The Portland daily press., 1869-04-23
Cumberland Comfy Temperate Associa'


The Association met in the Seminary Chap
ell, Westbrook, yesterday afternoon, at IL
o'clock, Mr.. E. H. Starbird, President Of the
Society, in the chair. The meeting was very
well attended by the Seminary pupils, and
quite a number of gentlemen interested in the
temperance question. The afternoon exer-
cises opened with singing by the Seminary
choir followed by prayer by Rev. Mr. Record,
of Westbrook.
The meeting was first addressed by Hon.
Seth Scammon, President of the Maine State
Agricultural Society. Mr.. Scammon said that
he found his audience composed largely of
youth. both male and female, to whom the flu
ture was opening. Their plans of life were to
be made and they should make temperance
their foundation stone. That they had no
doubt seen or read of men who. with all the
advantages, and with the addition of genius,
had yet fallen because they had not this virtue
for their foundation stone. Times have chang
ed the last twenty-five years in regard to the
prevalence of drinking; in the country dis
tricts there is comparatively little compared to
what there was then; and so in the Cities
Everybody used to drink and didn't think it
any harm; minister, deacon, every body drank.
But the fact that there is not so much drinking
now as there used to be doesn't prove that you
should drink; you are in danger if you tam
per with drink in the least; by refraning you
will be successful in whatever you undertake,
and you will exert an influence in the world
that will be for its interest.
Hon., Charles Holden, of Portland, was the
next speaker. He said he hardly felt like speak
ing to-day, he knew not why, but all men had
their moods. He was glad that Mr.. Scammon
had spoken SO well to the youth before them;
he had seen it mentioned in the papers that
there was talk of forming third party, or tax
ing steps to that end, here, this afternoon; he
was glad therefore,-as many able temperance
men were equally divided as to the policy of
such a moyement-that the speech making had
taken the tone given it by Mr.. Seammon; there
was no such blessed sight under the sun than
TO see the young, particularly the young men.
The young ladies he considered were not open
SO readily to the great temptation of intemper-
ance. Its great thing to be young man in
this age. In the speakers youth there was
not much open to young men. Progress was
sluggish; but now in this 18th century, every
thing has taken great start, science, philoso-
ply, ETC.; when he was young man it was a
mark of manliness to drink, and they used to
go up and take it down, not because they liked
it, but on account of its being the thing; tenn
perance had to be gradually fought up like the
anti-slavery question. The curtain has fallen
upon the tragedy of the past and has risen on
the truth; SO that che who runs may read.'
The great thing, my young friends, said he, is
earnest love and consistent defence of temper
ance. He begged pardon for what he termed
the rambling character of his discourse, but
when he remembered all the evils of intemper-
ance he had seen during his life, and during
his connection with different charitable socie-
ties, he felt as if he could not impress it sufi-
cieptly upon those before him that temperance,
important to all ages, was emphaticaly the
thing for the young. And let US remember
that the seed dropped upon this soil this af.er-
noon and evening if effective, is one of the best
works of our lives.
John l. Walton, of Portland, then addressed
the meeting. He said he used to be intemper