Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-01-08

LADIES TEMPERANCE MEETING, AT VILLAGE
HALL. SUNDAY EVENING, DEC. q, 1917
Since the Legislature has adjourned, and
MANY of those who were won't to meet here
as friends of common humanity and temper
ance reform. will meet US here no more with
helpful speech, may we not properly reVle"
the subject here advocated; endeavor TO con-
firm the interest awakened ; and make per-
mauent the good to be derived therefrom
The cause of Temperance Reform shoald re-
ceive the attention of very one,for the plain
reason that deep in the constitution OF hu-
man nature exists liability to various forms
Of intemperauce, from which may truly be
said to arise most of the misery, vice, and
crime manifested in the world. This liabili-
tv of our natures to err should be the great
fact early impressed upon the human mind,
and constantly guarded against by all each
and every one should daily watch aad make
sure that his appettes and passions, his
tendencies conform to the dictates oil en-
Hghtened reason and conscience as best known
to himself.
The gleat point to be made in the temper
anee question, is to cause mankind to realize
their danger aud see their error before 1t is
too late before their minds become degraded
and enslaved By the vices and dissipation, so
prevalent around them when by a wise fore
cast they may early study their own natures
their surroundings, and the lives OF those
who have gone before, and thus be enabled
to choose the paths of wisdom, and avoid the
destruction which sooner or later overtakes
those not found therein Of the great evils
resulting from the use of alcoholic drinks as
beverage, need not here speak. All know
how great they are, many even Of the in
temperate acknowledge them when too late;
consequently it is no doubt every man s duty
to peremptorily abstain from the practice OF
drinking, fraught with SO much danger to
himself and his associates. Indeed the
great question of the day is how most effect
ualIv to cause men to realize and practice
the duty of abstinence, for abstinence, total
abstinence is the only safe and Christian
ground on which Temperance reform can sue
ceed-
To enable us more nationally to seek such
result, let us look briefly at the philosophy
Of using strong drink as now practiced by en-
Hgbtened people In short, why do people
drink? Simply, I believe as a rule, because
they learn to drink, ani in learning acquire,
some more readily than others, taste for
drink which causes them to continue. How,
where, and why, do people learn to drink
FIRST: People learn to drink through the
common and fashionable practice of using
liquors on festive occasions as social exhila-
rants. Our fathers constantly provided liquors
on such occasions, and the higher ranks OF
society o.ten 90 the sane at the present day
1T being an agreeable and popular custom
amcug the leading social classes.
Second People learn to drink by Gus
tomary and POP dlar resort to stimulating
drink as a nerve stimulant, to increase the
powers and endurance Of the system.
through such almost hereditary practices,
apparently innocent and agreeable at first
or even beneficial as still claimed by many
an appetite is acquired for strong drink.
which many do not, and | believe some can
not, control-drInk so modifying the nervous
system in some constitutions as to produce
a more or less permanent abnormal condi-
ton. manifested by mania for alcoholic
drinks
The custom OF using wine and other stim-
nlants as social exhilarants, has existed from
time immemorial to the present day, among
all classes, with little exception, until the
present century, during the earlier part o
which the spread Of knowledge and Chris
tianity demonstrated the fact to many
thoughtful and philanthropic minds, thai
the babitual use of alcoholic drinks necessa
riy produces social degradation, by .direc
injury to tie nervous system, the highest in
tegrity of which is essential to the ful
manifestation Of the nobler qualities anC
sentiments, constituting virtuous and pro
gressive manhood.
This being true, and | think every sincere
and interested inquirer may satisfy himsel
of it's truth, have We not here great foun-
tain head and procuring cause of intemper
ance and at the same time, revelation O
of its true aud only remedies. In confrma
tion of these views we may quote the follow
ing from the Cyclic pedia in reference to th'
use of intoxicating drinks in the United
States, during the latter part of the last
and the earlier decades IF the present cen
IT,: On page Al, vol. l, it says: - Sea
,t<S of festivity and Of SORROW, of labor an,
of relaxation, oil dissip patton and of religion
solemnity, were alike signalized by thes
drinks, until drinking was barely less thai
universal, and drunkenness the fruitful caus
of moral and pecuniary ruin. When th
population of the Uuted States had reache,
less than half its present number, it was es
timated that thirty thousand deaths per an
nun were caused therein by intemperance
while nearly or quite one-fourth of the fami
lies in the United States were sufferers fror
the palpably immoderate drinking, usually c
their respective heads"
This state of society naturally excited th
attention Of philanthIopists, and one of tn
earliest aud most noted advocates of reforr
was the celebrated DR.. Rash of Philadelphia
and in 1908 DR.. Clark of Moreau, N. Y
established the first temperance society. l
1926 the reform had become so active tina
the American Temperance Union was forme
at Boston, which adjourned its meetings fror
one city to another, awakening great inter
est, but dId not require abstinence from wiz {
CIDER and malt liquors
As late as 1888 total abstinence from a,
that may intoxicate, WAS voted down IN
great national meeting of the friends of TEN
perance at Philadelphia; bat in 1886, at
similar meeting in Saratoga the total al