The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-06-08
Woman's Temperance Column.


~ JUcOO rs orr TcJUNc.
/, Alison Il. Colby of fSliddlcbury, VT.
do hereby solcmnly pledge myself that
from this time | will not, either BY N.Y.
self, my clerk, servant or agent, or by
any other person sell, furnish or give
away "any spirituous or malt liquor, or
any kind Of intoxicating drink" at my
place Of business in Middlebury aforc-
said, or at any other place within the
limits of said Middlcbury. And to this
pledge challenge public scrutiny.
Signed, A. Il. COLBY.
Nlddlcbury, May II, 1877
John u. Cough in the Boston Tabcrna-
Gle.
My friends, it is very easy to call
men brutcs. | worked for thirty-livc
years among the drunkards. among
criminals, and never found brute
among them yet, never. Dickens has
said somewhere in one of his works.
Mrs. T0dgers was hard woman, yet
in her heart, away up q great many pairs
of stairs, in a remote corner was door.
and on that door was written woman."
So on the heart of the biggest drunkard
in Boston, away up great many pairs
of stairs, in remote corner, easily pass
ed by, and covered over with cobwebs.
is door find that, and that is our bus
mess, and knock; no response. What
then! Knock OH, persevcrc remem-
Der Him who stood at the door of your
heart till his locks were wet with the
dew, and that this is brother man, and
knock cn, and by and by the quivering
lip and the starting tear will tell that
you have been knocking at the heart of
man, not the heart of a brute. have
often found in experience that Just as
quick as q man adopts the principle of
total abstinence it seems to open the
llood-gatcs of feeling that have been
shut for so many years, or turned al
most, was going to say, from tender
ness into bitterness. ] remember one
little fact. \ man said TO me. THE
quecrcst thing that ever happened TO
me in my life, was when put my
name on the temperance pledge. ] was
pretty hard case; my wife used to be
afraid of me ; my children used TO run
when came in the house away with
fear; it was but word and blow,
and then kick; and the minute put
my name on the temperance pledge the
thought came across my mind, Won
der what my wife will say to this.
Queer, wasn't it? The first thing |
should think of was my wife. But
went home and | made up my mind
that l would tell her all about it. Then
of q hurry ii might make her faint or
| al af s,,I
Queer, wasn't it! Another time l would
have gone home, knocked her down and
kicked her up again. Now Twas going
home thinking how | could break 1t to
my wife and not hurt her! So made
up my mind | would break it to her
easy, and got to the door; she didn't
faint away; l saw her leaning over the
embers of the fire; she didn't look up,
/ suppose she expected blow or a
curse as usual, and said, Mary. She
didn't turn; 1 said, Mary. Well, Dick
what is it! ! said Mary. Well, what is
it? Cannot you guess, Mary? And she
looked around at me. her face was so
white: ! say. Mary. Wcllf | have
been TO the meeting and put my name
down on the pledge and taken my oath
| never will take another drop. She
was on her feet in q minute; she didn't
ialnt away poor sonl, ana as l held her
l didn know but she was dead, and l
began to cry, and she was not dead j;
she opened her eyes and got her arms
right round my neck and pulled me
down on my knees, the first time re-
member ever going on my knees since
/ was boy, and said, Oh, God bless
my poor husband, and ! said amen, and
she salu hclp MN 10 Keep that pieugc'
ana said amen ana sne Kept on pray
ing anu KEPT on haiioihg, ana you
never hcard a Methodist haiioa Ike me,
unui could mol speak WORD was so
hoaise: IL was the iirst Tune we ever
kneit together, but 1t was not the last"
could give You scores OF just such ca
scs. 'l%hc once 10 aii au.nehce oi
9a.oas's, mLa IT Is n'' aWiu, Signt 10 see
neio WIZ Nv" pcrsona CANT up 10
sisn "a. i'icu7s, you nc.gr saw sucii
coupi1' l oouiu lo' ucscrioe thchh, lhue,
sgrl'uoie Siia n .nc "oulal' , urcss-uress
ohc iiai Soine rasSeu riopchs tleu
arounu Iicr waist WIN Dit Oh rope,
anu aooN' h'' waist ho'nihs put an
oio PIN" 'iia' was l"is'eu rouhu IKE
Iopc, ,n,o"s"' across her shouloee'
iastenIu 'ihc sco'c,i hal a' iler sac,
uir.y, pr',1eli-'aceu, halr All uown, ner
Eye as ~ c1iu u, piecs OIL Frey granite !;
iicI nuspai'u noh,u aS uriiiA hau'
scorcncu up NJ ih'ciicc'' anu nc IooHeu
,iioic mt an i'ip. .liln aiytnlng else,
put .ncy slsiicu lhe pledge, at ieast they
lnaae thcir inarh, ana 'he secretary was
inakihg oul peautiiui embossed CARDS !;
t,le man sain, II want 10 GET one OF
thehl ceT,iica'es' . ohc gave nm
nuugc,. mere Is siApence 10 pay ior
tiiem' want one Oh them certih-
cares 10 snow mat pelone 10 inc socle-
W: 1hrfr was cvidenilya family jar
gong on neI"ecn them. a gentleman
came Ill aid Nald: "'ood people, are
you gong To sign the temperance
pledge II nave signed IT, sir, me and
my mssu.' ana mat i' my ni'sus, and
We nave "isnod' ANA want TO ION the
society ani 90 ccrtihcatc' why
I IN