The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-06-09

mortal day has its chief significance and
claim upon our hearts.
1t is well for us to dwell uuon such
memories. 1t is well for US, if they do
net lose their power upon us. 1t is well
for them that no memorial service can
over.pay their due--no loving tribute
over.speak their worth. We make no
mistake in applying to them these words
from the MARTYRS Hymn :"
Never ninched they from tho flame
From the torment never,
Vain tho foeman's sharper aim.
Vain his best cndeavor
Bright the day that won their crown,
Opened Heavens bright portal,
When they laid the mort Il down
And put on the immortal.
This matter of hard drinking is one
about which it seems to be next to i'm
possible for people to think philosophical.
ly. The fact that temperance depends
upon character is persistently ignored.
A man who has ruined himself and family
by tipplug. who has spoiled his fortunes,
d'maged bis reputation. and weakened
his will by selfindulgence, in moment
of uncommon penitence or Of desperate
lack Of money, is persuaded to sign "a
pledge He promises rot TO drink even
ager-bcer but does be promise 10 be wise
and industrious 2-to fill his life with
worthy actions 2-to DO unselfsh and
truthful save upon a single point Z? A
great deal is said about breaking the
pledge but pledge heedlessly or care.
lessly taken is broken from the start, and
in certain sense, n the very act of tax
ing it, Il is seldom understood that
character should be fully rounded and
universal, and that the mere writing OF
ones name is no guaranty OF regeneration.
1t may put him in The right way, but he
must keep himself there. The pledge is
no taisman, no costly charm. no amulet
to make its taker sober. Many a mau
has suddenly arrested himself iu his down
ward career, has promised bis own soul
to stand by new resolutions, has kept the
unuttered or unwritten vow and in the
end has conquered; and on the other
hand many man has died in drunken
fit after signing forty pledges. What a
reformed man ought to understand is that
he must by constant vigilance, by calm
reflection, and by honest endeavor, reform,
himself upon all sides-that he is not u,
liberty to be idle or lccntious, uncharita.
BILE or selfish, simply because he has be.
come temperate. Without conscience
thorougly armed for all emergencies, with.
out an honest desire to do right 10 all
things, without continually enargiug
views Of duty to himself and to others
the reformed man will almost always
through the operation of natural causes
break down or if he is preserved, it will
be by accident And what il true Of in
dividuals is true OF the aggregate popula
ton. After a great spasmodic revival o
temperance. how often have We witnessed q
lamcptable backsliding, with all vitality
turned to death, and all earnestness tc
indifference Tho causes Of this arc
hardly far to seek. The true reforma
tion is that which is based upon honest
thought, upon repentance which touches
every tibre Of the reformed mans nature
upon clearer notion Of tho value OF
lito and of the sarrednes, of this gift o
God. Our advice to those who are strug
Cling for dsenthrallment is to seek for 0
general growth Of the whole nature, and
for complete and not one.sided man
illness, 1t is failure to recognize thi,
which gives rise to continual disputes
among temperance men, and which makc'
great deal Of excellent and earnest worl
Of 10 avail N Y. Tribune.