Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1869-11-02
MISCELLANEOUS.
Good Sooiety-A Vision.

AOVo ROOASUJ -
I dreamed that they were all vanquished,
these cruel foes of our noble cause. The
rumseller, smitten with remorse, had gone
out, like Judas, and hanged himself; licenses
to ruin soul and body together had been ban
ished from the earth the alcoholic Prescrip>
tions of the physician had been thrown to the
winds; the distileries had been wrapped IN
flames and my heart grew light as thought,
now we are free Never again shall the
green earth be contaminated by the stagger-
ing tread or PROSTATE form of the drunkard
never the pure air be polluted by the fumes
of the rum.cup; never the night stiffness
broken by the sound of drunken reyelry or
the shrek of the drunkard's victim.
But my heart sank Us q voice cried, "Nay,
there is yet another She comes she
comes p' and fair creature, stately and
graceful, and very lovely, glided before me.
A sort of atmosphere of irresistibleness seemed
to surround her, as if the thought of disobe-
dience to her will were an impossible one;
and as the charm of her beauty and grace
stole over me, 1 felt that to bow at her feet
and own myself her most humble servitor
were indeed rich boon. "Good society,""
the herald announced her, and a friendly
hand holding me back from obeying my first
impulse, 1 contented myself with gazing at
her.
In her train 1 marked young man, fresh
from the purity and peace of country home,
armed with the good councils of wise mother.
One of this fair genius courtiers whispers in
his ear :''Society will ridicule you if you
talk of your mother here, or are ruled by her
ideas. Men act for themselves; children are
guided by their mothers"
The lovely creature herself approached him,
I, h. 40 ha
fattery of the action makes him forget all
else; scruples are cast aside, and he quatfs
lightly the hitherto dreaded wine.
But one glass never ruined soul, and
watched him still, as he seeks eagerly fer
some new token of her favor. Again her sa-
tellite whispers "Seciety loves vivacity, wit,
sparkle, such as the wiue-cup brings. Drink
deep. and your brilliancy shall win her adj
miring smile" And he drinks, and the
goddess smiles sweetly on him, and her fa-
Yors intoxicate him the more, and he is the
more ready to do her bidding
Again the whisper comes: "She likes the
open handed convivial youth. You are too
prudent, too much afraid Of excesses little
more abandon would please her better" And
again he drinks, and circulates the charmed
cup among his companions, and, yielding
more aud more to its influence, grows bois-
ferrous and unruly.
What change! Good society is greatly
scandalized she tosses her proud head and
turns her back on him "Silly fool did he
fancy that would tolerate drunkard in my
presence2 To forget himself thus !" And,
driven to frenzy by her scorn, he flies to his
cup for consolation, and is lost, lost, LOST !
Again see her by the side of fair young
bride, who is strong in her purpose never to
tempt soul to sin. Among the bridal gifts
she laws a dainty set of exquisitely cut Bohe-
mian wine glasses, which the young wife
treasures up as pretty toys to deck her rich
sideboard.
But society whispers "Does not your ta-
BILE look needlessly plain your poorer neigh
boris table glitters with olaret, while your
guests wonder that you provide only water.
lust try the effect of those lovely wine glasses;
let the champagne sparkle in their polls he'd
rims and your damask will look more snowy
and fine, your silver more brilliant, your viands
more tempting. Don't seem mean or inhos>
pitable don't be outdone by all around you"
Anduso vanity and pride conquer, and the
wine sparkles at her board.
Then Society hints: "If you provide wine,
you must sometimes urge it on your guests,
or they will fancy that you grudge it. If you
provide wine for those who choose it, why not
the young wife becomes temptress, and in
time secs one and another who has slipped her
wine lose all for the love of wine, and at last
wakes to find her own hearts idol shared and
ruined by the iend she has herself let into
their home.
looked and looked till my heart ached.
l heard her say '.You prudish society
tolerates no prudes You set yourself up to
be better than others detest Pharisees.-
You are behind the times-such notions died
out long ago. l abhor drunkenness as much
as you can it is the most ungentlemanly
thing in the world but this is the farthest
remove from it. Moderation in all things is
our rule one extreme would surely produce
another. Are you so weak that you dare not
take one glass p
And so she tempted, and so they fell; one
suddenly, another gradually, till her path was
strewn with victims All admiriug her, fas-
cinated by her, obeying her implicitly yet
she, smiling and betokening them on to ruin,
only trampled on their blasted hopes, ruined
regulations, desolate homes, and said, ''What
fools r'
sat me down and wept, fo- my heart said
that this fair euchantress was the widest of
them all, and knew that while Good Society
walked up and down the earth with wine-
cup in her hand, sons noble and gifted. man
ly and brave, would sink into drunkard's
graves; daughters lovely and beloved make
shipWreck of their own and others happi>
ness, social intercourse become snare, home
itself place of temptation and ruin. Who
will win her to the temperance cause!