Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1876-11-18
A TEMPERANCE MESSAGE.
A Letter from John b. Cough to the Youns g
People of the Country.


been requested to send a message to the
Sabbath,schools in behalf of thetotal alb
stinence cause. wish could write to
you all that is in my heart on this great
question, but my time and ability are
limited, and my message must be short.
We are sometimes told that total alb
stineDce is not temperance. What is
temperance Let me give you short
reply. Temperance is lawful gratifica-
tion of natural appetite. Is the appe-
tite for intoxicating liquors a natural
appetite No. Therefore temperance
is total abstinence from intoxicating
liquors as beverage.
This principle is a sensible principle.
When you are as old as I am, you will
regret many things you have learned in
the past but you will never regret that
you did not learn to use Intoxicating
liquors. Ihsve never met person, nor
do L believe that you can find person
in the world, who would say: 81 am
fifty years of age, and never drank O
glass of liquor in my life, and l regret
that did not learn to drink it when
was young" No. When you meet one
who has never drank, he tells you: "
am glad of it," or 81 am proud of it. u
A man once called on me, and said
"Mr. Cough, want to tell you some
thing. l am not a reformer. I care
little for reforms, or missions, or Sun
day-schools. They are all very well in
their way, but they are not in my line.
L have been an actor since 1 was
eighteen, and ] am now forty-three, and
I never drank glass of ale, wine, OF
spirits in my life. What do you think
of thatS l am proud of it7"
Dear children, you would be shocked
If you could read some OF the letters
that lie in my desk, that have been
written to me by persons in all grades OF
society-young men, old men, lawyers,
physicians, ministers of the gospel,
teachers, mechanics, clerks, and some
ladies-who have acquired the appetite
for strong drink. One says :" "Dives in
hell never longed for drop Of water as,
with all the power there is in me, long
for drink" Another says: sis there
any hope for me on this side of the
gravel" Another says "God knows
how near L have been to self destruction
through drink, end so on.
One poor man, actually holding my
feet, cried out: "Ob, Mr.. Cough help
me out of this hell. Drink is my curse. j
Yes, dear children, the cry comes from
the inmates of lunatic asylums: " Drink
is my curse;" from the State prisons,
Drink is my curse;" innocent victims
wives, mothers, children" Drink is
nay curse;" from the burning lips ol
the dying drunkard comes the despair.
ing cry: Drink is my curse" There
are broken hearts, blighted hopes,
blackened characters, crushed intellects,
and lost souls as the result of strong
drink, and not single individual but
reioices in his escape from it.
Is not the total abstinence principle
sensible "But all who drink do not
become drunkards." I know that; but
If fifty young men begin to drink, some
will assuredly be ruined by it. Then,
there is risk. Now we all desire safety
and security. Suppose you desired to
travel from New York to Chicago, and
there were two lines OF road-one on
which there were accidents constantly
occurring; on every train some disaster,
passengers killed and wounded; in short,
very risky road; and on the other,
never sincs its opening had there been
the slightest accident. Which road
would you take9 If you are sensible,
and regard your own welfare, you would
take the safe one. Suppose some one
should tempt you to take the risky road,
by telling you how much more beautiful
the cars were and what jolly company
you would find on board the train.
You would say: 81 care not SO much
for gaudy cars and jolly company as fol
my safety. want to be safe." Now,
it is your safety We seek, when we urge
you to abstain entirely from strong
drink. There is no certainty that you
will become victims il you begin to in.
dulge, but there is o risk.
Some say 81 can govern myself
have mind of my own" What would
you think of captain of steam vesse
who would put on full head of steam
and then knock down the man at ths
wheels Or of the conductor on rail
road, who would let on the steam anG
then disable the engineer You woulG
say he was reckless man. The steamer
or the engine might get through without
accident, but it might go crashing to de.
struction. So when person, using thai
which weakens the power of his will, de-
pends on his weakened will to serve hin
using that which warps his Judgment
and then depends on his warped iudg
ment to guide him-using that which
affects his self control, and then trust hit
derangyd self-control to keep him from
danger-he is reckless. Simply because
some men drink and do not become
drunkards, can you9 L once saw mar
stand on small platform outside the
spire OF church, and look down on the
pavement one hundred and fifty feet be
low. Because he did it, can you9 Think
of these things before you run the risk
and remember what the risk is.
Our principle is lawful. We have beer
told it is contrary to the Scriptures
One gentleman said to me eff you car
find command in the Bible, Thou shall
abstain from Intoxicating LIQUORS as {
beverage 1 will abstain but not til
then" Dear children, we want you tC
love the Bible, to obey the precepts O
the Bible but in view of the evils Of in
temperance, and in view of its cause, VIZ
ask of the Bible only permission to LEI
liquor alone. we lay our hand on thil
blessed book and ask May we abstain
You do not search the Bible for com
mand: Thou shaltabstain from gambling
from dog fighting; from horse racing
just in proportion to your leve fol
the Bible will you abstain from these
things, because they are detrimental tt
the best interests of society according tC
Bible principles. Therefore, since in
temperance is caused by the use of in
toxicating drink since in proportion tc
the use of such drink drunkenness in