to him, that knows no morrow"
He dies insane, "without sign" and
our grey hairs are brought down with
nrrow to the grave. Which is the black
r crime?
Let the poor habitual drunkard totter
n down to- that inevitable hour which
waits us all, and it will in that hour be
20 late for him to do justice and make
estoration to his injured family. And
then comes remorse with all its vipers,
Mingled with vain regrets for the past,
nd despair for the future; and, when
II other impulses have ceased, he be-
omes like the fiends of hell who may
'el remorse, but never repentance. u !
HeH leu proceeding arm OF your laws I
3 thrown around him, give him an af-
'rnoon in which to feed, cothe, and
lucate his children, and to wipe the :
lush of shame from their faces, and to !
~ up the tears and mitigate the anguish
a deeply wronged wife. Give him an
yening of calm in which to repent, and !
ace him in the situation of the benight- :
traveller, when the moon slips from .
hind a dark cloud and discloses a fear
| precipice to which he is rapidly ap- .
in time to turn and be saved. 1
Ladies, 1t is on your account that am q
re tonight. You will ever have =
sitive influence over the habits of
ung men-let them know that YOU
III not unite your destiny with tfp- is
er. Choose the grave in preference s,
,u cannot trust in his promises. In V
IS than month he will violate his a
arriage vow. An abiding confidence II
his integrity, truth, and honor, is the N
ck that underlies all your love, and all a
ur best hopes in life. Let that conf Il
nee fade away, and love and hopes are h
ne, f3s!t t." -ia .,e Il
Like leaf on the stream that will never n
return" l.r. MS r.If -t h. al
What will all this green earth be to b,
u then? What if your groves be reso- al
mt with the songs of the wild birds on &C
3 wind, and your hills and plains be 'cl
lolent Of flowers, and even if ,1i u,
"For thee Idumea's spice shall blow"