The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-12-17
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Temperance.

The hall of the High School building at
Middlebury was filled Monday evening to
listen to John b. Cough, the most forcible
and distinguished temperance speaker of
this or any other land, on this subject, in
which he is most at ease and into which the
whole enthusiasm and wealth of great
soul was thrown.
After his Introduction by the chairman
Of tie committee the speaker proceeded to
base HE aoctrih. upon irredecmablc propo-
sitions
FIrst That drunkenness is an evil and
that it is the duty of all persons to do their
utmost to remedy this evil.
Second-That as long as long as liquors
were sold drunkenness would result there
from.
7Hird- That total abstinence was not
adoption.
He then proceeded to answer the popu-
lar objections especially those who object
to it ON the Bible grounds, and chen pro
cecdcd to consider the clam sometimes
made that drunkenness is a moral evil,
which could only be removed by the in
lluence Of a higher power
Mr.. Cough said it was not claimed for
total abstinence that it made man better
than before, except as far as drunkenness
was concerned. lie had found some of the
meanest men ON earth with that one re-
deeming quality. But it was drunkenness
more than any other single agency which
keeps men from listening to the Gospel
truth, and if total abstinence alleviatcd this
evil, il must thereby do ouch good. He
/ illustrated this point by referring to the re-
| formation Of woman Of Dundee, whose
character was described by the popular
| name given her of 'IIell Fire" This wo-
man had signed the pledge. She would
! often in the night dream of drinking, and
/ the old passion would rise within her, and
/ She would fall ON her knees and cry till
morning, God help me, God helpme.' She
has kept her pledge for eighteen years, and
is now the light of the city, devotng her
time and energies to rescuing abandoned
woman from their depths of iniquity. Tenn
perance did not make people better, but
was IL direct agency to that end.
a Doctor of Divinity of New York was
stated to have said that Temperance was
more manly virtue than abstinence, or,
as expressed Ivy another person, lit was
Just as bad to be n total abstancr as "A
drunkard, for while the latter was beastly,
the fo,mer was cowardly.' II was also ar
gued that moderate drinking was the gol-
den mean, developing sef-dcnial and manli-
ness But this development was regulated
by the quantity of liquor man could
could stand, f'r according 10 this theory,
If one stand six glasses comfortably lie
would he developing self-dcnial self-re-
straint and scli-goyCrnment, while II he
got drunk ON two, lie would be an example
of the want of these qualities. The speak
er's father died aged "a years, and from 1G
years old To that time, drank half Il
pint Of beer day and was never
known to be intoxicated. He could
drink moderately, but his son could
no more drink moderately than you can
blow up magazine by degrees, or fire of
gun a little at time But you must
be weak-minded.' Well if he was so weak
that he couldn't stand liquor, thank God hC
was strong enough to let it alone.
\ church member told him that the grace
of God would prevent drunkenness. But
the grace of God cannot prevent the physi
cal effects of physical causes. 1t would
keep the temptation from being too strong
to he resisted, but il temptation is deiher-
ately walked into, it wouldn't prevent HIM
from being overcome. You can poison q
Christian as quick as you can llottentot.
If have any grace, it should teach me to
pray LEAD me not into temptation y
church member, who thought himself Sc
cure in grace, drove from neighborlng
village into Worcester one drizzly day and
drank something two or three times to
guard against the weather When he gol
out he was seen leaning against his car
riage-drunk. A church member wen,
his church disciplined him. What Tor
Because he couldn't stand two glasses OF
brandy and water If he could have stood
twenty. they wouldn't have touched him
They don't punish man for drinking ou'
because lie cant stand H.
The speaker then pictured young mar
, apostrophizing the intoxicating cup, emu
merating the evils caused by its use, con
Guiding with "the name of the wicke,