Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-04-22
TOTAL ABSTINENCE.

speech, I'm which he DeDrecateA
Drunkenness and FAVOEs Female
Suffrage.
AT the total abstinence meeting held
in the Greenlaw Opera House Friday
night, Rev. DR.. George T. Stainback,
pastor Of the Court street Cumberland
Presbyterian Church, made an address
which was an especial TRADE against
whisky dealers. DR.. Stainback declared
that no Christian man could be a dealer
10 liquor, a statement that may doubt
less be rejected by more than one of the
many Wholesale grocers in Memphis, q
few Of which class, as well as many of
the retail dealers, are well paying mem.
bers of Christian churches. In his re.
marks DR.. Stainback ~recounted his ex-
plOits here thirty.seven years ago, in
using force to secure the suspension Of
the whisky traffic in Memphis. He said
that since then he had learned a lesson
and now appealed to reason and moral
s%uasion, and urged fathers to show a
proper example for the sake of their
children as well as for the sake of them.
selves. In concluding his remarks DR..
StaiDback, referring to the boys of the
day, said:
You are the hope of the church; you
are the hope Of the country II you are
drinking, boys, you unfit yourselves for
any position in the church or State.
Boys, did you read that awful account in
the papers of that young man from Ala
bama2 Stop drinking, boys; you have
will-power; old men have lost it, to a
certain extent, and it is q terrible strug-
gle for them. Sign the pledge now.
Young ladies, every one of you take this
pledge tonight; your safety depends
upon it. You are to become the future
mothers OF the country. Say to your
brothers, say to your friends, / am on
the temperance side of this great and
important question. 1t is hard to resist
the glass when offered by jeweled fingers
Take the pledge and you may be the
means Of saving your friends or your
brothers. Women have more influence
in this work than men in this day, and |
want to see the women 10 the work. l
would like to have the women vote
so that she might vote on this great
question. This question will be settled
at the ballot box, and men must be
elected who will vote to restrain this
traffic. They call me a straight.out
Democrat. but | will vote for any man
who will vote right on this question.
There will never be good times until the
waste is stopped in this liquor. Give
me the money that is put into whisky
and | will keep Memphis in order and
pay its debts. | once drank, and /
know its evil. In 1859 | took charge of
a church. A man had been drinking for
fifty years; | did not know OF his pecu.
liarity-he had been adrunkard. Strange
as it may appear, when he Joined the
church he determined to stop drinking,
as every other mar or woman ought to
do. Whenever this man took a drink he
would get on a spree and get drdRk. l
called at bis house to see him one
day. | saw something was wrong
with him. When he saw me he
cried out, Don't you come in herel' l
went 10 and found the man at his cup.
He said to me, you go and take my
name of Of the church book, and let me
go to the devil! Don't come near me,
but let me go to the devil, where l be-.
long," | said to him, mo; | don't pro.
pose to consent to that; l don't propose
to give you up. You are drunk, but you
can be saved yet" l prayed with him,
| prayed to God-you know this man has
a DEVIL prayed to the Lord to take the
devil out OF him. As / prayed BIO wept;
and he asked it there was any hope.
told him, Yes, there is hope" | told
him to come to church and confess his
sins. He did SO, and be lived a good
life ever after, and died with a hope fol-
heaven,