Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-01-29
For the Freeman.
0nnOsing Forces.


the conflict between temperance and intem
perance. Other questions of deep public
interest are agitating the public mind. it is
true, but no other question" draws the
sharp lines of demarkatiOn between such
masses of men and women on-God pity
us that we must say it-either side.
Although enlisted in the ranks of the
refOrmers, ever conscious of the almost
omnipresence of the enemy, and oft-times
dismayed ut what seems its omnipo-
tency, do we yet give sufficient heed to the
mnuter details of its opposing forces,
thrown out on every side to confuse. mis-
lead and overwhelm? This branch of the
enemy's service may be far more formid-
able than we are wont to suppose. The
open argument can be met. The batter of
intoxication turns the scales against itself.
But let us be wary of the sly and crafty
maneuver, which plots to throw disorder
into our own ranks. Look at their method
A deserter from their side becomes an ad-
herent to ours. How quickly is thrown
after him the stigma of immortality, never
thus publicly proclaimed until he was no
longer lone of them Is his record in
sufficiently dark, that of his ancestors
must yield its long forgiven and long
forgotten errors to their scrutinizing search.
They warn US Of the contamination which
must ensue from utilization with such as
these. And if we gain stronger, ADLER
accessions, of whom such dark hints, such
daring accusations cannot be made, we
have yet to hear the whispered insinuaton
of hypocrisy, the low-muttered growl of
hate, escaping now and then to undo the
work they had attempted.
1t is not difficult to see the design in
this course of procedure to make us
doubtful, distrustful, suspicious, thereby
weakening our own forces, never too well
organized, never too ably directed. But
may not this method, this point of attack,
be made our strong point of defense like
wise? What does reform signify, what
does it implys Who has need of the
| physician? Whom did Christ come to
call unto repentance? Our work is for
Just these, the weak and sinful and
those who suffer through their shining, and
if we gain to our cause only the strong, the
wise, the pure, let us cease our efforts the
righteous need no change. Let us not fear
but strive to follow closely Him who came
to scek and save the lost, who made the
detested publican his disciple and after
ward his apostle, who was sneered ut as
eating with publicans and SINNERS, who
burdened the sinful woman with no bitter
concentrations, heavier to be borne than
| the weight of stones the conscence-strick-
en- Jews were compelled to withhold.
Rather let it be Il cause of disquietude
among us that our work avails with SO few
of these, and let us watch it jealousy, as
we do the church that gathers in its fold
no poor, no weak, no erring mortals.
| 1t has sometimes been said of good
cause which had died out, that it came to
its death at the hands of its friends; and
we are disposed to arraign the conserva-
tism still extant among the protested
| friends of temperance rs really an oppos-
| inc force to its progress and success.
/ Cons ervatism coolly, or dispassionately
at least, comments the work in general as
good thing, hopes it will be continued,
/ believes it will yet effect 4 change i'll pub
| lie sentiment, and with wise precaution
/ suggests that it shonld never interfere with
or be mistaken for religious work Con-
servatism expects the evils of in
/ temperance will be but partially remedied
/ in n degree they may be mitigated but it
/ has no doubt that this is one Of the ills to
which flesh will be heir so long as the
world stands And modern Pharisaism
buttons up its coat, leisurely draws on its
gloves, and walks away in comfortable
satisfaction, thanking God that it is no. rs
others are-cVen these publicans or fauat-
zeal reformers. Not n quickened pulsation
ut the the thought of the vast amount
of suffering and agony spread over the
world and neto erery day, not one step ont
of the prescribed course of custom to lift
into the pool the wretchcd brother, who,
helpless. waits the moving of its waters
OF out of the deep pit the one who vainly
strives to extricate himself Nothing of
this disturbs the equanimity Of its COM
posture, and nothing whatever casts the
shadow of doubt as to the correctness of
its own conclusions " Though one rise
from the dead" etc. And yet the contest
goes on and God only knoweth which
shall win. W.
THE DEATH OF PAREPA- RoSA-The
death of this eminent singer took place or
the 22d in London a few days after the
birth of child. Euphrosyne Parepa
daughter of the Count Demetrius Parepa,
Wallachian nobleman, and Elizabeth Segu
in, the famous singer, was born in the CITY
of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the summer o
1889 nearly thirty-fivc years ago Hel
father was political refugee from his ma
tive country, who sought refuge in Eng
land Within Il year, he met and wa
married to Miss Seguin, who, al that time
+ was singing in London with her brother
/ Edwin Seguin, the elder. At the time O
the birth of the subject of this memoir
) the Countess Parepa was fulfilling an en-
gagement ut Edinburgh. The daughte
= was thoroughly educated, and her nIusica
;, training took years of intense study.
e In 1856, the Seguins were singing i
z Spain, and it was decided that Euphrosyn
should make her first appearance at til
= opera house in Malta as Amna in l.
c Somnambula," and she met with the mos
tlattering success. She subsequently ap
Il peared in opera at Naples, Genoa, Rome