The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1884-02-22
KIMBERToN, Chester Co. Pa,

KIMBERToN, Chester Co. Pa,
February 18th, 1884.
DEAR MONITOR Il have received several
copies of your bright little paper, and am de-
lighted with its healthy tone.
While visiting in this neighborhood am
especially reminded of a grand temperance
movement which had its origin in this locality
many years ago, known and remembered as
the Royal Spring Temperance Society.
One Firstday afternoon a temperance meet
ing was held at Chestnut Grove school house,
and by some chance, or otherwise, Abram B.,
the hardest drinker in the neighborhood, was
there. After the meeting was over he went
up to the speaker and said that he never be-
fore had heard temperance lecture, but that
he liked what had been said and he wanted
the speaker to come to his house and hold a
meeting there the next week. So it was ar
ranged, and Abram set to work to prepare for
the event. He desired that pledge should
be drawn up before the occasion that he and
his comrades might sign.
Three different pledges were written before
he was suited in the wording. The following
he finally adopted: ''We, whose names are
hereunto subscribed, do form ourselves into a
society to discountenance intemperance, and,
relying upon divine assistance, we pledge
ourselves, one unto another, to abstain from
all intoxicating drinks"
The evening of the meeting came and
focking in came all the hard drinkers of the
neighborhood To the amazement of the
speaker and the few temperance people as
sembled in that old room the host nominated
as chairman of the meeting Benjamin H., as
hard drinker as himself, and as secretary
Henry K, whose brilliant talents were sacri-
feed to the maddening bowl.
The meeting being organized, the speaker
made fitting appeal to those assembled. At
the close of the address Abram B. arose, and,
taking off his coat, he rolled up his sleeves
above the elbow, then dipping pen in the
have known me for thirty-five years as
drunkard Now I am going to put my name
to that pledge You must help me to keep
it, I cannot stand alone" Then he solemnly
wrote his name, and all of the other hard
drinking men (nearly dozen in number) fol-
lowed John S., moderate drinker, wished
to sign, but his friends who like himself, took
glass only occasionally, discouraged him
on the plea of "no necessity" He has long
ago gone down to drunkard's grave, while
all of those old topers kept the pledge and
became the leading temperance men in the
community.
This society was called the Royal Spring
Temperance Society from royal spring of
water which turned the old sawmill belonging
to this leader in the cause. And now this old
sawmill, which, in days gone by, had wit
messed the brainless carousals of "punch
frolics," welcomed under its echoing beams
the happy temperance gatherings on every
Saturday evening as long as these earnest
men lived ; and the pledge with its four col
umns of names grew to document nine feet
in length. Yours truly, JOHN BRENT.
The popular thing at leap year parties now
is for the girls to yell g mouse" and the men
jump on chairs and shrek.
Yes" said Miss Penn, II rejected Mr..
Hogg. Nice fellow, but L couldn't have an
announcement of marriage appear in the
papers under the headline, Hogg Penn"
The Hon. j. B. Grinnell, for whom the
town of Grinnell, Iowa. was named, recently
said: 'In Grinnell there are no saloons, and
no one has been sent to Jail, to the poorhouse
or to the penitentiary for twenty-five years.