The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1872-02-06
M(i0oleburp 8toister.
TUESDAY. FEBRUARY @, 1872.
Addison County Temperance Society.

The annual meeting of that time honored
institution, the Addison County Temper
ancc Society, will be held in this
place on Wednesday, the Dist in.
slant. This Society, in its car.
lier days did effective work for the
cause of morality and never has failed, in
its ripper years to speak its word of pro.
test against evil, and approval Of the beau
tiful and true. But for some years past
its natural force has seemed be abated /;
its utteranccs we're feeble. SON etimes
"hslf developed ideas crawling upon all
fours," or so general in their application,
rs to be pointless and valucless, and es-
pecially lacking in Importance and force
Tor the want ofan extended constituen.
cy. The numbers gathering to represent
the temperance principles of the county,
have been ridicuously small The great
mass of temperance men and women Of
the county, had matters Of greater i'm
portance to attend to, than the coming
together once a year, for an hour or two,
to show their approval Of a great moral
principle There was social call to
make, newspaper to read, journey to
take, bit Of gossip to listen to or mar
rate, bargain on the tapis, or impor-
tant business to transact by which they
might turn an honest penny. So the
power Of the Society for the good it
aims to accomplish, is broken, through
want of constituency.
Such indifference to the success of the
cause of temperance is alone enough to
damn it. In using that term, we do not
speak profanely, but it is the literal truth
1t is the lukewarmness Of tho churches
which God "spcws out Of his mouth. y
Can a profession of temperance princi-
Piles be sincere, which makes no effort to
advance the interests of the cause?
At the last annual meeting, there was
a better attendance than before for years.
This gave encouragement to those who
have been panied to witness the decline
of efficiency in the County Society. One
{ ling was lacking however. There were
but few young people present. Tho re-
sponsibilities Of the temperance work rest
largely upon the young men and young wo-
men. Why do they shrink from meeting
this responsibility? Are there not those
among the generation about to take the
responsible places in the government, in
the church, in society, who are in sym.
patty with the temperance reform
The membership of the County Society
includes all temperance men and women
in the county, and it was an encourage
ing sign that at the last annual meeting
many ladies were present. 1t is to be
hoped that much greater number may
be here on the DIST.
1t is hoped, and quite likely, that we
shall have large attendance this year,as
at the convention which is to nominate
County Commissioner, it is also proposed
to consider the propriety of nominating q
States Attorney This is not an entire
ly new thing. The Caledonia Society
took this course at its recent annual
meeting
Whatever may be considered the wise
course to be pursued in this regard, let
the temperance people rally on this &C.
casion, show their interest IN the cause,
freely interchange sentiments upon the
various subjects to be considered, and il
any policy which promises to be effective
for good shall be adopted, let US all take
hold with will TO carry it out trium.
phantly.