The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-04-21

TODD family 10 the country had liquor
case in the house, usually kept well filled.
But If unexpected company came and
the case was empty child was put out
Of the hack door with a decanter TO 90 to
the store and get a pint of old Jamaica
or New England rum. One was consid-
cred hardly hospitablc who did not offer
friend treat when he called. | recol-
lect ore very old minister on returning
home from n ministers association as
saying, They had nothing in the house
to treat with. If had had the associa.
ton | would have had quart Of rum in
the house if | had lived on bean. porridge
three weeks afterward'
Commerce at that time was brisk YES.
sells came into the neighboripg seaport
loaded with molasses which was soon
converted into New England rum. Dis
tillerles filled the air in many localities
with black and filthy smoke There were
merchant princes in those days; whose
ships sailed into almost every known part.
They built and lived in almost palatial
houses-their side boards were filled with
the best OF brandy and wine three times
a day they took drink from their own
side. board They were temperate men
moderate drinkcrs-too aristocratic to
take drink in any common place. The
distinctions in society were more decided
in those days than now The embargo
was laid on and q check given to New
England commerce. Rich men failed
their ships rotted at the wharves. the
/ splendid houses after while passed 10
other hands. The fathers. the moderate
drinkers. went to their graves broken
down mcn. The SONS and grandsons ui
these same lich men, sunk into ohscurity
or drunkards graves can recall one
family descendants Of three brothers who
came early to this country good rclig.
ious mcn,) where the fathers, sons and
granlsons, spread themselves like green
bay trce-yct in the city of their residence
few years ago only two voters were reg
istered as bearing that surname once so
numerous and so hcnOrcd. New England
rum and the traffic III il had borne its
fruit, and the curse had descended TO the
third and fourth generation. The first
temperance movement which | recolect
must have begun early in the twenties
Dir. Beechcr had preached and publish.
cd some sermons which have never bceu
cxcelled Dr. Justin Edwards (altcr.
wards president of Andover Theological
Seminary, travelled through the country
ecturipg and forming temperance socie.
ties. What an uprising Of the people
there was then What stirring temperance
/, lectures were delivered in every meeting
house or school house, as was most con.
! venient. How people quaked and trem
) blcd under the strong appeals made tC
! them. At the close of the meeting the
> pledge was laid on the table men, womer
and children were invited to come forward
, and sign it. The measures and gill,
, quickly disappeared from the counter
, and where they were not voluntarily pu
, away-ii the owners were church mem
5 bers, they were dealt with Som,
, people thought the millennium had come
, and the demon Of temperance laid forever
s The records Of those days show that oil
} the heels Of this great temperance reform
r there spread over the churches Of tn,
: land great powerful religious awaken
r ing or revival, the like OF which had no
been known since the days Of Whitfield
s Temporal blessings were showercd on tn
land also. Statistics prove that lSS'
was most prosperous year for business
: Crops were abundant. and it was like
year OF jubilee. Since then the temperate
war has taken on many forms, and ha
. been waged under different names.
At one time Washingtoniau and Mar
! tina Washington societies were all tn
rage Some took the name of Rcchabites
and were pledged to total absiincc il
Z all their generations. The law, whic
should be terror to evil doors, has bcei
. resorted TO TO put down the evil OF intem
a perancc, when other measures have seem
ed to fail hut somehow all these effort
; Of good men and wise legislators hav
failed to lay the devil. One agency yo
remains to be tried.
The women have started out on ne'
crusade. lis the crusade Of prayer
Give the movement fair trial Praye
= is powerful agency it has wrough
wonders many times The minds of tn
:, the land are waking up to ask what tn
thing means ? 1t has set them to thinkin
$ and talking. ouco heard story whc
| will repeat, though | do not vouch 70
c it Just at the breaking out Of the lat
o rebellion some gentlemen were congrega
ted in parlor of New York botel
: They discussed the situation of the coun
try. the whether the Mort
u would fl I'll, or back down. At last
Southcrner gave his opinion, He SAT-