West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1881-04-06
CONFERENCE TEMPERANCE
MASS MEETING
AT THE
I. 3. Nhnrch, ,S0hrdaY Ere"|Hg

Conference business, the order OF
the day, the Report Of the Commit
tee on Temperance being called for,
DR.. J. l.. Henslcy, Of New Haven,
read and submitted the Report as
follows:
TO the Bishop and Members Of the
Parkersburg Apnuo3 Conference Of
the L. b. Church.
DEAR FATHER AND BRETHREN =
The subject of Temperance is of
such an ineXhaustible character,
that | scarcely know what phase of
it to consider that will not prove
too voluminous for this occasion.
1t would require volumes to pre-
sent all the untold evils growing
out Contemporaries, withits blight
ing influence upon the social circle;
and its steadily increasing horrors,
as they daily arise wherever this
evil is permitted to exist.
Every fallacy in the shape Of ar
gument that has been set up in it's
defense has long since been refuted,
and are generally admitted as
groundless by every sensible man
or woman who is not blinded by
prejudice, cnslaved by appetite, or
bought with money. Its physio-
logical effects on the human system
have been thoroughly discussed by
some of the ablest minds and pens
of the nation and have been attested
by the bloated and distorted phys
iquc of its devotees. .......
AS rule the Churches have con
fined themselves in the past to the
phy3ico-theological view of the
subject; and have religiously guard
ed their sanctity against its inllp-
ence Internally, while they have
continuously suffered externally
from the growing influence OF in
temperance and the Rum traffic
upon the young, thousands Of whom
are annually drawn away from the
church and its influence and led
into the paths Of ruin, who might
otherwise have been ornaments to
society. The present magnitude
and rapidly-growing influence Of
the Rum trade is justly waking up
the dormant energies Of the Chris
tian and order-loving people Of ev-
cry state in the Union.
The past year has been especially
noted for this general awakening.
IN many States the Legislatures
have been extcnsively memorialized
to enact laws to check the tide of
evil growing out Of this nefarious
traffic, which is so rapidly taking
the place of the late slave trade of
America, in controlling and shaping
the legislation and management OF
the body polite, alike in State and
Nation, only to a far greater extent
While the former evil was localized
and confined to IA com aratively
small area, the other extends
throughout the entire Union, and
while one enslavcd the body only
the thoughts Of its subjects were
always free but the other cnslayes
both body and soul. And while
one WAS confined to single
race the other extends to every
race, nationality, condition, age,
sex and color. But like the for
mer, the latter comes up with
out a single virtue or redeeming
trait Of character, and by dint
of widespread influence waves its
dark, magic wand over the heads of
the law-making and political cir
cles, and says to their members,
defantly, you dare not touch me
or will consign every one Of you to
the shades Of private life = and they
tremblin2ly smother their convic-
tons of right and humbIy kneel at
the shrine of the Rum-seller and
say, "thy Will be done" Over TWEEN
ty thousand Of the best and purest
classes of the people of this State
came up at one months notice (and
had time permitted over fifty thou
sand would have Gomez to our Leg
islature praying Constitutional
Amendment forever prohibiting the
manufacture and sale of intoxi-
cants in this State. to be submitted
to vote Of the people but under
this wonderful influence this body
II 1