Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-03-02
THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT
INC LARKSVTLLE.

The agitation of great moral
question in any community which
has hitherto given no special atten-
ton to the subject cannot fail to be
productive of good. Even if mis-
takes may have been made in the
treatment of the subject, even if the
zeal of the agitatOrs may have failed
To be tempered with discretion 1--WE
are far from saying that such has
been the case here), still much will
have been gained if large number
of people have been led to think Sc
riously and practically upon what is
admitted on all hands to be very
terrible evil, and an ever-present
danger constantly threatening the
highest and most pressing interests
for the promotion of which society
itself exists. Nobody can doubt, we
think, that society is deeply moved
I'm GAINESVILLE at this time on the
subject Of strong drink those who
take an unfavorahle view of the
movement as well as those who are
futhering it will both assent to this
proposition. Under such circum-
stances the duty of a public journal
list is clear. He has to consider
whether the excited condition Of
public feeling contains any elements
which can be directed to the practi-
cal good of the public (and no wide
spread agitation is ever entirely
destitute of such elements); he has
TO enforce and promote these, and,
if it should appear to him that any
error is mixed up with the better
tendencies, it is his duty to point it
out and to do what lies in him to-
wards eliminating the error and
rendering the beneficent tendencies
efficient and permanent.
On the general subject of tempe
rance so much has been said here
within the last two weeks as to fur
nish good reason for our saying
nothing, and we propose to say moth
ing on that head. Our purpose is to
dwell on some topics specially affect
ing this community, with regard to
which we have information not &C.
cessible to the excellent temperance
advocate we have had among US,
and these are the special causes
which promote intemperancei in this
city and the special remedies which
We deem applicable to them. We
are nothing if not historical, and
can best get at our subject by some
observations on the progress of in
temperance I'm GAINESVILLE in the last
few years.
The present writer first lived in
GAINESVILLE at the close of the war.
At that time drinking prevailed in
great excess; the number Ofdrinking
saloons was pOrtentous, and every
other line of business was depressed
almost to humiliation public feel
ing was in a state of feverish excite.
ment; our young soldiers had re-
turned home after four years eX.
posture to specially demOralizine
influences in the army; schools and
colleges had been crushed out o.
existence; the very churches had
been paralyzed by the crushing pres
sure of war and defeat; our young
men and boys were under no guild
ance, temptations and inducements
to intemperance were wide open al
round them, and, what was more
serious than anything, they haC
nothing else to do.
1t is needless to say what came o
all this. Like causes produce like
effects the world over, and intern
perance took an alarming hold o
this good city, as indeed it did o
the whole nation, but it is of Clarks
vile that we have mainly to speak
Drinking was universal Throughout
all ages and all grades in life. Thi
did not go on long, however, with
out vigorous efforts at ameliOratiOn
The churches first shook off thei
lethargy and girded themselves 70
their holy work, the regeneration o
- society, and then slowly and agains
great difficulties our schools anC
colleges were recognized. Let IL
pause here to recall what these chic
difficulties were. We had no money
that was one, but it was not tn,
main obstacle. The almost insuper
able impeachment was the condition
of what ought to have constitutes
the school population. The soldie
boys who were still young enough
for education had had their schoo
course interrupted at its most critica
period, and while they were in tn
army had acquired habits and mode
Of thought very adverse TO Sount
school training, and those who wer
too young to he in the army wer
just growing up wild. There hat
scarcely been an attempt To educat
them; their parents had been in
thoroughly unsettled condition; ev
erything was unsettled and no on
had any time to attend to them ant
they grew up rather like weeds thai
like cultured plants. We havedwel
On this state Of things not only t
show the difficulties of establishing
schools at the time, but to point on
how peculiarly open and defenSeles
youths 80 circumstanced wer
towards incentives to dissipation
In spite of all difficulties, however
and all Encouragement the infiuen
eos for good Contended against tn
tendencies To evil with some success
The schools and colleges an,
churches gradually got under wa.
and made their influence felt, ant
several public movements wer
made directly in the interest of TEN