Litchfield enquirer., 1878-03-28
Temperance.

Tn The western towns or tflS county IS WltnOul parallel since the original Temperance move ment of forty years since which wrought such marvellous change in the habits of rural New England. Every close observer of that great accomplished; but the good has lain mainly in the general disuse of habitual drinking in the middle classes of society. Before the old Tem. perance movement, habits of constant indul- gence in the use of alcoholic liquors were gen. eral with all. Now, the New England farm CTS have, as a class given them up to great degree. With the native-born tiller of the soil, abstinence, if not total abstinence, is the rule. It is the foreign and the village elements of our population that support dram shops.
 Nevertheless it is undoubtedly true that the farmer has of late years relaxed something of his old distrust of alcohol. His former habit of total abstinence has become mere habit of abstinence from distilled liquor Cider, the cheapest, and most dangerous of our bevera- ges, has been partially restored to its old place supply of from twenty to fifty barrels of this beverage finds it's precursor in the two or three barrels now beginning to find place in the far mer's cellar. The inevitable result of such an indulgence, if continued, will be the res tOration of the old habits thrown aside by our fathers in their temperance reform.
 The time has certainly come when the solid old middle class of New England should renew the VOWS of total abstinence they took, with all the evil results of habits of indulgence before them, in the ''old war" against rum" !" We therefore welcome with peculiar pleas ure the indications of a temperance revival in communities in which the principle has lain dormant for many years past.
 There is no doubt much disappointment is in store for those who hope much from the thousands of drunkards who are everywhere rebelling against the tyranny of an evil habit. Few will have the strength to keep the pledge they are now taking Some, however, will un- occasionally do so, and the judicious temper ance advocate will rejoice all the more in such cases of permanent reform because they so seld3m occur.
 The great advantage of temperance activity lies not 90 much in the cure of those who are infected, as in putting those who are careless of the danger of infection upon their guard. The grand underlying fact of the temperance move ment that safety lies only in total abstinence is not easily impressed even upon sensible cautious. judiciOus people. So insidieus is the attack of the alcoholic appetite that even those most in danger are. least aware of the risk they are running Ask one of set of men who are indulging too freely, and he will admit, at once, that every one of his com rades is in imminent danger; and, all the while, he seems totally unaware that he runs an equal risk himself.
 What is most needed in a community is an universal hatred and distrust of alcoholic dHnks-even those most innocent in appear ance- Without this no community is safe for just as the individual who does not appre- ciate the risk of habitual indulgence is in con- stant danger, so the community that is asleep to the danger of general indulgence is also run ming most deadly risk. The true and only safe condition for the community as well as for the indi vidual is total abstinence; and the sooner this wholesome truth is impressed upon the present and the coming generations, as it was upon the one before us, the sooner the normal condition of modern society will be reached.
 To one form ofopposition to the temperance movement we must briefly advert In last weeks New Milford Ray appear two letters one from an Episcopalian, and the other from the Catholic Priest of that place-claim- ing that their respective churches have the matter of temperance in charge, and that no interference of mere secular temperance socie- ties ought to be allowed. X very brief exami- nation of this position will we think prove it anienable Neither the Catholic nor the Epis- copai churches require the practice of total abstinence of their laity or even of their clergy. Catholics have, indeed, established many de- nOMinational temperance societies. Episco- pAlians may have done the same, though no instance has ever come under our notice. There can be no claim that either of these churches, as such, teaches total abstinence.
 We do not complain of this; we only ask why such of their members as believe in total ab- ssinence may not join other people who believe in total abstinence in bringing the whole com- muniiy to that most wholesome faith and practice: Is 1t not the fundamental idea of popular government that it associates together Catholics, Episcopalians Evangelicals of all denominations, and even moral men who be- long tS 50 denomination, for the ropagation Of vir1ae and the punishment of vice2 If christians Of sll sects may lawfully join to- gether in a secular government to put down 6ceutiousness. murder, and theft, may they aOG lawfully unite in a secular society to put down drunkenness? Even if every church separately taught total abstinence from it's pull Fits. and required it of its members, there would still be need of the union of all these ae0ominsfiOnsl fragments of christian society into one grand whole foF the attack on this giant evil Let there be DO scattering abroad, tAeaL of the forces needed for this grand move meuL UniSh. energy and persistence are the prime requisites of successful Temperance ReSO<m-
 SCEIRSER's for April contains; Deer-Hu ing on the An Sable Gllus); Roxy, VI, by Edward Eggleston An April Song: King Da- vids His Inheritance. TX; How Lead-Pencils 2ES made; Two Saints of the Feot- Hills, by BCct Har-e; St. Violet; The Mosaic Creation anR MOdexa Science The Lovers Choice :: Amo1g the Thousand Islands Gllus ); The Sui eide; Maerame Lace Gllus. :. by Clarence Cook: TAe Telephone and the Monograph Of Flow CTS; Twenty-six Hours Day, II; A Queen at SchOOl: Editorial Articles.
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 The sufferers by the Tariffville accident held meeting at Winsted. last week, with view to obtaining compensation for their in- 1urie& We imagine that there is no liability