Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-04-16
A Calm and Temperate Talk ON the
Tewnerauce Question.

The st. Botolph is q club recently estab-
lished in Boston, in imitation Of the Century
club in New York, to bring together for so
cial intercourse gentlemen interested IN inter-
AZURE and art Like the Century CLUB, II
proposes TO have an art gallery. with occa.
siona exhibitions Of pictures, and social
gatherings for conversation. Two or three
hundred gentlemen of all professions and oc-
equations, have already enrolled themselves
as members but as yet the club house has
not been opened and the club has met only
once in a hall, to adopt its constitution and
bylaws and elect its officers. But, while the
club is in this nebulous condition, it has al
ready been the object Of severe attacks The
first think was made by temperance So
cety in Boston, which took occasion to re-
buke the club for having determined to have
wine and spirits and to find fault with the
Boston clergymen who belonged to this club,
AZ lending their influence to intempsrance.
Then followed Mr.. Joseph Cook. in one of
his Monday lectures (soe Independent, Feb.
10, in which he stated, as a fact Of which he
has knowledge, and from document which
now hold in my hand, " that certain Boston
ministers had signed their names to an an
nouncement that the new st. Botolph club
would furnish wine, liquors aud cigars to
its members. The announcement con
tans" says Mr.. Joseph Cook, 1.-THE names of
considers it an impertinence in these minis
tiers that they faunt their public announce
ment in the face Of Boston and New Eng
land. Great applause. !" In consequence Of
these public statements, made on such au-
thority, ah opinion widely prevails las l am
told by Mrs. Mary Livermore, who has Just
returned from three months lecturing tour
in the Vest that the Boston ministers are
members of q club which meets TO drink and
carouse. What then are the facts
The St Botolph club has never announced
or published anything about the use Of wine
or spirits and it has never taken any action
or passed any resolution on the subject
When the Boston temperance society de.
nounced the action Of the club in regard to
wine and spirits, the club had taken no &C
ton on the subject, and has not done 30 to
this day. When Joseph Cook gained great
applause for denouncing the club, and the
clergymen belonging to it, for Haunting its
announcement in the face Of New England"
it had made no announcement at all. When
he said that he held in his hand document,
authorized by the signatures of men whom
he prOfessed TO respect no such document
existed When Wendell Phillips praised Mr..
Cook for bringing this accusation, he also
did it without taking the trouble to inquire
whether it was based on fact or not. He
FASTENED to endorse charge against his
friends aud neighbors, apparently indifferent
as to whether it was TRUE or false The only
action on record of the St Botolph club is
that by which it adopted its constitution and
bylaws and elected its officers. There is
nothing in the constitution and bylaws in
regard to wine and liquors. What, then, is
the foundation for all these accusations
Only this. Before the club existed q self
constituted committee, with view to form
ing such an association, sent private circu-
lars, setting forth its proposed objects and
character Il contained among other sug-
gestions, this, that there should be no res.
taurant but that wine liquors and cigars
should be sold to members in the club house
Gas in the Century and other clubs. This
private circular was printed by one of those
to whom 1t was sent in a daily or weekly pa
per This was a personal act. wholly uuau-
thnrized by the club (which did not even e1-
is or by the private committee which made
the suggestion. 1t will probably be said
that though these charges are unfounded |
and untrue, yet that they will do good, as a |
timely warning, which will prevent the club |
from allowing any Of its members to pur-
chase wine or liquor in the clubhouse. Bot |
is IT right to accuse men Of having done |
wrong III order to prevent them from doing |
wrong? Is it right to bring charge against |
your neighbor, without asking if it is true, in |
order that some good may be done thereby; |
saults make it more difficult for them to do |
what is asked Of them For myself see no |
possible advantage in having wine and liq- |
uors sold to anyone at the clubhouse. But |
suppose that the club should finally adopt |
the proposed suggestion Would that make |
the members who do not use wine at the |
club responsible for those who do? / see |
eminent temperance men dining at hotels |
where wine is sold, and present at clubs |
where wine is drunk Wherein is their con- |
duct different from those who belong to q |
club which, though it does not furnish wine |
to its members, allows those who wish to buy |
it. The evil done by such denunciations and |
assaults as these, is to drive from the move |
ment those who are ready to act in behalf of |
temperance.
Total abstinence is one way, and an i'm |
portant way, of promoting temperance but |
1t is not the only way. The experience of |
many years has shown that there are numbers |
Of good men who cannot be converted to this |
doctrine. Shall they be denounced as wine
bibbers! viii this help the cause of temper |
ance Abstinence is one way of preventing |
intemperance but there are those who hon |
estly believe that abstinence is not the uni |
yersal law, and that, though it may be neces- |
sary for the present distress it is not the |
highest law. Temperance they believe TO be |
higher than abstinence They do not op-
this is not the only method. Some would prob |
ably cooperate in building halls where work
ing people could go for innocent recreation
in the evenings. Some would Join societies, |
with temporary pledge Of abstinence, to
be renewed, at the pleasure of the signer, |
once in three, or six, or twelve months.
Some would sign pledges against drinking in
saloons or barrooms. Other pledges might
be adopted against the use of distilled spirits
Stir 81 g. II.
they do not care to attend temperance meet
ings or join temperance societies, where the
whole time is occupied in attacking temper
ance, where temperance is said to be the /
chief source of intemperance, and where
those who occasionally drink wine or beer
are declared the main obstacle to the tenn
perance movement. Total abstinence may
be often duty for the sake of others. We |
may often be called on TO say with Paul: Il
will neither eat flesh, nor drink wine, nor do
anything whereby my brother is offended"
But is there not also danger of driving into
opposition those who are excluded because
they do not consider abstinence the only
rule May not many young men be left ex-
posed to intemperance by being told that if
they will not sign q total abstinence pledge,
they have no right to belong to any temper
ance society; Are they likely to be convert
ed by such denuncations as those of Mr.
Cook Are not the members of the Botolph
club our brothers also
God knows, and we all know, that intern
peranee is an evil so awful that it needs the
united effort of all conscientious men who
care for their neighbor to accomplish any
thing against it. Why, then make a little
sect of the friends of such cause, tied to-
gether by single method end why attack
all who will not accept that: Is it not time
to consider how the ground and basis of this
movement can be enlarged Let US have, if
possible, the cooperation Of all wise and
good men in such an all-importaut work as
this.