Mexico weekly ledger., 1879-09-11
TEMPERANCE.
Self-Rakes, Briers and ThOrns,

do pledge my word and honor, God
helping me, to abstain from all intox-
icating liquors as a beverage, and
that 1 will, by all honorable means,
encourage others to abstain"
Miss Belle Morris was next intro
duced, and read 1.-The Tide" with
fine affect and amid great applause.
The regular subject for the nights
address was 1.-THE Inconsistencies of
Temperance Workers." This would
have presented a fertile field, filed
with briers and thorns; a harvest
worthy of the energies of a four-horse
Mccormick self rake, and capable of
being gathered from many illustrious
predecessors, down to that lapslng
apostle and high priest, Conway but
Mr.. L. B. Buckner was unfortunately
sick, and thus lost a rare opportunity
of either scratching or being snagged.
In his absence, Col. Hutton was in
vited to take his place, but declining,
Judge Forrist was called to the stand
by the chairman.
The Judge commenced by saying,
pleasantly, that it had been SO long
since he had made a temperance
speech, he scarce knew how to get at
it. He had some of the old vim how
ever, aud as this was an old fashioned
Murphy meeting, and as those relied
on were absant, he felt like lending
a helping hand. lie would speak OF
tares, weeds, briars and thistles. All
these have great significance. They
furnish the biblical illustrations of
bad deeds-bad habits-bad passions
-eXcesses leading to actual intern
perances. They are the thorns of So
cial and intellectual gardens. What
is needed, is to get rid of what they
represent. How can that be done?
There are farmers that have meadows
full of them. What do they do to get
rid of Canada thistles? Do they pluck
the heads from them and throw them
on the ground, or do they pluck them
up by the roots1 1t would be an alb
surd thing to pluck berries from briers
and throw them on the ground to
sprout and multiply. 1t would only
be the silly farmer that would do this.
Now the same things are true in re-
gard to temperance. If intemperance
is to be eradicated, its root must be
extracted and destroyed. But where
does that root lie: 1t is to be found
I in the bad habits of the moderate
drinker. Its root is neither in the
dramshop, nor in the drug store, nor
i'll the manufacture or sale of intOX-
icating liquor. The DOT which lies
I in moderate drinking cannot be de-
/, stroyed by destroying its fruit, the
dramshop and drug store. No man
ever became q confirmed drunkard
that was not first a moderate drinker.
Now let each moderate drinker cease
drinking and treating, and let each
one persuade his friend and neighbOr
to cease. Let man after man, block
after block, street after street, alley
: after alley do this, and of necessity
/ there will be a temperance city. Right
here lies duty. Abstain and persuade
t others to abstain. Whoever does this
t is the true Evangelist of the Murphy
Gospel! Let this be our work for oul
t common cause. Oh, there is truth
. there is sense in our pledge as you
have heard it read. Oh, there il
poetry, there is beauty, there is sal
, walton in it! In whatever is to bt
, attempted, it is important to begiI
at the top and descend to the bottom
and eradicate roots. People will dit.
fer as to how this can be done. Thej
have a right to differ, but let all be
; sober and there will be no lIquoJ
Il made or kept. The law o. supply
and demand will regulate that. Does
2 any one suppose that our merchant:
: would keep high-heeled shoes if ouI
t ladies refused to wear them? Take
common sense view of things, anC
8 answer If any man expects to fine
0 cloth shoes in our stores to-day
V They went out of fashion and salt
long ago. People live by the sale o
what is wanted. What think yol
would have become of a dress-makel
in Eden before the fall? Stop drink
ing then. Take the pledge and keeI
it. That is the best prohibition
against dramshops and drug store:
that can be devised, and it is the on.
ly one that will even be enforced
Take the pledge. That is the bes
> thing to do. 1t is the best way tt
shut up dramshops and drug stores
If no one wants liquor no one viii
keep it. Practical common sense
teaches this, and practical common
n sense is as necessary to temperance
= success as to success in other enter
prises. Enthusiasts are not going t.
b reform the world in a day. Tina
e could not be done in thousand years
= but each individual can reform thu
little world around himself. He cal
D cease drinking. He a deal gently
/ He can love his neighbors, and if h'
is the head of a family he can return
to the old-the good old ways, an(
with wife and children, swea eterna
n enmity to rum. This will be striking
y at the root. Will you do it? Ough