Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-03-10
Iha Tamaananca Cause.


The following is letter written
by w. II. Ryals, pastor OF the Bap-
tist church at New Providence. In
this county, to The Good Templar's
Gazette, published at Alexandria,
Va. 1t Is very well written and
presents some forcible IDEAS on the
temperance question. We publish
it at the request OF number OF sub
scribers; Gr @
The object of this, writing is to
express my deep regret at having
learned that the Good Templars'
Lodge organized at Columbia, Va,
during the winter of 1882, has yield
ed up its chart. Through the ear
nest efforts of Major Kilgour, the
jealous worker i'm the grand cause
OF Temperance, and the efficient help
rendered by the Palmyra Lodge,
this Lodge was organized, and bade
fair to do much good in the way of
checking the liquor traffic and anne
liorating the condition of many
wretched victims of strong drink.
things in this strange world, its eX-
istence proved to be short Lived.
And / think II Is due not 50 much
to the violent opposition with
which it may have met as to the
luke Warmness, the inertness on the
part of its quasi friends. / know of
no town or village where a Good
Telnplars' Lodge Is more needed
than in G., as well AS good temper
ance work. And j do sincerely
trust that this Lodge, of which L
was an humble member, may yet
be reorganized, and receive such an
impetus from the hearty co-opera-
ton of men of worth and weight
that ii shall not die until it has
killed the whiskey traffic, shut
every dram shop, and broken every
decanter in Columbia. Why nOtn
i believe it may be done, but il
needs effort, earnest persistent effort
to do this.
There are some people In this
world who profess to be Christians,
and of course say they oppose
and they also say that
the most effectual way to discourage
the use Of alcoholic drinks is TO
"treat il with silent contempt"
Bah! II one can treat with silent
or / would rather say
criminal indifference, an adder in
his infants cradle coiling for the
deadly strike, or look with calm
on the incendiary as he
applies the firebrand to his dwelling,
then let him talk OF treating this
curse with silent contempt.
No, the time has come waen every
Christian should not only be on the
but must be On the ag-
gressive if we would stay the prog
ress of this fearful Juggernaut be-
meath whose ponderous wheels.
thousands of miserable votaries per-
ish year after year. ... ......
If there CLEANS in our boSoms one
single spark of patriotism, one sim
gle impulse of sorrow for poor suf-
fering humanity, let us reach forth
our hand and our money, in honest,
earnest help to the grand temper
ance movement. Let us not through
q mistaken sense Of personal regard
80 compromise our sense of right M
to connive at this whitening blight
ing curse that rolls its black wave
across our fair land, filling the pen
and almshouses and
brotbels of our country with its
victims. How can we
sit in culpable silence and listen to
the piteous cry OF suffering infants
for the bread which has been con-
verted into poison to make demons
Of their fathers? ...,....s. d.
Let us arouse ourselves from this
ethargy and shake off this inertia
as we would Sinbad's burden and
make a strenuous effort to strangle
his hydra-headed monster which
s dragging its Shiny form across
he threshold of so many OF our
happy homes. Let us content our
,elves not until we see the banner of
waving over every
own and hamlet in our land.
When the air of heaven Is no
onger poisoned with fetid breath,
Tor resOunds with the Bachanal's
ong, when king Alcohol is de-
hroned and every dram shop is
.losed and every decanter is smash
,d, and the Goddess of Temperance
waves her mild sceptre, and the in
.ense of domestic felicity floats
where the fumes of drunken brawls
,nce did, then, and not till then,
AN we sing Of "land OF the free and
he home Of the brave"
'. w. III. RYALs.
Taa r,,h n.D