Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-08-06

Temperance question. The labor question
calls out much of the best thought in this
and other countries. The question will never
he properly settled until we eliminate the
tlramshop from the theatre of action. Power.
ty is caused 10y Vastefulness and if these two
things were eliminated the labor question
would be finally settled. What is it thai
produces so much poverty and waste as the
dramshop? The political question attracts
universal attention and thought. Going
down through all parties, We find that the
dramshop is the poisonous sore on the body
polite 1t is the home Of the pot poll
tican and the political hummer. Both OF
these classes will go down with the dram.
shop. As to the moral question, the morals
of our country are bad. Do you seek an ex-
PLANTATION of this pollution 20 10 the hundreds
of thousands of dramshops all over the coun,
try. They muSi I've overthrow or the most
we can do is,o Keep our country no worst
than it is. The Gramshop is the enemy OF
every question which interests our minds
We can eliminate the dramshops by two
agencies moral suasion and legal
suasion. There is no impossible gull
between the two. They are practically
coincidcnt There is no dividing line
The idea that moral suasion is de
frnsivc and legal suasion offensive is
WRONG, Both are offensive and both are de
fcnsvc Let us lay aside the error that they
are intrinsically different. Every law is an
educator. say To you. Ncrmonters. kecI
your prohibtory law. Keep it even if it i.
violated in every village in the State The
| license law cats into the conscience of the
people and diiruses ideas of shifting cxpe.
4 tlicncy. The persuasion of conviction is Il
mighty power. 1t is the kind of persuasion
we need ! don't believe in religious re-
vivals, 50 called. The best revival come,
where an earnest, Christian man breaches
religion 10 his people steadily for year after
wear That is the kind of revival the tenn
pcrancc cause demands.
Where can we best apply this power OF
persuasion first? Two genii are struggling
| Tor mastery over mankind. One is as
old as the world, nurscd on error, nurturcd
on untru.h. 1t says TO every one, Il want
you to do as | command You" This is the
power of usage or custom. The second OF
The gcnii is always young AMI fair and with
truth and light in his face This is the pow
cr of enlightened common sense. Old usage
and enlightened common sense have been
| struggling for the mastery of mems minds
since the worlds birth. POlythclsm is the
| child of the former; and this grand religion
Of ours sprang up on its ruins, with the aid
of enlightened common sense. The two
forces are at war on this matter of tenn
perance What are We to do in this matter
| Where can we best aid enlightened common
sense ? The answer at once suggests itself
| in the education of the child We ought to
give the benefit of ourexperience 10 the child.
| 1t is cruel not TO do so. All the force we pos
scss of teaching and example ought TO be
given to the work. The family the church.
the platform and the press are not suili-
cient. In the family the matter is too Otter
neglected. Three quarters of our families
are doing nothing to guard their children
| from the dangers from intemperance which
they will soon encounter. The church Us 4
general thing does nothing. The platform
can do but little In the press we have nc
consecutive effort. All these agencies arc
powcrless to reach even II mCiety of oul
children. But how is it with the schools
| Every day there enter our schools some ten
million children. There it is that we car
reach them have some criticisms to make
on the conduct OF our schools In the first
place they ought to echo the voice of modern
| science. They ought TO supplement tho
family. They ought to furnish the ciiiZer
and not merely make the scholar. VIII
| then should not the schools instruct the chill
drcn in the matter of temperance? If thi:
WAS done the children would be educated t,
a knowledge of the uselcssncss Of alcohol
| they would become the bulwark Of thu
| Prohibitory law: they would become pos
| Scsscd of the persuasion of conviction. II
would steady this American nation-a III
| ton which now staggers with its drunken
ness Who would be harmed by this tenn
pcrance education Nor the individual MOI
the home nor morals not the nation. Ii
would harm nothing but the rum traffic
Every other interest would gain immcasur
ably.
The schools are the hope of the country.
They must not teach science, merely, hui
morals and religion. With the schools 81
the future and their instruction intempcranc,
will disappear. Why can We not now
teach our children temperance rs well n.
arithmetic morals and religion as well Il:
geography
The gathering then adjourned.