The Portland daily press., 1872-05-04
The GrOg ShOps-NO. XI,

The new reform movement among men
who have hitherto been in the habit of using
intoxicating liquors, more or less moderately,
is most opportune, as to the time of il, and
wonderful in its effect and its extent. 1t
seems to be spreading more rapidly and more
widely, than the Washingtonian reform did
in 1S40. Gods hand seems to be in this new
uprising Of the people, and it indicates, 1
think, that the time is not far distant when
our State will be delivered from intemper-
ance, as general and prevalent vice. Good
men of all parties and shades of opinion seem
to sympathize in this new work, and to lend
it the support of their unqualified approval.
This may be seen in the great meetings at the
City Hall, where that vast auditorium Is
crowded to its utmost capacity, by an enthu-
siastic audience, while all the broad stair cases
and avenues leading to it, are full of people,
vainly seeking entrance; the hand of the Lord
is in it.
The effect of this reform movement will be
to prevent demagogues and unprincipled men
generally, OF whatever party, from making
wicked combinations in any direction for the
overthrow of the temperance cause. Maine
the battle against intemperance, and all the
world looks to us to lead. Whether we wish
II ornot, the fact remains, that our example
will largely control the movement in all En-
glish speaking countries, and our success or
defeat will be regarded by all good men every
where, as great joy or great disaster to the
highest interest of man. So fur, every indi-
cation in this city and State, gives promise
of glorious triumph for the right. Already,
the commitments to the jail, of tkis county
have fallen off one half, and the results are
also favorable in the department of the poor.
A day or two ago, private night watch
man told me me that he has the best oppor-
tunities of seeing the effect of the new move
ment. Every night, there used to be groups
of young and middle-aged men from some of
| the most respectable families in town, wan
dering around among the hotels, with un-
steady steps, until late hour, or rather until
an early hour in the morning. For a month
past, he says, nothing of this is seen, and
| these persons are probably at home at the
| proper hours.
Ihave said heretofore, that every legitimate
| trade is injured by the rum-trade, and benefited
by its suppression, but have just heard of an
exception. A friend of mine was in at hair
dresser's, just off Middle street, and asked
him, how the new movement against the
rum-trade was working every well,
think, for most people, but not so well for
me-" "Not so well for you; why, how can
| it affect your business ?" swell, YOU see, a
7 great many men were hanging around the Bar
Rooms, and my shop being handy, they'd
come in here to chat and kill time, and would
| get shaved or have their hair tinkered Bit
had good deal of custom that way, but its
| all gone now. And then used to have,
every morning, as much as six, eight, some
times as many as ten or more young men
coming in here before breakfast to have their
i chan IL cl,o IL
what was that for?" "Why, don't you
know? well, you see, they had had a little
bit Of good time the night before, with
a little whiskey, brandy, gin champaign
| or perhaps beer, and so, of course, they
woke up in the morning with their heads
cracking and swapping like a bunch of
Chinese crackers, and after a bottle of
seltzer water or soda water, to settle their
stomachs, as they call it, they came in here
to be shampood, an operation that made
| them little comfortable and left quarter of
dollar in my till; now all that is gone, and
l used to have a good deal of it." "Heads
swapping like tire-crackers? why you don't
mean to say, that the same men would be
eanght in such a scrape a second time ?"
why bless you, lisa regular thing; great
many OF tnese niea young men about town,
who sport gilt watches ana ehains.-reeular
swells, you know who-get trusted at Their tai.
lors and shoemakers and never pay, and who
live around among boarding houses kept by
widows, and after two or three months de-
camp to other boarding houses, leaving their
bills unpaid, why it's the regular thing for
such fellows to spend all their money in what
they call larks EVERY night, lark, and ev-
cry morning their heads are like a painful OF
popcorn in full snap, making such a noise,
that it seems to them the cracking can be
heard across room. Why my dear sir, that
was the regular thing" Nd,