Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-05-11
TEMPERANCE WORK IN BURLINGTON.

TEMPERANCE WORK IN BURLINGTON.
The most momentous question of the age
: ovcrshadowing all others in importance, il
that of temperance |, is true beyond al
question, that the abuse of intoxicating Ii
quors is filling our penal and roformatory in
stitutons, breaking up families, running live.
and imperilline immortal souls. In Yer
mont, taking the State at large, the liquo
traffic has no means reached gigantic proper
tiOns, thanks to a strong and healthy public
sentiment and 10 the restrictive laws ii
which it has found expression. The Cntet
the liquor dealers and their figures furnish al
least an approximately correct list of allsucl
dealers. According 10 these, there are now
in this State four hundred and forty -sx sell
lers of intoxicating liquor. This gives pro.
portion of only one liquor dealer 10 every
'4j Of tie population-a ratio which
comparatively speaking, is by no means dis
creditable to the State, though were it much
/
are three things TO he considered which dim.
inish our satisfaction with the figures. First,
the proportion is much too large, after over
| 80 years of restrictive legislation and tenn
perance work. Second, while our popula-
ton remains almost stationary, the rumshops
are increasing in humber. In 1881 there
were 400 of them in 1882 there were 42G !;
and now there are 44G. In the third place,
| over the State, but are concentrated in 1l3
of the PAL towns in Vermont. These are of
course the larger places and the inference
naturally is tina. while the rural hamlcts get
along very well, there is in the more import
ant places vast disproporton be-
tween rumshops and population and that
this disproport on Is yearly increasing
in favor of the former These arc unpleas-
ant facts, but facts they arc, and il is useless
to attempt TO conceal them. But to pursue
the subject no further in this direction, let
us look at our own city. Here the revenue
officers report fortY-nine licensed pieces
where intoxicating liquors are sold. This
perhaps does not seem so great & number, but
shop to every Two hundred and fifty of cur
population, men, women and children. 1t
is one rumshop 10 every fifty of our voters.
Surely this is dangerously large proper
ton and the fact of its existence should be
an incentive to all rightmindcd men and
women to use their best ard most earnest cf-
fonts for the promotion Of a temperance sen
iiment in this community at large.
And this brings us to brief consideration
of the agencies at work in behalf of the tenn
porancc cause in this city. First and fore
most come the family, the church, and the
school The moral religious training of the
family and the church form the most potent
agency OF all in leading our youth in the
paths OF wisdom and temperance and the
influence of the school is Of inestimab,e value
in the came direction. Next come the spe-
c al agences-the organizations whose sole
object 1t is to establish our youth in temper
ance principles, to reclaim those who have
become the victims Of intoxication, 10 ad-
vance the general work of reformation. OF
these organizations somewhat detailed &C.
count is given in another part of this paper,
and it will, we are sure, be read with inter-
es, by all who have the prosperity and we'll
doing Of our city at heart. 1t shows that
while the liquor interest is strong, there is
powerful force arrayed against ii and that
this force is increasing n strength is proved
by the fact that all or nearly all the organiza-
tions spoken of are gaining in membership
and growing in every way. They have done
and are doing an immense amount of good,
aud will as the days go on make further
gains, we trust, in their warfare against the
common foe. Whatever may be the iudi-
vidual opinion Of the law-and public senti.
ment in Vermont is overwhelmingly in its
favor-no one can quarrel with these tempei-
anco organizations or their methods of work
which is indeed undertaken ia the true
spirit OF the Good Samaritan-and they are
well worthy of even amore generous support
than they now receive from the general pub
lie. Every parent, every Christian, every
employer of labor, every one interested in
the good name and prosperity Of Burlington
ought to take an active interest in the tenn
pcrance work and when the fact comes 70
be fully realized we shall see an entirely diff
ferent state of affairs here.