River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-03-29
Christian Temperance VS.. Political
Temperance.
(BY JOEL FOSTER.

| In this conflict between these two parties
we find that political temperance has two
remedies for intemperance. Prohibition and
High License, whilst christian temperance
has but one, which we find in the law Of
| Revelation One is the revealed wisdom OF
God, the other is the cunning of man using
| his little book knowledge in hunting up
plans to defeat God and crafty his uncon-
troled passions. Political temperance tries
to raise false issue to bind the ignorant.
Now, there is no issue on the evils of in
temperance; the drunkard makes none, and
he feels it most of any. Political temperance
devotes all its time showing the great cost
and misery of intemperance to excite the
passions of the ignorant so that they cannot
see beyond their false remedy, trying to
make them believe that those who oppose
their plan are on the side of intemperance,
and they take care to name their plan
Christian Temperance without naming the
kind of christians Here is falsehood and
passion. The bible will expose all this Gun
ming and tell what the effect of it is on man
when he gets under its control. We find the
bible a perfect history of this conflict, but
before going to revelation on this subject
will give my own experience and con-
illusions after sixty years Of reading and
close observation on this subject, and what
discovered without the help of revelation
directly; but can see that had that help
| indirectly through my christian mother and
preacher. We will leave out the lessons
| that are necessary for the mother to teach
| the child while in her arms and on her lap,
| and start at the time when the boy begins to
act in some things Tor himself Up to this
time had never been to Yankee training
| by myself had never had pants with more
than one pocket in them and never more
than one cent in that pocket, but had out
| grown this My mother made me pants with
a pocket for each hand and my father put .
cent in each pocket, and was started t@
| Yankee training alone, perfectly Tree Tor the
| first time. That was all anxicls time for my
| mother; she was anxious to find out il the
principles she had taught me had taken
| root She said to me: "Joel, | hope you will
be careful and take care of YOURSELF come
home early and bring me something nice
stan ted feeling that had all OF this worlds
goods that needed, perfectly rich. Never
have nor never can feel so rich again. Now
under all this excitement it takes strong
selt-denial for boy to govern himself, but
| if he does it will grow easier forever after
| I spent one cent for raisins and eat them all
hut one bought stick OF candy with the
other cent aud commenced ON that; ate II /
about half OF it, tLen began to think Of my
mother. About three in the afternoon
| started for home Had some candy left. j.
was warm and dusty and | would stol
pocket, lick it little and put it back, and
when got home it was quite soft and it was
hard to tell the color Of it. My mother got
the raisin; the candy she pu: to her mouth
but thought il was too nice to eat, and then
! laid it. up 1t came back to me
with more with it, according to Gods plan in
the bible. early, while boy, discovered
that there was difference in boys according
| to how they were treated at home, whether
they were educated to freedom, virtue ana
| temperance, or were uneducated, to be made
| so by prohibition and high license. coul''
see that both made them ugly in the little
town of Merden, Conn, where ! was born
1t was customary Tor the seectmen OF that
| town to bind out boys and children OF those
that were not able to take care OF them, as
apprentices to some trade or to some farmer
The children were to receive a certain amount
OF schooling There were two manufactures
in the school district that was schooled in,
one tin factory, the other manufactured
pewter. They both kept quite number OF
apprentices. The owners Of both factories
belonged to the same church, but one was
prohibition, the other was perfect
freedom and self-government | went K
school with their bound boys. l kept my
mind on them and ON the plan by which
they were controlled-one of thenl in par.
ticular. He was ragged little fellow thai
no one wanted to take, bat the man that was
i'm favor oil Christian Temperance and Free
dom whist riding alongsthe street met him
stopped his horse, looked at the boy ant
sAid slack, how would. you like to come
and live with mei'' The boy was mucl
surprised, hung his head, but said "h'
would like to come" The man said: "Ge
in the buggy, then" He took the boy t
his house and said to him: "Jack, wan
you to live here as aud the others do, hav'
what you need, and help take Gaze o
things" This mans shop was pleasan
place TOR boys in the neighborhood to work
il there was party or dance to come Of
you would hear this mans machinery run
uing lively at late hours of the night, aud !
neiglbor boy was with them they woulC
ask him to stop over night; and when thel
quit work late, If they felt like eating o
drinking the pantry was open, and it wa
well flied with both eatabIes and drinkables
and when the time of the party came thos
that wanted to go would step up to him AM
say: "There is to be party" so-and So
"He would reply: 81 suppose you want I
go--how much money do YOU wantr TIL
apprentice would name the amount and h
would hand him the money. take out hi
pocket memorandum and make a minute c
It, The other man, the Prolibitionist, rul
his shop and house on his plan-they go
. nothing to eat but at the table; all was unde
lock, with big negro woman to cook an
watch Now there was no moral obligatio
on these boys. and this shop and house wa
. a perfect hell on earth. The boys did nc
care whether his work was done or not, an
ifby accident anything was left unlocke
they would steal it whether they wanted
or not; and the black woman loved he
teddy aud they would make her drunk ever
time their boss ami mistress lett, and clea
, ont the house for future use
fro BE CONTINUED