Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-04-06
THE RUTLAND HEhAhD'
MONDAY, APRIL 8, 1871
mr.. Jewett's Lecture.

c,roreoational Church was nearly n'A'u
1o,t evening by an assemblage composed
ni.ed congregations OF the Bap-
49, Metbodist, and Congregational soci-
ntiss and the friends of tempera nee In
general, who had been drawn together by
the announcement that DIR. Charles jew
EFT the eminent temperance advocate
would speak upon his favorite theme IL
ia seldom that 80 large an audience, re-
presenting the influential classes OF our
community, is gathered on any occasion,
and attests the deep interest which is felt
upon the subject of temperance in our
midst.
The exercises were opened by singing
by the choir and prayer by the Rev. Mr..
johnson, who in a few appropriate re-
marks then introduced Mr.. Jewett. The
speaker commenced his lecture by affirm
ing in an impressive manner the perilous
results of a violation of the laws of our
spiritual, moral and physical being. 1t is
fearful thing to violate the laws which
God has instituted for the moral and
spiritual government of man, but through
his mercy a way of escape from the PEN
aIly of these broken laws had been pro-
yided in the christian dispensation. But
no such avenue of escape is open to those
who violate the WIS of their physical
being. While forgiveness can be obtained
for violations of moral laws, there is no
forgiveness for trampling upon physical
laws. II a man swallows arsenic he suf-
fers death, though he may escape the
future penalty of his sins through the
mercy of God. Therefore it is perilous
to violate physical laws.
1t ia perilous to violate these physical
laws, not only from the inevitable penalty
which follows, but also from the fact that
such transgression leads to the infraotion
of moral laws 1t is through the disre-
gard Of physical laws by taking into the
system alchoholic poison that much of the
fearful moral evils of intemperance is pro-
duced.
DR.. Jewett stated that lie would have
preferred, could the opportunity be had,
10 show, in series of scientific lectures,
the effect of alchoholic stimulants upon the
physical system, and that when taken,
even in the most moderate quantity, they
are in violation of the laws of the physical
being But neither time nor the impaired
state of his health would admit of such a
course.
He then turned to religious view of
his subject and proceeded to draw from
the scriptures examples of the evil effects
of intemperanoe Aud first he called at
tention TO the earliest example of the use
of intoxicating liquors of which there is
any record. This was in the case of the
patriarch Noah. Here the alchoholic
poison had the same effect that it has al
ways had in the whole history of mankind
down 10 the present day. 1t got into his
stomach and it laid him upon his back.
and made him the object of disgrace to his
fmily. The next instance was that of
Lot, and here the same result followed in
the degradation of a man whose life was
in general without blame. These ex-
amples serve to illustrate what alohoholic
drinks were in the first dispensatiop, and
from these we may Judge their character.
without tracing the history OF aloohlio
drinks through succeeding ages, the
speaker said he was prepared to affirm
that this history was just what was to be
expected from suoh beginning. 1t was
bad beginning, but in it was shown the
true and uniform effects of alcoholic
drinks. The result Of their use would al
wavs be sorrow, sin and shame.
DR.. Jewett next proceeded to draw i'm
nrassivo lessons OF the terrible evils re-
shifting from the use of alcoholic drinks
from tho history of King Ahasuerus, and
the results of his mad revelry. He
sbowed that these drinks had the same
disastrous effects as at the present day.
From the prophecies of Isaiah he also
gathered important evidence of the light
in which that inspired writer viewed the
terrible evils of intemperance One i'm
portant fact was noticeable in the manner
in which the prophet speaks of this SUBJ
iect. While on all minor matters his
prophecies are very general in their state
mentH, on 6ll I'D pDTlhuJ sO'JcChs they dIo
very explicit and minute.
In the cese of the prophecies foretelling
the coming of Christ there is singular
minuteness of detail, even the disposal of
His garments at the cruciAction is fore
told And where there is alluson to-
the subject of strong drink, and warnings
against it's use, there is the same minute
ness Of detail. Thus the Importance of
the subject in the mind of the prophet
becomes evident.
The speaker closed his remarks by an
allusion to the opinion which is quite pre-
valent, that while drunkenness is to be
avoided, there is no harm in drinking
alcoholic liquors. This, he maintained,
was a most pernicious fallacy. The evils
Of this moderate drinking are really far
greater than the evils of intemperance,
because the numbers who are under its
influence are much greater.
The lecture was an impressive one, and
the opinions advanced were well sustained
by the illustrations drawn from the Scrip
ture. The place and the time both called
for a consideration of the subject in its
strictly religious aspects, and to these the
speaker confined lis remarks. In con-
Guiding be thanked the audience for the
attention shown and expressed the hope
that an opportunity would be afforded
on some other day, when he could present
his subject in its more general bearings
upon the interest of society.
THE JEsUITs. The Jesuits form an
exceedingly active society, and are so
ubiquitous and SC energetic that a very
erroneous idea of their numbers prevails
The statistics just published in the Unita
Catholica Of Rome show that in 1870 the
Society of Jesus scattered throughout the