Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-06-15
Grand Reform Club OF Vermont.

| FIRST ANNUAL AEKTINC-wBDNEsDAY EVENING.
The evening and closing session was held
in the City Hall, a very good audience being
in attendance. The meeting was called to
order by President Dursnt, and after the
singing of Where are the Respers," the
chaplain, Rev. Edwin Wheelock, offered
| prayer. Then was sung. work for the
Night is Coming" following which Mr..
Durant made some remarks to the members
of the Grand Club. lie enjoined all to go
to their homes from this meeting with new
zeal and courage. This was one of the
grand days in Vermont's. history. when her
sons were gathered from so many localities
in such work as they were engaged in.
If he never met them again they might rest
assured that he would die a true patriot to
the cause of temperance. lie should never
make any compromises with or concessions
to the enemy. Mr.. Durant then in few
well chosen words introduced Mrs. Emma
Molloy. That lady, be said, was laboring
under great physical depression, and only
sense of duty and love for the work called
her before them tonight.
Mrs. Molloy come forward and was re-
ceived by the audience with applause. She
could not express the mingled feelings
aroused by the kind words to whi,h she
had jest listened. and which had touched a
tender chord in her heart In her present
depressed condition she could better resist
the reproaches of an enemy than the kind
words Of friend. There seemed little that
was new that she could say on the subject of
temperance. But she wished to answer
some Of the fs!lacies of drink. Every drink
ing man knows how the network of evil Is
woven around him. and knows the evils of
strong drink; SO she would not dwell on
- e IL.
similar to the one that once existed in
London, during the prevalence of the
plague. The people met to pray for divine
aid and deliyerance. The Earl of Shafts
bury arose and said: II will pray with
you, bet in the meantime, let US scrub,
wash and be clean" Intemperance was a
dangerous disease, and the means to pre-
vent lis c0ntagion and spread should be
sought out and used.
She then described the successive steps
in the effects of alcohol 1t first excited the |
imagination. then attacked the will, then |
blunted the moral sensibilities Man was a |
dual being-animal and spiritual Let the |
spiritual in man become blurred by the |
effects OF intemperarce, and be was but a |
walking animal. A great artist painted the |
face Of a lovely child, fair and beautiful. 1t |
was admired by every enc who saw it.
Years after be painted another picture,
and placed the two side by side. The last |
was that of wild, haggard face peering
through prison CRATES. The two were por-
traits OF the same person-one when the
spiritual was predominant, the other when
Intemperence had given the animal pre-
dominance. 1t had been said TO her that
God was too merciful to punish the drunk
ard. and drive him from His presence eter-
nally. dOd did not drive the drunkard
away, be went away. II men had hell in
them IN this world, and left the world with
1t IN them, they would have it in the next
world, for the dissolution of the relation
between the body and spirit would not
change the character Of the spirit. Tantalus
was chained to a rock. and surrounded with
delicacies that receded from his eager
grasp like shadows so will it be with men
who let their animal passions conquer them
and destroy their capacity to enjoy the
spiritual
The speaker mentioned the isllacious ex-
cuses OF man for the use of alcohol, and
said that like other pOisons it should be
sent back to the medicine chest and the la
boratOry, and she was glad to think that
popular sentiment was fast cOminglto that
point. Wine was more and moro being
banishec from the tables of the wealthy,
which augured well.
Some men bad told her that liquor did not
effect them; they could drink it and not get
intoxicated. Such assertions WIS an
acknowledgment that they were controlled
by their low animal natures. Finely and in
tellectually organized men could not drink
liquor without being effected by it. She
then related the story Of the two darkies,
who were fishing and gave the fish crumbs
from their lunch basket. soaked in whiskey.
IL made them drunk and they came to the
surface, turned up on their backs and were
EASILY captured. There was one big old
Iellow. however, who took in the bait with
mpunity. The more be ate the liyelier her
became. The query arose as to the reason of
his, and the darkies decided that the big fish
nat took the whiskey with impunity was a
'mullet head. and hadn't got no brains"
20 those men who boosted OF their capacity
o hold whiskeY and not get drunk. only
confessed that they were mullet heads with
Tut brains.
Drunkards could not be saved against
heir Will, and hence they must be awaken
ID to sense OF their conditional difficult
md delicate task requiring great patience ,
ma charlty and much personal effort. To
10 this work One must be able to endure
'Duse and reyllIng. She eniOined upon
members of the reform club to remember
hat charity covers multitude of sins
)harIty was needed in this reform work. IL
vas from battle that these reformed men
lad come. and many Of them haG wounds
hat were tender, and they should be ten
erly treated Personal effort was what was
eeded. To not r. buking but with tender,
Oothing words. Personal effort, prompted
y loving heart. WAS doing this work, was
citing IN motion this great under-tow, that
"a ENuaa ma . fal Ia. ~