Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-09-04
Vote for Member Of Congress-Third District.


pASNOtkSE By XIV. HAkAAN LOoAlS, u. D., VI
BROOKLYN, MY.
The very successful series of Sunday
evening temperance meetings in the
churches, which has been suspended for
month or more, was resumed last evening.
The meeting was held in the Baptist
Church. which was filed by large and
attentive audience.
Samuel Huntington, Sd, presided, and.
after reading of the Ser .l,tures by Rev. G. B.
Stafford, and prayer by Rev. NJ. A. Wilcox,
introduced Rev. Hartman LOOMS. of New
York, as veteran in temperance work"
DR.. LOOMS DISCOURSE.
Mr.. LOOMS said he could hardly be called
a veteran in this work His work in the
temperance cause had been only as a part
of his Christian work. As so connected, his
interest in it ran back moro than thirty
years, to the times Of the old Washing
tonlan society of reformed drunkards.
Dealers tell US that drinking is increas-
ing. We know better Many of us remem-
Der when the rum Jug was indispensable at
every raising and IN every hay field; when
brandy was on every table when doctors.
III ibCll Qtlls OlLtn DcGamc unut
for duty before night, and when pastors
could not always tell whether they were
under the influence of the spirits above or
the spirits below. Now the ministers are,
almost without exception. total abstinence
men, and so are the better class of doctors,
lawyers and politicians Yet drunkards
and drunkard makers are in the land. We
have tried moral suaslOn, which the dealers
like well. We have tried legal suasiOn-
prOhibltory and stringent license and local
option law-and still the work is not done.
As set forth in the temperance tract enti-
tied The Street of He'll, :" there are in this
country BOG. 900 licensed grog shops, with
frontage 5GS miles long. There are fire
million people who patrOnize them. and
who, in platoon of eight, would make an
army lis miles long. There are 53O.-
900 habitual drunkards. recruited from
thatarmy; there are $50, 900 criminals made
so BY rum there are $50, 900 women and
children, widows and orphans of drunkards,
or enduring the living death of the drunk
ards home. There are $4,000 funerals of
drunkards every year. Add to this the
shrieks OF delirium; the walings of ma
MACS; the shouts of debauchery, and j. it
not indeed a street of Hell?
The evil is more terrible one, than was
that of slavery; but like that it must come
to an end. God has brought the women
into the work. and by the loving heart and
work OF woman it will be accomplished
DR.. LOOMS described IN an earnest and
interesting way the recent religious interest
IN Brook.yn-the daily prayer meetings and
reyiyals in DR.. Cuyler's church in large
Baptist and Methodist Churches near his,
and in Talmadges tabernacle and still more
at length the temperance work Of the
women. He had at the first looked at the
women crusade a. a sort of religious mob
ocracy but Attendance on the daily prayer
meetings held by the Brooklyn women had
satisfied him that tod Is behind them. For
four months they have held meetings of three
hours day daily, especially for young men,
ladies presiding, besides "cOn-ecration meet
ings of ladies only. They had made more
than thousand visits TO rumsellers. Unde-
their influence l29 sellers had abandoned the
business. Only fifty ladies' out of the Is
900 female church members OF Brooklyn,
have thus far conducted the work. They
are of all denominations. They are imbued
with a deep religious spirit God Is working
with them; ant he believed their prayers
would yet be answered by the closing OF
every dram-sh0p IN Brooklyn.
Similar work Of the women, In ike
spirit OF Christian earneStne--. would ac-
c0mpliSh ike results in this city. Enter
ing first into the closet and the prayer
meeting, and going forth in the strength OF
the Almighty, they will succeed. and the
hundred drinking places in Burlington
will be closed. Divine suasiOn will succeed
where moral and legal suasion fails.
Dr.. LOOMS spoke foT over an hour, with
great interest and effect.
At the close of Ii, remarks, Mr.. Hunt
ngton gave notice Of the meeting Of
women, at the Young Womcn's rooms,
elsewhere announced. He added an
expression of his own deliberate con-
yiction that if anything is accomplish
ed permanently in the way Of temperance
reform here. It Will be, under God, by the
women. lie had received letter from a
friend, who thought it his duty to tell him,
that bis besetting sin was fault-fnding It
might be 50, but he must still continue 10
find fault, till the Christians of Burlington
come up to the work under God.
The meeting closed with beneIic;i1n by
Mr.. Stafford. The singing by special choir,
in which We noticed Mr. \. j. Phillips,
Miss Nellie Lawrence, Miss Eva Post, Mr.
NJ. D Fuller, and the fine soprano voice Of
Mrs. -. formerly Mis- Barrett, Of
/ Wuo1-ki. was Of especial excellence.