The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-05-08
Temperance.
is Temperate Drinking Safe.
rhe laLe Goy. BIggs Of Mas.

L
sylvania, the question came up wheth-
er any persons should be licensed to
sell rum. The clergyman, the deacon,
the physician, strange it may now APP
pear, all favored it. One man only
spoke against it, because of the mis-
chief it did. The question was about
to be put, when there arose from one
corner of the room miserable woman.
She was thinly clad, and her appear
ance indicated the utmost wretched-
ness, and that her mortal career was
almost closed. After moments 81
lence and all eyes being fixed upon her,
she stretched her attenuated body to its
utmost height, and then her long arms
to their greatest length, and raising her
voice to II snrill pitch she called to all
to look upon her.
"I ~ she said, "look upon me, and
then hear me. All that the last speak
er has said relative to temperate drink
ing as being the father of drunkenness,
is true. All practice, all experience,
declares its truth. An drinking of al
coholic poison as beverage III health
is excess. Look upon me! You all
know me, or once did. You all know
| was once the mistress of the best
farm in the town; you all know too, |
had one of the best the most devoted
of husbands. You all know had fine,
noble hearted industrious boys. Where
are they now? Doctor, where are they
now You all know. You all know
they lie i'll a row, side by side, in yon-
der churchyard; all-every one of
them filling the drunkard's grave
They were all taught to believe that
temperate drinking was safe-that ex-
cess alone ought to be avoided; and
they never acknowledged excess, They
quoted you, and you, and you (point-
ing with her shred of finger to the
minister, deacon and doctor) as au.
thority. They thought themselves safe
under such teachers. But | saw the
gradual change coming over my family
and its prospects with dismay and hor-
ror. | felt we were all to be over
whelmed in one common ruin. | tried
to ward OIL the blow; tried to break
the spell, the delusive spell, in which
the idea of the benefits of temperate
drinking had involved my husband and
sons. | begged, prayed; but the odds
We're against me.
"The minister said the poison that
was destroying my husband and boys
was good creature ofGod; the dea.
con who sits under the pulpit there, and
took our farm to pay his rum bills, sold
them the poison; the doctor said little
was good, and the excess only ought tC
be avoided. My poor husband, and my
dear boys fell into the snare; and they
could not escape; aud, one after anoth.
er, were conveyed to the sorrowfu
grave Of the drunkard. Now look
again. You probably see me for the
last time. My sands have almost run
| have dragged my exhausted frame
from my present home your poor
house-to warn you all to warn you
deacon, TO warn You, false teacher OF
Gods word" And with her arm,
| flung high, and her tall form stretched
10 its ulm Jst, and her voice raised to
an unearthly pitch, she exclaimed, 81
shall soon stand before the Judgment
seat Of God. | shall meet you there
YOU false guides, aud be witness
/ against You all:'
The miserable woman vanished. 4
dead silence pervaded the assembly
! the minister, the deacon and physician
hung heir heads; aud when the presi
dent of the meeting put the question
Ssh II any licenses be granted for the
sale of spirituous liquors. the unani
nous response was, "NO!"