Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1873-05-07
sunday Evening Temperance Meeting

interest and enthusiasm shown in our sunday
evening gatherings.
Mr. II. d. Hopkins, the chairman, opened
the meeting by singing and prayer, and after
reading selections from the Scriptures, gave a
glance Of retrospcction over our temperance
work Of the past year. lie said ten months
ago a handful Of US met in this place-met with
fear and trembling, hardly knowing but it
would be our last. a. well rs FIRST meeting.
But few faithful hearts kept the subject in
agitation until an increase Of interest was per-
ccptiblc, and anon, it became the question, and
these meetings the attraction, and from ahand-
ful our gatherings came 10 he houseful
Surely " They that SOW in tears shall reap 10
joy" lie that goeth forth aud weepeth,
bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come
again with rejoicing, bringing his shoayes with
him"
And what Of the fruit Of your nbors2 A
healthier state Of feeling is shown by the fact
that within the last week liquor has been con
iscated and vendors brought to trial II one
man is saved from the vice Of ntempcrance
your labor is not in vain you have cause for
gratitudc but you can count many who will
point to your work us the means Of their re-
dcmptioi from this monster vice, and il saved
from This, why then the gates Of grand future
are open, and hope invites him "tO enter 10
and possess Mr. Hopkins, in reply to some
one in the audience, said, Rum is Modoc {,
Everywhere troachorous and deceitiul, making
those who are Influenced BY il believe they are
rich, when poor, wise, when simple, and con-
| founding all ideas Of right and wrong. It
cheat. the people, the officers and judges 10
fact, making Of man himself ,avage-a
Modoc
Mr.. W G.. fcrrin said he would present
sJne Of the financial reasons ior prohibiting
the rum traffic in our State. Possibly some
might think Sunday to- sacred for proscnta.
ton OF the iporc sordid side Of the question,
but he thought that anything shat would open
men eyes 10 a true view Of the whole subject,
and arouse in them a sense Of their responsible
! ity, and make them feel that "the wages Of sin
is death, in all is forms, is worthy OF con
slieration, even On this most sacred day. Mr..
fcrrin had at previous meeting stated that
J
department was $3.50 GOO annually, hall Of
this sum being expended in criminal jurispru-
denco-th that intoxicating drink is the principal
cause Of 80 much crime and litigation the
costs for prisons and jails il 10 GEO. Of pauper.
ism : l5O, 900 o. to this lie would add : 500 goo
that i expended for the beverage, and as much
more for the waste Of time and thritlessnoss con.
sequent to it, and we have more than one mil
lion dollars that the State pays yearly to the
god Of strong drink, to trample them. soul and
body, in the dust The grand list for 1867 was
1903 ,OOo 900 in 1872, III 900 900, an increase
of s 900 600 in five years. In that time va
have worse than sunk almost rs large a sum.
From 50 great an outlay there should be a con
siderable income Al, there is-hungry DEATH
boards his Thousands, prisons, penitentiarie.
and almshouses reap rich haryests, and to host,
Of innocent sufferers it brings broken hearts
and papgs worse than death 1t also cntail'
diseased appetites upon Offspring. Some may
think this an oyer-wrOught picture, but thos,
who knoir, feel that the half can never be told
What can be done? Every man must "uI
and to duty lie that believes Temperance,
work should be done in the Church, see that i
be done there and lie that thinks it can b
done better outside of the ChurcIi-do it there
p and those who believe secret organizations ar
the most efficient means, work there, but al
& ir0rk, and against the common fOe--and i
must soon tell on the delences Of the rumsell-
er. There is a class We have not mentioned
J who believe in free rum To such we woui'
o send missionaries and to the free, yender Las
Dr. Brigham referred to Mr.. Fcrrin's re
D marks upon parents transmitting diseased ap
70 pettes to their children He said it was Al
d accepted fact by the medical profession that in
d temperate parents entailed upon their offspring
$ not only diseased appettes but other inGrm
2 ties diseases of mind and body. Cases eoul
y be cited that would prove the truth Of sue
statements. And further, that it was some
= times the cause Of families becoming extinct
. The use Of alcoholic stimulsnts excites III
o besiial part in man, and comes to be predomiu
+ ant in him, and it is a law Of nature that h
transmit to his oi-pring his dominant procly
MI ties. The Dr. referred to Rev. j f. Wright
! strong argument in favor of the constitution
% slity Of our prohibitory law Said lie coul
endorse all Mr.. W said, and inaddition woul
h say, that as all law was based upon the prime
n pie which sacrifices individual to social an
, civil rights 50 government had in certai
a emergencies a right 20 the individual himself
T. Not only was his natural right to liberty an
pursuit Of happiness interlered with, but la'
r takes possession Of him, If the public good d,
manded it, In his case the public good De
mands the prohibition Of the sale Of intoxicai
ing drinks, as a beverage We have the Ian
Il which is but an instrument in the hand Of ma
p to rid Us Of the scourge of inlemperance. No'
n our great need is men, in the true sense of III
word Men whose spinal column will enabl
J.. them TO stand erect, as God made them an
fight unAinchngly FOR the right No con
promise with the enemy, under t guise
e continuance or nsHe proseqni Of any suit con
P menced Wewll have nothing to do with e
&c tablishing such precedents, but our objel
Z shall be the full and just enforcement Of ii
e law against any who will persist in a cOurs
q that the commonwealth has pronounced harm
ful in tie highest degree to her veal. Op
lie obligations to the State, to our own town
d people, and to ourselves, demand it.
/, Mr.. Brown said he would like to gladden. II
d hearts Of the hard workers here by telling the
ID some good news. Two hotels have recent
K been added to tie list Of temperance hotel
rs Tie American Hou-e Of Hydepark, Col
lt S,wyer, proprietor, and the South Har'
wick hotel brennan Brothers, proprietor
o. Mr.. Brown mentioned some hardships that he
or to he met, in enforcing the law. The indifie
rv ence aud cowardice Of some Of its prOfess'
N friends, who allowed themselves to be caiol,
~ and BATTERED by the enemies Of law into maklr
et ''lalse moves" that would be sure to be parad,
Nd at some future time as preccdents lie pr
d nounced woe upon lawyers who for ga
or any other reason were always found oppos
M, to the law that was made for the protection
y the helpless aud innocent, and woe to the by
~ ocrites who can accommodate themselves, 50
a and body, to all circumstances.
h Mr.. W. A. Lord, referring to Mr.. Ferrir
"a remarks, said he thought he could suggest
method that would ensure speedler CONVERSE
to one believing in free rum, than to SCI
missionaries to him. Let a son, drunken
% free rum, go to his home and disgrace hims
NJ - /. f,.l nd 81 ,,a