Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-03-02
rbe Anniversary OF tho Ladies
temperance Society.

The second anniversary of the Ladies
Temperance Society of Rutland was neio
q, the Opera House last evening. An au-
dience of about three hundred assembled
to listen to the exercises of the occasion.
Not as many have been present at the
previous meetings Of this association.
At a quarter to s o'clock, Mr.. judah
Dana, Principal of the Rutland Graded
School, appeared on the platform, and in
vited DR.. Lorenzo Sheldon, Rev. l.. n.
Stone, Rev. Edward Mills. Sidney w.
Rowell, Nahum Green, o. L. Slader,
Edward Southwick, James Barrett and
John B. Reynolds to take seats upon the
platform. Mr.. Dana then introduced Dr.
Lorenzo Sheldon, of West Rutland as
President of the evening.
The President then called upon Rev.
Edward Mills of the Baptist Church, to
invoke the Divine blessing. Mr.. Mills
offered an appropriate prayer, invoking
the blessing Of God upon the Association,
and temperance efforts in all directions,
for the suppression of the traffic in intoxi-
eating drinks, and the reformation OF the
unfortunate inebriate, and that the bless
ing of heaven might rest upon the Presi'
dent of the evening, expressing the hope
that he would be called to the Office for
which he had been nominated. ...
After the Prayer, DIR. Sheldon returned
his acknowledgements for the honor of
being called upon to preside on the occa-
sion. He said, he supposed it would
be expected, as he had been called by the
Ladies' Temperance Association Of Rut-
land TO preside, that he should offer few
remarks. He was not accustomed to
public speaking, as was we'll known, but
was rather worker in the cause. The
great reliance ,of the temperance cause
was, and must be, upon associated efforts.
such as was the organization now holding
it's anniversary, aud such association
should be multiplied in all directions.
His memory ran back to the first efforts
of the temperance reform, which may be
said TO have originated from the six cele-
brated temperance sermons of Rev. DIR.
LYMAN Beecher. But little was
accomplished until Vermont followed
Maine In the enactment Of prohibitory
law which bad worked great good in
the restraint of the sale of liquor. The
d florence between the olden customs and
those of the present era were marked. In
olden times the clergy were addicted to
the use of Intoxicating liquors when it
was thought necessary for ministers to
use 1t to carry them through the labors OF
the holy s bbath. A change had come
over both the clergy and the people in
their opinions and customs and at this
day associated action in all directions
communities. The Maine or prohibitory
law was our chief hope at the time of the
passage of the law, the legislature did not
dare enact the law but left it to the
people TO decide, and then earnest work
began but it was successful, and earnest
work in the same direction must be the
wstchword of to-day.
A temperance song was then rendered
by select choir.
The annual report was then read by
Me-. Judah Dana. The report opened
aid in enabling the association to perform
it's mission and that much good had been
accomplished by their efforts. Fortnight
ly meetings had been regularly held to
transact the business and renew their eff
forts In behalf of the cause. They had met
with a loss which all mourned in the
death of Mrs B. W. Marshall, who was
ever pioneer in every good work The
report closed with the expression of their
determination to enter upon the new year
with renewed effort in the cause of tenn
perance.
After another piece of music by the
choir, DR.. Sheldon remarked, three Of the
great elements to aid in the temperance
reform, were the pulpit, the press and
the pledge, and we have with us repre-
sentative of the pulpit, and introduced
the Rev. Levi II. Stone, the General
Agent of the Vermont State Temperance
Society,
Mr. Stone said he came to cooperate
with several other gentlemen in carrying
forward this enterprise. Mr.. Grandey
h. n;
Rev. Mr.. Farrar of Poultney and another
honorable gentleman who were to assist
were not present, and be was left only a
milestone The association which he had
the honor to address was good one and
its interest should be commended, The
temperance cause has its foundation in
the precepts of religion and its advocacy
required line upon line and preoept upon
preeept, and the Apostle had told US to
stir up our pure minds by way of re-
membrane. In former days minister
was not half a pastor unless be brought
out the whiskey bottle when his parish
oners came to draw to him his winter
stock of wood. In New Hampshire two
clergymen were to exchange and one
thought that his friend, who was to
preach for him, liked better article than
he was accustomed to drink and was
troubled about it but good deacon said
he would make that all right, he had
some boiled cider at home which he would
put into the new rum which would color
it all right.
We need to contrast the past with the
present In order to give US new light. The
eeefsteak given our boys in the army,
cooked in a seething cauldron, covering
an half acre, made them think of the com.
forts of home, and they were led to COM
pare 1t with the cooking of the wives and
mothers at home, and appreciate the value
OF good bed. Thus the placing things
In the light of contrast is valuable, go it
was IN comparing the customs of the past
with the Present. What if Rev. Mr..
M Ills should procure "a mint IS h.. 4.