St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-12-13


He lays the gospel axe at the root of
the tree of sin and goes in for cutting
down the tree and not merely for patch
work and partial reform by looping off
the branch of intemperance. He cries
to his congregation Now is the ac
cepted time: behold, now is the day of
salvation.
And when "a certain number of men,
women and children rush indiscrimi-
nately up to the platform to affix their
signatures" penitent, weeping, with
broken hearts, and cOntrite spirits, why
should they not be wept and rejoiced
over by Mr.. Murphy as so many brands
plucked from the burning. Possibly
there may be among them some return
ing prodigals or penitent Magdalens.
How can Radix tell if he is or is not on the
platform. And even if there is but one
sinner repenting there is joy in heaven
in the presence of the angels over that
one signing the pledge on the platform.
Let Radix rejoice also. Please, how
long does it take penitent sinner to
reform either morally or religiously to
whom Jesus says! Thy sins which are
many are forgiven thee. Go in peace
and sin no more? And suppOsing that
''quite number of Mr.. Murphy's con-
veIts have signed the pledge while al
most too drunk to stand :" that is the
way many topers will sign the pledge
if they ever sign it they are never
found sober long enough to sign the
pledge unless they sign when sleeping.
1t is no sure sign because a man signs
while drunk that he viii not keep the
pledge.
Last winter, while pastor in Green
wich, N. Y, going one evening to a
Murphy meeting in the Baptist church,
| met on the sidewalk Charlie Fields -
colOred sexton of the village cemetery
too drunk to stand straight or still, and
swearing like an old salt because the
ianitor of the church would not admit
him to the house III his drunken condi-
ton, and l had scarcely ever seen him
in any other condition. After listening
to Charlie's complaint, took his arm
and said: Come with me Charlie you
shall go in and sit with me, and
shall go forward with me and sign the
pledge. The poor man burst into tears
and cried ''God knows | need it, and
| will do it, So drunk that he made
commotiOn as he staggered down the
aisle on my arm, and so drunk as to
somewhat disturb the congregation with
his maudlin talk, yet Charlie Fields
signed the pledge that night amid the
clapping of hands and the hot tears
streaming dnu" HE own and -,,anJ
other faces. That was in December of
1877. Last September us | returned to
Greenwich, one of the first to give me
hearty greeting on the street was
Charlie Fields. With tears of joy run
ming down his dark face, while tears of
gladness filled my own eyes, he touch
ed his blue ribbon and exclaimed :
"Thank God, Mr.. Austin, not IA drop of
liquor has passed my lips since the
night | first put Oh this badge" And
his steady eye and manly poise, his
cleanly looks and good clothes confirm
ed his words, as did the testimony of all
with whom [ conversed about Charities
pledge.
Many of those signing the pledge will
fall Yea, doubtless they will. What
then ? Many others will keep it. Shall
the work be condemned because some
will go back Were there not ten
cleansed But where are the nine. A
drunken man wallowing in the gutter
once hailed George Whitefield Gle
hic-ye'r don't know me-hic-Mr.
Whitefield. T'm-hic-Tm one o. yer
converts" But shall we honor White
field or his work less because pro-
fessed convert, drunk. halls him from
the gutter? But then, Whitefeld was
''high pressure" worker.
l have seen the manner and fruits of
Murphy's work in Greenwich and other
places and know whereof write. His
work in the city of Troy last winter
wrought wonderful changes in the
physical condition and in the morals
and manners of hundreds of citizens
Men signed the pledge when drunk,
and some of them keep it to this day
Men confined in the city Jail for drunk
enness we're taken out, led to the Muir
ply meeting, signed the pledge and
still keep it. Some of these 1 know
personally and they are living sober
witnesses to-day.
If we may believe the editor of the
Troy Daily Times in recent number
and he is far from being a total absti
nence fanatic-scores and hundreds OF
drinking men have kept the pledge the
past year. Crime has peTceptibly di-
minished; arrests for drunkenness and
other vices have greatly decreased
pauperism and suffering have been
much less in the city, and there are
scores of homes still made happy and
hundreds of hearts still made glad and
hopeful by reason of the temperance
agitation and reform in that city last
winter. And whenever Francis Muir.
ply returns to that place the city pres:
and the temperance people give him {
hearty welcome that amounts to a tri
umphal ovation. And nearly all of the
religious and secular leading papers O