The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1869-12-09
Well Said.

pefance paper published IN that city. 1t is a
most capital thing Read it.: 70 '@'' .
regard the cause Of Temperance as one
portion Of the militant host Of God for the
destruction of the 9evils of humanity. And
if we should be successful in accomplishing
our noble purposes, would not some of the
prolific evils Of our race cease to exist? In
working, however, we have to learn to wal:
And oh ! it is often much harder to wait than
TO work. But VIC are encouraged to toll on,
in the dark and cloudy, day: as well as in the
sunshine Of prosperity. Progress in tho right
direction is very Slow, but it is sure. Weare
tdivinefy taught to anticipate a better state Of
things on earth, than at present prevails May
we not allsay with the Poet Massey, in refer
ence to that better period: =, ,{,f,s;.,75g
COTS coming up the steep of time,
And this old world is growing brighter. 80
We may net see its dawn sublime, .s8 5su1um
Yet high hopes make the heart thrcb lighter.
We may be sleeping in the ground, 1i'@s'4'
When it awakesthe world in wonder, "a eds
But we have felt it gathering round, Il IT,.
| And heard It's voice Of living thunder. ..
q. OF IT'S coming yes; It's coming!'' ~
But whg sdo we anticipate such period on
earth Is there. any ground for the hope:
W. answer, the triumphs Of Gu stianity I'll.
be our triumphs There is scriptural warrant
for the expectation Of universal Righteousness.
This is to he brought about by agencies now
in operation; and doubtless one Of these
agencies is the temperance enterprise Gen
| uine religion and temperance are on the most
| friendly terms; they sweetly coalesce, they
cannot be severed Does Christianity court
Investigation ?---s she perfectly willing that
all her principles and movements should be
examined minutey? Such is the case in
| reference to Temperance. And this is one,
| among many reasons, why we believe she vii,
one day triumph in our world. Bishop Will
son says very truly -; Whosoever is afraid
Of submitting any question, civil or religious,
to the test Of free discussion, is more in love
with his own opinion than with truth" We
are anxious that our principles should be
known Let 'pulpit'and the press give
due prominence to this modern movement, and
men generally will acknowledge the excel
| lence and propriety of the cause. 49,.
| There are truly some things in the Order
/ Of the Sons, and other temperance bodies
4 which are known only to the initiated, hut
you are free to come and unite with us. There
is secret in Christianity which none but
they who feel it know" But all may en-
brace it. And all may taste the joys Of tenn
perance. ~ &os4 80 -
One of the greatest wonders of the present
day is the apathy, the alarming unconcern of
multitudes of intelligent men and women, in
reference to intemperance and its chief sup
porter-moderate drinking. While our young
men are being driven in great numbers as
sheep to the slaughter house, while drunk
ards recent graves are appearing rapidly, and
while the poor, the fatherless, and heart bro
Ken widows, are multiplying at an alarming
rate, thousands around us are utterly unmoved
at these things, and seem to think that they
have no responsibility in the matter. The
| wine is not discarded from the table, the social
glass passes around, while the children learn
to love the taste of the ruby wine, and thus
is laid the foundation of their subsequent
drunkenness and ruin. And yet if We refer
to these things in our sermons, or on public
occasions where men congregate tagether, we
are regarded as enthusiasts, meddlipg with
other mems matters. What would be the
result, if every preacher in Halifax should
next Sabbath take for his text, Habakkuk ii
H. "Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor
drink, &c. and should in accordance with
the truth of the text, denounce the traffic,
Wholesale and retail, as ungodly and crime
against the'laws of God and human society
What storm would be raised l. Doubtless
many ministers should be seen vending Their
way to some other field Of labor Very few
either among ministers or people, are fully
awake in this importantJmatter What hap.
pened in the vicinity Of Boston few weeks
ago? A very respectable man celebrating
his twenty fifth wedding anniversary, collect
ed together large number Of people of the
first class. Every bounty was prepared, and
ESPECIALLY plentiful supply of lWfne. And
who do. you suppose5w the first to raise the
cup to their lips2 Four Doctors of DIGNITY
f'The example was infectious Some drank
who never drank BEFORE and all followed like
"a flock ofsheep.' inaOne gentleman looked
upon the scene with SURPRISE for q time, then
he seemed to hesitate, and finally he drank
more than the rest. He went home and
drank again that night aad again the next
day, and the next. In a week he was b
ditch drunkard, and in month he was dis
charged from the Church of which he had been
consistent and valued member for seven
years. He hadYbeepi accustomed in carly life
| W HAUitS, VI uioot dliO SHdC SVcu-
ing's ex perience was sufficient to burst the old
temptation upon him with Overwhelming
force. Christian duty, home, manfiness, all
that he ever hoped to be, weres swallowed up
in one low passion, The example Of his oao1
pastor ruined him. Are We not as minis.
tiers, in duty bound to speak out on this sub
ject, SO that truth shall penetrate into the
consciences of the guilty?G How can preach
ers say that wine is a good thing, when God
says it is ga mocker?' Should not those who
say its taste is pleasant, be reminded by theil
| pastors and others that CAT last it 'biteth
like serpent and stingethlik an adder2''
IF We sec our fellowman about committing
suicide, ought we not to say to him. as Paul
said to the excited jailer, s"Do thyself nc
harm 2" = ~ ~ -. " o. W. -.
There is another passage Of the Word 81
God which lies at the very foundation of The
Temperance cause; "Theua sAaA not k4.'
Universal obedience to this command woule
sweep the murderous traffic from the face O
: the earth II would also stop all drinking O
! spurious liquors For the ussoas beverage
of these poisonous compounds, now embraced
in: the words spurious liquors, is a species q
self murder. 1
4 Thd chief difference between the rum drink.
er and the rum seller is this, the dr;nker onl
H. J. IxsI Il