The Red Cloud chief., 1885-11-13
TEMPERANCE READING.
THE NATIONAL SOCIETY.
From a Recent Temperance Sermon by
Theodore l.. Cuyier. ID. II.

judge ms rather, tIal 10 man put i
stuInblin--blo or an occasion to fall
in his brothers way" Rom. xiv, 49,.
We give the concluding portion OF the
discourse, rs follows:
"in presenting t. you this morning this great
question If ntst ncEce from the bottle and
our duty r. Christians 10 oppo-e the drinking
usage. | with to SAY II word. before ] close. III
behalf ui = noble institution. with which l
have been associated from the very hour OF
its birth. the National Temperance society
and Publication House. For twenty years |
have been identified with that most bcn"v-
Oient and D.neiiccnt Organization IL was my
Irl yiiegc 10 = We Il IT. uHInc: II Wa my priv
iiege 10 draft !ts constitution and Ia write the
first lire IL ever published, stu circulating As
a little tract called "a Shot at III. Dtctntcr d.
During the iir~t eighteen years the prc-i-
dental char OF TIN, organization was held 10y
that prince Of CHRISTIAN philanthropy. Will
lam T.. Dodge. For the last TWO years thc
chair has been occupied by the venerable ex'
President OF williams College. fr Marx mop
kins. whose good gray head thousands OF
Americans learned Ia know and revere under
the shadow of old 6rcy!nck. Al th', late AN
uuai meeting OF the society. ifs mcmbcT- so
urgently pressed your pastor To accept the
Presidency Of the society that ] have con
scented TO do 80 for one year, with III" under
standing that there shall bc no interference
with TN: prior claims OF this cnurch Ia my
time ard strength. ant that shall he 50 TAR
relieved from active duty that 10 hln1TaHCe
Saail Ds Iuf n III! way 10 inc Iu4Ic-l 'etrs Ia
out OF the work To which stand pledged as
your minister.
Now. what i the purpose and the
province and the work al an organization
that during twenty years has received ana
expended about one million OF ioi!ar,. i
answer that. while II l. n truly re!ig Gus. II -
not = secturlan Institution. In our Board
meetings every Christian demon nation -
represented. Neither il IL "a political or par
t;san organization. We have. a. Il society. no
sort of official connection with any political
-. .l H-n a. Lr DFAFH -.
ton. We never present any candidates Tor
Office: We never issue what II called II cam
paign document. Last year. during all the
controversies involved in the choice OF ma
ttnnal rulcrS, every member of that society
vas allowed to follow the dictates Of per
ROual conscience IL Il citizen. As Il PROOF OF
this. oar late President, DIR. Mark IicpkIhs.
headed the Electoral ticket in the State Of
massachusetts for one Of the candidates, and
another on. Of our officers earnestly sup
ported Still another Presidential candidate
not ~ officers al our society, but a. citizens
of Massachusetts,. citizens OF New York,
New jersey. or any other common
wealth. ! make this statement because l
know there has been. unhappiiy, AN entirely
false impression heretofore given III regard
To that Association. Now. a. our society i.
not UNCONVENTIONAL or political. what - IL
character and purpose: In one WORD. II IL an
educator. Its supreme purpose - To educate
the popular mind, heart and coiscicnc" for
the reformation of character. conduct and Gus
toms. Its single motto Ii: educate. educate. EBU-
CATE. EDUCATE. II you viii go over 10 our
publication rooms in Rcadc street, you Will
find on those shelves thirteen hundred publ
cations: from u little lcaii-t up TO volumes of
Ave hundred page, discussing every phase of
the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS social, religious
ard civi!-aS far as il bears upon the general
duties of citizens. Many of these are from
the pens OF the ahlc>t and best writers on
both sides of the Atlantic. We have issued
over six hundred millions OF pages IN the
shape of tracts and volumes. We have pub
liohcd one hundred and thirty-thr"" sabbath
school books, some of them. ~ | can testify.
of the very highest and best order. We circu-
late ever month one hundred and thirty
thousand copies of a paper for children. If
you can help save the children, you are sure
10 help save the country from the curse OF
StrOug drink.
"Guring the last year perhaps our best
work has been among the freedmen of the
South. We scatter against the
draIn-shop, oi course. ~ the nursery OF vice.
The source of untold misery to the body and
the death of the soul. But our Chief end - to
overthrow the drinking Usagcs of society.
