Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-03-31
TEMPERANCE COLUMN.
CONTRIBUTED BIZ TIE wonRN's TEMPERANCE UNION.

TEMPERANCE COLUMN.
ADDRESS OF HON. J. H. sEELYE, OF MAssAcHU
SETS, BEFORE TIE CONGRESSIONAL TEMPER
ANcE SOCIETY, FEB. 20rH, 1875.
Mr.. President, Ladies and Gentlemen
To an audience as intelligent as this, i
might seem almost impertinent to speak
upon the evils of intemperance. 1t mighl
be supposed that these are sufficiently fami
liar 20 every one here They are so con
spicuous that they eye which has not seer
them, cannot see and they are so dire, that
the heart which has not felt solicitude and
pain on their account, cannot feel. And
yet, as the very familiarity with danger
lessons our dread, and leads US to dwell
little or lightly on its import, so perhaps
the very cOnstancy of our association with
the evils of intsmperance may render Us
thoughtless of them and may make II
quite worth our while to stop moment
and think how large they are and how ter
rible.
If we were suddenly and for the first time
brought face to face with these evils, and
could take in. at one unexpected but COM
plete view, the vice, the crime, the wretch
edness, the ruin wrought by this single
cause. believe it would b the first con-
viction that in some way odr sight had de-
ceived US, and that no such reality could be.
Indeed, to realize the full magnitude of the
evil is TO many men so difficult, and to some
men apparently so impossible, that nothing
is more common than to hear advocates OF
temperance called unscrGpulous. and cbarg-
ed with exaggeratiOn in their statements
do not know but such charge may be
sometimes Just but do know that it Is a
great deal easier TO brighten the coiors and
diminish the proportions OF the picture,
than it is to paint il in all its terrible dark
ness and tremendous extent. 1t Is great
deal easier, and believe vastly more fre-
quent among men, in discussing the evils
of intemperance, to fall below the reality
than to reach it, much more than to pass
beyond it. 1t may be possible perhaps 1t
has been done but it is not easy to exag-
gerate here.
When YOU take such words as some OF the
English judges, noted for the elearness OF
their views and the calm precision OF their
statements, have spoken, OF the relation OF
| intemperance to crime when you hear
Justice Coleridge say - There is scarce
" a crime comes before me that is not
caused directly or indirectly by strong
drink - and Justice Guerney Every
crime has its origin more or less IN drunk
enness :" and Justice Patterson II 1t
were not for this drinking, you-the Jury
and | would have nothing to do" and
| ,justice Anderson - Drunkenness Is the
most fertile source of crime, and II 1t could
be removed, the assizes of the country
would be rendered mere nullitles - and
Justice Wightman i" ind in the calen-
dar that comes before me, that the one ua-
failing source, directly or indirectly. OF
most of the crimes that are committed IS
intemperance."
When we add to these words OF the Eng
lish Judges the testimony oil those familiar
with criminal records here when we ind
the city clerk OF Boston declaring, that oil
the offenders transported in the " Henry
Morrison, >" 20 the Deer Island reformato-
ries and other penal city institutions, eighty
per cent are victims OF strong drink when
we find the Massachusetts State Board oil
Charities. IN their official -lo66-de-
clarirg that intemperance Is the ehlel
occasion of crime, and that " probably
mere than eighty per cent. OF the criminals
in this State come within the intemperate
class - when we find disting gulshed judge
and district attorney in Suffolk county
Hon. George r Sanger-for many years
familiar with the criminal courts OF the
commonwealth. declaring that = there are
very lew eases OF crime into which the use
of intoxicating liquors does not more OF
less enter ;" when we push our inquiries
with similar result. all over this country
and over the civilized globe, when We Ind
also that intemperauce is the fruitful source
of pauperism a. well as Of crime. and that
the cost of pauperism and crime TO thl,
commonwealth alone is more than four mil.
lions of dollars per year when we hnd
that disease is so certain an attendant upon
intemperance, that no life insurance com
pany will grant policy to an individual
: addicted to II, and that according 10 th'
: carefully prepared tables OF life Insurance
the average length of life of the intemper
ate is twenty wears less than that OF othe
I men when We add to this fearful picture
bot glimpse of the want aud wretched
ness of home, and family. the degeneration
, of children. the dangers to society. the per
I il to every interest OF the lite that now Is
and the woe threatened in the world t
come Il say if it be possible TO paint thu
picture in too fearful colors.-it 1t be pos
sible to give this tremendous reality to-
! terrible representation, | believe we hav
: got to wait for the Imagination trans
= cending that OF Dante or Michael Angelo
which shall show itself adequate to tn
task.
No, no Ii is not easy TO exsggerat
here but it is not difficult to tai. about ex
aggeration, and to fancy that things ar
not so bad as they seem, and TO sink dow
into lamentable apathy over an evil who's
enormiiy of darkness and terror cover
earth and almost hides heaven.
| take II, my friends, that We can al
agree on one point to start with. and tnat i
this-that this evil is not going to cure 1t
p self The policy of letting il alone leave
il to its uninterrupted work of destruction
The darkness stays till day comes Th
: evil will not go out until good shall drive l
out Where then, shall We look Tor da
which shall bring night toan end Whenc
shall come good which shall cause all thl
evil 10 cease
We expect it from some source. We ar
not hopeless of all remedies Every well
: wisher OF his race looks and longs and hope
and strives for some means to lit the weigh
I of this curse from the world and We here
all of Us, | doubt not. will JOIN in any step
which might lead Us 10 such goal.
, do not believe that the day we look 10
is to dawn from advancing education !
sound education Is of incaIculable worth
good schools are priceless but education
in itself considered, has never proved ltseI
a source of moral reform.
at it comprehensively, had its birth in som
moral impulse but education has neve
}, made men moral, and it is a great mistake
5 a. the whole history OF education will show
. if we suppose il able to change the deeE
j. seated moral tendencies OF the human mini
i But besides this general defect. there is
special bar to hope from education IN ii
c case before US, because. while Intemperanc
D is not vice which is confined, by an
o means. 10 the uneducsted classes. but
found with fearful frequency in halls {
G learning and with men OF intellect and Gu
o ture, yet when thus found it mas hold
!, which education instead of relaxing actua
" seems to confirm
y think | am not mistaken-l appeal
Z your own observation to attest the remars
u that educated men, who become victim
u of intemperance, are harder TO reach an
reform than the uneducated who have falle
= into tho same vice. Education, instead
y tearing out this tendency. only sends Il
10 roots down deeper into the soil. Ii ma
> render its power more subtle it may mai
its manifestations more refined 1t can vel
easily deck it with garlands woven fro
III music and song and social rejoicing bu.
D. cannot make it any less destructive asa vic
ID while by dressing it up in adornments OF /
= own creation it can enable it, like Sats
Il transformed into an angel OF light. on
H. the more tfectually to deceive.
/ No, no Rely upon schools and colleg
y and educational influences as much as
l NAV, intemperance. instead OF being cheul
y ed by these means. is able to work eve
L. their destruction. If intemperance has 1
e. other foe than education. then intempe
snce triumphs, and education itself goes
', the ground Indeed, it is one ofthe terril
~ elements of this evil, which alone is enous
~ to thrill one. that all our Intellectual il
y huences,-all the appliances OF civilizatiC
~ ~ itself, instead of quenching this fire. ms
~ become the very fuel upon which it fee
IA till it turns them to ashes. Who, with 9
open eye upon the records of civilizatiI
" itself and clear view OF the history
ie men of intellect who have illustrated thi
,lI does not see that we may be confronted