The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-11-24
Fair 10 Aid In the Establishment OF
az IHebriate hsTium.

y
Fair TO Aid In the establishment OF
az IBebriate AsJium.
+ BALTIMORE, November ga fair
i to aid in the establishment of an Inc
briate Asylum, in this city, under the
auspices of the ladies of Baltimore,
/ opened tonight. In the Maryland In
stitute. The three communicates Of
/ Knights Templar of the city, were
present in full regalia Also, an i'm
mense crowd, including Vice Presi-
/ dent Colfax, who was introduced By
/ the Mayor. The Vice President,
after brief predatory remarks, said
I that work of benevolence and of
humanity towards our brethren like
J this should enlist every heart that is
/ touched with feelings for human in
/ trinity. There is a question that
comes down to all of US through the
centuries, from the very birth
place of mankind, full of
momentous interest to every one upon
the footstool of God. It is that qnes-
ton which Cain asked of the Al
mighty, not as a question but as a de
fence, against the argument for his
crime. It was, Am [ my brothers
keeper?" In every civilized land
throughout the globe, in every civil
ized nation, and State, and communi-
ty the answer comes back to that
question-You are your brothers
keeper. It is responsibility tbatno
one of you can deny or evade.
J Every statute that you find on
your statute book for the pun
ishment of crime and fraud is the
answer to the question: Am | my
brothers keeper2" Every Jail and
prison that casts its gloomy shadows
over the land; every Sheriff and po-
| lice officer, is the answer that the
community makes to this question
as old as mankind itself-and besides
this, and better than this, every re-
| fOrmatory and amcliatory institu-
| ton that blesses this land of
ours is the answer we give to the
question that comes to US almost from
| the Garden of Eden itself. The insti-
tuition of which we are so justly proud,
where the mind is restored to those
whose reason has been dethroned, in
| the asylum for the insane, ia the in
| stitutions where the blind are almost
made TO see, the dumb to speak, the
| deaf 70 hear; IN every institution for
| the relief of the poor and distressed,
we have the answer of society to the
question, Am my brothers
Keeper" and this noble work which
you have inaugurated here to-
night for those who have been
the deluded and self destroying vie.
Tins of the temptation, even of the
most gifted In our land, brings the
answer of the benevolent In the State
of Maryland, that they are their
brothers keepers. Applause God
speed you and bless you In this noble
work La this great world of ours,
! springing as we do from the
| hand Of a common Creator, be-
lieving as We do in the father
hood Of God and the brother
hood of man. cry one whom you
meet on your pk way is your broth
er. He may be poor. He may be
penniless. He may be humble-a
criminal or fallen, but they are breth-
ren of the dust, pilgrims on the same
| journey, travellers to the same tomb
IF God has blessed you with strength
of will, SO that you have been enabled
| to fortify yourselves. it is for you 10
lift him up from that depth to
which he has fallen, aad put him
upon his feet, aud to redeem him, if
possible, from living death, worse
even than the death Of the tomb.
After alludiug to the brilliant intel
! lects that have fallen victims TO Ia
temperance, Mr.. Colfax continued:
1t is the stingy, pcnurious aud tight
listed who are free from this evil It
is the large-hearted, the social man
who cannot resist the temptation
of a social glass-the generous man.
When this tempter fuds this victim, il
assails all classes alike You can
fad it crouching at the hearthstones
/ of the poor, and it casts its gloomy
shadows over the marble mantles Of
the rich. Through the temptation
which they cannot resist, and which
urges them on TO a drunkard's death
and a drunkard's grave. l tell you,
my friends, there Is only one way in
! which you can resist the temptation; !;
there is only one talisman, and that
is, touch not, taste not, handle
not" the uuclean thing In the earlier
years OF my manhood, when | saw
young friend who had been travelling
the same pathway with myself;
| stood by his bedside and saw his
soul leave his body, calling upon God
TO damn his soul In his delirium, and
for one resolved that I would turn
my back upon it heneeforth and for
ever. Applause. Il is the true
pathway in private life. in public life,
In social life, and IN individual life.
During the evening, a very fine
chair was. presented to Mrs. Colfax,
which was received in her behalf by
Mr.. Samuel Shoemaker. in appropri-
| n 70 ~amarES