They e~ndargcr your child and mine: they
tempt aud destroy our youth: they blast the
home; they feed the dram->hop. The most
ctfcctual way to destroy dram-ShopS - To-
draw away customers. The most ciicctuaI
rrohi bi'orv law in the world j. To write on
every mans heart and conscience: Il won't
drink intoNicat ny liquors. and ! won't buy
them. and | won't touch them III any shape"
II nobody buys who il fool enough To offer
IL for sale: The reason why there are no
grOgshnpsi in WeStbrook. Ireland, j. that the
people of that town are not only pr,ci cal alb
etnIfl''Fc, illI Nptt every year tnH1 fh'.G shall
no dram shop hc opened among all that Vopu-
lnt!on of forty-ivc hundred people. | believe
IN laws tor the restriction OF rum-Sriling rs a
pubic nuisance: ana where il i practicable |
believe In laws for the suppression of that
public nuisance: but deeper down than any
law written in any statute book lie the law of
conscience and the law of reason: and We. rs
Il society. aim Ia reach the ConscirnCe- of Did
ana young. parents and children. To upruot
the rcriluus and destructive customs of So
cictr. To warn not only against the lcEaliZcd
IFnI ~ shnna - tho al -. 90 -Af I-Isa-
ana souls. but against the bottle within IL and
the bottle without il and the bottle wherever
We see it-cvcn II II i on your table, my
friend.
w" regard alcoholic drinks a an enemy of
the body, dcsiruct vc of health. We have la-
bored for the introduction of elementary
books III IN" public schools. teaching the chill
dren the real nature of alcohol and its work
ing: and through our dlligent labors and the
~cioqucnce OF faithful. gndly women that have
gone from this pulpit and others over the
land. fifteen States IN the Union haze enacted
that law Introducing this elementary treatise
INTO the public schools. We regard alcoholic
drinks IL the enemy of the home. and there
fore circulate tracts and i~rcatISc~ IN favor OF
shutting In" cup out Of every household
We believe That II a total abstinence pledge.
signed 10y every member of the family. could
be hung during The coming week III every
home in BROOKLYN. from the most splendid
mansion to the dingiest tencmcnt-houSc and
the most obscure alley attic. you might al.
most di-hand your police. you might lock up
your Jnils. you IN ght keep millennium in adj
vance. Who would know Brooklyn after such
a resurrection of purity and sohriety and
right aS that. from its charnel-house of tempta-
ton and of death!
N people, I regard drink "a the enemy of
the land ] love. The overthrow of negro
slavery was unluc>;ionably the grandcSt
achievement of the history of this Republic
during this n ncieenth century, but n reufold
greater curse than negro slavery is the curse
of thc hottie. Ii enstaves the brain. IL tor
lures the conscience. IL robs the child. IL
breaks the mothers heart IL has power tn
cast body ana SOU into the pit. Therefore We
aim To bring public sentiment up In the point
OF Forbid lnG the open sale OF this public
enemy and suppressing every haunt of public
temptation. - liberal and catholic i orr
society that We are ready TO join hands In
every feasible effort TO do this. whether II be.
in some States, tn bring a question OF license
up as near to a point OF prohibition as p->-
sihlc. As q stepping stone. or. IN other States.
such as Georgia. South Carolina. ami Mary.
land. to allow the citizens Of every county 20
decide whether they Will have an open dram
shop or not
Finally, recognizing that no reform can he
effective that do"> not reach the human heart.
and no effort can he successful If i, ~negiec's
the Gospel and the Holy Spirit. we have made
our society. from the very inception. a society
OF Christian faith. Every meeting is deyo.
tionai. Prom the day when. III the counting
room OF that great Christian merchant who
went up two years ago To render his ac-
count. the voice o. William T. hodge offered
the ffrsf PRAYER. 10 the close OF the meeting
the Other night, when mini> tcrS of God stood on
that platform. this SOC ETY. has feared ,,oi and
tried Ia keen His ommand ments IL bs<e>Iis
prime; pies On that BOOK. and teaches that II Is
good not To put = >tuInbi nS block In the WAY
OF another. IL teaches thar the path OF So
triefy is The pain OF safety. the path al psAe.
TIL path of conscience. that God approves
One hundr-i years ago Rr. h. nJamin Rush
pub. shed the fr>t trea; - on the lntiueace OF
ardent spirits upon inind and BODY. Ffty
wears AGO IN. frs; National Convention was
held and urfuried the >a.utary principle OF
total abstinence. 80 that the reform. in its
present organized shape. is about hal: . cen
tury old. IL has wrought great good Ms
takes have been made. foll'cs have been CON-
m tied. rash and Silly things uttered. uawise
eypsd clf> sometimes used hy certain reopis
In certain quarters i II rot 20 with ever,
gussi cause and every human effort for tse