The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-10-12


dcspolism, but we prize free govern
menis none the less. Great enterprise.
take time; they are not campaigns. bni
sicgcs. So This. You and we enter
npOn siege, and if not completed ia
our lifetime. will leave il as heritage
OF work and honor to our children.
"Now, this seems the proper time. No
campaigns before lis: no candidates 10
be criticised. or condemned: two years
to get ready. Now is the Scripiural
time. and we think the political time.
"Moncy. 'Ti- impossible TO carry on
the work without money. said Neal
Dow, Maine had TO be soWn knee dccp
in temperance literature before she Sc
cured prohibition Men must see be-
fore they feel. and feel before they act.
Literature is requisite TO This and money
TO literature
n knowledge of facts often brings II,
face to face with the foe we would suc-
ccssiully combat with every available
weapon. gives lis Il deeper sense of the
need that il be vanquishcd. or all j. los.
forever. In our country there are G3.-
600 churches. with a membership of H.
100000. with $1,000 ministers Of the
gospel, i,0O0.0 Sabbath school schol-
ar, and teachers. The entire snm con
lributcd for the maintenance of all these
churches does not probably exceed 500
.OW,OOO, or onc-twclllh of the sum ex-
pended for Intoxicating drinks. While
there are 63.OOU churches, there are 2jO.-
600 places where liquor, are sold
While only about $1,000 ministers are
engaged in preaching, one-half million
or six times as many, are engaged ia
dealing ont strong drink. some GOO.
900 of those who drink are reckomed
drunkards. Not less than one-tenth. or
G0,OO0, of these die annually. The pro
ccssion of drunkards marching ou
through degradation, disgrace. deli-
um, disease and death. to that sadde.i
of all ends, the drunkard's grave and
doom, walking two abreast. would eX-
tend more than thirty miles two hum
1rcd dropping ont, two hundred falino
in every day. II j. II terrible march of
death and its rapidly thinned rank are
filled up by recruits from respectable.
virtuOus homes. from evan0elicai
Christian churches. Another estimate
of the cost of liquor to onr nation. IN
Guiding its concomitants i, placed al
: ,151 900. 900. while ii costs only SgVJ.
uou.OO for the necessalics of life. hi
said. "Lct rum take care Of iis own
criminals. lis own maniacs. and it would
be bankrupt in Il year. The rum naiIir
rules and we pay for it, and the rum tax
is tho badge of our servitudc. Vhi
rum traffic moi only taxes our pockets.
but il lays lis hand, on our bows and
enters our families
The startling fact, existing in oui.
own state alone should open our cyes tn
the need of reform. In Vermont there
are over four thousand drunllards. hah
itual drunkards. sixteen thousand hard
drinkcrs-for instance those who drini
but from four TO twelve time, dav ::
then, saddcr still. twenty thousand
young men between the ages Of seven
teen and twenty-five. who are in the
process Of training for drnmkardS-all 50
sure they never shall or can become
such. Besides, there are two thousand
men employing another thousand. all
engaged in selling intOXicanis. Ifther.
are. as 1t Is said there are. fortv-lhror
thousand bearing down upon the lem
pcrancc lines in our state. i there not "a
demand for very speedy action in The
way of reform: Mctlink- the call i,
loud and long. If such wailings should
come up into our houses from any other
conceivable source. who Ofu> would re-
sort to moral Suasion or legislation thai
gave no hope: II is an cnormitv OF
such gigantic proportions that il would
seem ii would only require a knowledge
of its workings to bring every human
person 10 rise in their might TO do what
ihey could for it, determination. Tive
do now become thoroughly impressed
with sense of this fearful evil. we eau
not tail of rcturning to our homes with
a firmer resolve, God helping Us. thar
we will labor with greater devotion.
cOnsecration and >clf-sacriticc than in
the past.
The object of our gathering is to in
crease our knowledge. courage and
faith, that we may prove to be iu>l
such diligent servants as our Mas
Ter has called Us to be in onr la
Dor i'll this cause for him. With what
lamentable frequency do we hear the
questions. What has been done: What
can be done? What possible GOOD doe,
it do to try to keep up meetings unlcs.
everybody comes? J. not there more
liquor sold and drank than there ever
was: | for one cannot believe there i.
nearly as much used. Numbers try to
prove that working for the cause only
retard> il. After all that is said and
done TO put Il stop TO effort, none can
help seeing some most happy results.
even from Womcn's work. at least H.
answer TO her prayers. Many reformed
men very frankly attribute the change
III their lives to the counsel. sympathy
and prayers of the women. lfthcy ora-
tuitously insist upon it that it is so. We
certainly have great reason TO thank
God and take courage.
Our fifty reform clubs, with an aggre-
gate of 500 members, should be. 4
know are wonderful stimulus to ever,
hopeful worker. God speed them in
the right and help us also. that we ever
encourage them TO walk in the WAYS OF
sobriety. | am confident il i, the Mas-
tcr's purpose that for our own sakcs a.
well as theirs, we should find plenty to
do in that direction.
am happy TO say see positive si.ns
of increasing interest in the educating
of the Juvenile population in the princi-
pies and practices oftotal abstinence. ii
we rs unit with our might make The
most of the material at hand. surprising
results will surely follow. | say let n
go forward, working in all the way,
that are open to rs: let MS scatter hroad
cast the good seed which shall bo produc-
tive of a glorious harvest.
There has been too frequent hal- be-
cansc of the enemy. Ii i our privilege
to put him behind H. il we will. Mr.
Meredith, one of the founders OF the
National Temperance Society, I'm hi.
opening speech at il- twelfth annivel'-
Sary. in the Moody X >ankcy Tabcrna-
Gle. Boston. Monday evening. MAY n.
said; "What is needed most /, 10 make
the people feel the facts. In all thi.
>tarIing misery which i before our
mental vision. we need TO feel IN our
hearts the facts of the cause. one or
the most encouraging facts i the att-
tude which woman is assuming toward.
it. The ladies have n right TO weep
over the misery. Let them with wo-
mans power go forth to break the tv-