St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-04-11
Then and Now.

!
its of the people of New Hampshire,
now and forty Years ago. His remarks
recall to mind our earliest days, for we
came out of that state so famous for be-
ing good one to cmigrate from. In
ls25, and Whereabouts. farmers there.
as well as elsewhere, almost uniformly
laid up a barrel or keg of New England
rum annually as regularly as they did
the same or Il less quantity ofmolasseS.
Then they took their products to the
cities, in the old long runner double
sleigh, starting early Monday morning
with the pork butchered the Saturday
before. They returned with loads
odorous of Medfcrd, with sugar, tea,
coffee and Goldfish for the season, and
if any thing came short before the year
was out it was the liquor cask, and the
year was eked out ny repeated Journeys
of the gallon bottle To and from the vii
lage store. 1t was used by temperate
people in having, at huSkings, raisings
til' itlil'N Ill vi ol'i bsil HS
and the like; by many others, whose
haying seasons run through all the year,
from January till January returned
again. Such was the general custom
there, and, doubtless, throughout New
England. Some of our readers know
more than we do how it was in this sec
ton of Vermont. There may he many
around in Caledonia county who did
themselves, or can remember how their
fathers, i'll storm and tempest, came
home from Portland through the Notch
of the White Mountains with cask of
rum and other stores. and the rum of
full rs much consequence as any other
article. Nor did it always remain I'M
tapped till having season came on.
From lS2J. the temperance cause
made rapid progress in New Hamp-
shire. DR.. Bccchcr-thc father of Hen
ry Ward opened his batteries upon
the habits of drinking. and he fired
double shotted Napolcons. Then too.
Jonathan kittredgc, il talented LAWYER.
had fallen into the ditch by reason of
using liquor. He dropped its use, and
wrote letters dcnoumcing this social
custom. They were exceedingly able.
and di>serted the evil almost as thor
"ughly as did DIR. Berchcr
These writings went forth together.
and produced IL remarkable impression
upon the public mind. Liquor drink
ing, to Il considerable extent WAS dis
carded, especially among farmers. and
has remained So to this day. But liq-
nor boroughs i'll cities and villages The
devil finds dcnS. dark. sly and filthy.
there. and holds them with tenacitv
worthy of imitation. IN Il better cause.
Liquor drinking has greatly abated. II
Is SANDER of its lovers that alleges
that as much liquor is consumed i'll our
New England communities now as
thirty or forty years ago. Not more
than one third is much is used now as
then. The decrease is enough to war
rant an unremitting warfare upon it.
1t is Il dreadful curse Yet. If not just like
that which came upon Adam, the elder,
it is near enough akin to it. to chal-
lenge attack from every true heart
1t WAS thirty-tivc years ago when we
became citizen of st. J"hnShury. An
item III our experience thea will never
be forgotten. We well remember that,
though there had been considerable
progress made i'll the temperance cause
here, it WAS in the rear of what it then
was III our former rcSidence-the CAPT
tai of New Hampshire.
Most christian men had given up the
sale and Use OF liquor, and likewise
many others. Our boarding place WIS
at the only hotel in the village. The
landlord and his good wife were chris
tian people, but Were then lingering in
Zoar. We thought it very strange that
the hotel kept open bar. The bar WAS
i'll the northeast corner of the house.
Our room WAS the southwest chamber
over the family room. Often. as we sat
there preparing copy for the Cdledonidn.
did we hear the landlord in his family
devotionS, and at the same time the
ech" of the teddy stick from the bar
room. The sounds seemed incongiuouS.
but we were stranger, and could only
mediate.
The landlord and his wife soon left
the hotel. Teddy sticks and prayers
had finally become antipodes. and
when the landlady died, as she died a
few years thereafter, we shed tears that
our Vermont mother had gone from our
sight. Rum selling and prayers do not
remain neighbors "A very long time.
1t soon came to our knowledge. that
the temperance cause, Notwithstanding
all their adverse appearances, had made
large advances i'll st. JohnSbury, and
the region around it. Merchants-Erge
dealers in liquors-had given up the lu-
crative business. and many hotels had
ceased to keep open bars. Many peo-
pie, among them free users of liquors,
had abandoned its use and more than
all. st. Johnshury Plain, at a former pc
Rod, Il center for selling and drinking
of liquor, and place where men assem-
bled and raced horses Sunday, had IA
Sabbath bell, with no store where liu-
uor was sold, and the place was inhab-