The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1880-02-06
" ON an q Tenn perlht6 Column
The Lord Of Hosts - cith W, the Col
a lea Of jacob u our refuge"
Dan Ricc's First Temperance speech.

Dan Rice made the ilrst effort ct the
Sapitariuni, on Case avenue, yesterday.
Tehre was q small gathering OF temper
nnce people there, and after speeches
from several other gentlemen, Mr..
Cordell announced that he was about
Introduce a speaker who was known
to every one in the United States.
either personally or by reputation. lie
then brought forward Dan Rice. The
audience spplsuded. Strange to saw.
Dan was evidently embarrassed at frat
but In the course Of few Minutes Ne
warmed to his work, and was perfectly
at home. Casting . glance around the
ROOM, and then looking at spot on the.
opposite wall, about seven feet from
the floor, he commenced: "It is rath-
or an, awkward position, this,p said
Dan, looking uneasily Ut the spot on
the wall; IL didn't expect to come
here. Tho other day received letter
from MIR. Cordell asking me to attend
this meeting. told him couldn't do
1t. But Mr. Cordell called mon me
yesterday and induced me to come,
My mind has been undergoing a re-.
markable change recently. vet I hava
not settled down to any direct or. most
tive course for the future. / have ham
so mixed up with my profession That In
adopting this new course l am movSd
solely by impulse as vet. / ID MT
even know what AM going 70 ssv
now, but l feel better than have do1s
ior years. 1 am glad to be here this
afternoon and to hear the voices of the
little children singing their hymns. Il
did me good. l felt honored at being
among them. l have moral COURAGE
and am not ashamed to face any of Won
as some men would be. Some would
have too much dignity to stand here
Too much dignity is not democratic.
(Lsughter.) Solomon says he Is a
wise man who conforms to The exigen-
cies of the hour, and as l have ALWAYS
been looked upon as clown. zany.
and fool up to now, think it is about
time that conformcd to the exieencies
of something else. (Laughter.9 II
have been a minister, but not az tha
Gospel. l have been a minister of fun
My mothers family were ali Metbo.
dists, and my mother often prophesied
that one day would be a minister
and often prayed that l should become
Christian. / heard Moody tho other
night. The prayers and songs made
me weep like a child. (Here Dams
voice faltered slightly When hoard
that song which mother sang il effected
me strangely. came aWsv snS ', -.
solved to lead . new life. r. p;iir
Mckee had followed nv eY.mri. ~
would have been alive to.dsr PIG TIE ,e
o.ner day We drank together. L drank
seIAer. Mckee drank settler and
somethlng stronger. He said to me !:
IAN tnis 10 my last drink, think /
sns,i ioiiow your example, The
night before Zach Chambers death in
Cmcsgo' v: were standing at bar to-
getner, r., drinking, Senator Chandler
salu: inns Is my last drunk, Dan. ~
tne gods, 1 have fulfilled my mission,
IL was ms last, for he died that pieht.
hare nad my last drunk. and 7
trust to God that / took that LAT d Arm |,
in time. This 10 . glorious work and
1t Is glorious to be in 1t. Pconle ~
sneer II they will, but l can hat ~.
inc Drunt OF their scorn. IfT rstr.y ~
my profession, and have not "a n !. ~ Y
up my mind whether shall a. ~ ~ 4
want 70 meet that hetero reneors ~ ~ 4
with whom my way of lie has hiti,erfc
thrown me, and destroy that cnrss
which ruins their inner natnrss ~
sends 20 many Of them 70 early or.v.:
Even IN my professional attire r. vonid
strive to reach these masses. I,At thsm
sheer vt me when get the harnsss Ic an
l came hero unpre pared IN sn..E ~.
h hoM : ieel ihsPired-m0rally great. /
poi.so lneLe u more manhood about
.no toIuay snan there has been at anv
.iue curing tho last forty year,. Let
Poop.e 'Ay what they will of me L shall
90 gu. ~; Ana let the press say what ii
VII. ine press has spoken 4 great
Hoai ~ mo, ana has said some pretty
hard things. When l was Younger /
got mad at what they said. / recollect
once an abusive article was written
against barnum and myself. wanted
10 take It up and 1 wrote to Bsrnmm
lie replied: my Dear Dan: Let lem
say what they please. It's onlv an
advertisement" Iaughter.)
Barnum's skin was THICKER than
mine. They abused me, bnt until
lately they had no cause. NV cbarar'
ter has been stainless until within the
last I'VE years. Since then every ono in
81. Louis has. known INV falling
trouble caused me to commence drinf.
ing 70 excess, and l have been drunk
all those five years. l have got drunk
70 drown sorrow. l have Zone STAG.
gering along on the street like This
(sfaggering). When think Of Il If
makes me ashamed Of myself. Then I
thought It very funny. thougbt I
was great man. used to sav 10 nv.
self: General GRANTS a great man
General Grant gets drunk. and
General Grant have bean DRINK 10.
gether. am great man. too. Ha,s .
great man. Som l (hic). eliminating
tne ScAons and voice Of Q drunken
manl. Grsnes great general in his
GUINNESS. ! am great general in mine.
tJ an ~ pig . man IS Grant, (Laugh-
ter:) II drunkenness were the
criterion l would be Q great man.
When was drunk thought I Was a
great man, but then L would wake
up the next morning and the hallncina-
Ton would be gone. Then l would lie
mere ana swear l was going TO reform
ana never touch another drop. After
while I'D get up, and somehow or
otner would get in the neighborhood
OF that same saloon. Ny head achcd
ana my stomach was ON Are but then
mad sworn l was never going to touch
nno.nct crop. looked at the place q
i1ng WINE and then l grew cunning.
Lsuehter.) l went into the saloon.
l ieit very sick. / needed some
stomach differs. The bartender didn't
nave any. ! pulled his head down
close TO my lips and whispered: "Give
me cocktail, then, but don't tell any
one" and then i would get drunk
seAin; y was this same thing oyer and
over again, day after day., 1 would
swear on repeatedly and break my
pledge % oflsn, but have brokep, It
ior the last time, In the course OF nay
NE 4 have spent three fortunes. !
would have them now II II were not for
tntemperance, and this II Int 4 ANAL