Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-02-22
John b. Cough.

John B. Cough was born in England at
Sandgate, Kent, August %, 1917. His faith
er was a private soldier in the British army.
and had married a village school mistress.
In 1929 the Coughs were assisted to emigrate.
They came to the United States and for two
years lived in Oneida county. New York.
Young Cough was then apprenticed to book
binder in New York city. Hitherto and up
to his twenty-1fth year the lad had been with
out educational opportunities. His youth
was one of privation and narrow conditions.
When he came to New York the opportuni-
ties which fell to him were mostly evil. His
companions were loose livers. He learned to
drink He had always had a passion for the
stage. No doubt the dramatic power was
strong in his nature. He made at least one
determined effort to become an actor. For
time his mimetic faculty, which was strong.
brought him bastard popularity. He was
welcomed in beer shops and saloons for the
songs he coul1 sing and the spirited recita-
tons he could give. The applause, the booty
companionship, the excitement, drew him
lower. There was danger that he would be-
come a common drunkard. His efforts to do
his work without giving up his nightly dissi-
patton so strained his strength that he was on
the verge of delirium tremens He has told
how at one time the tools of his trade seemed
to turn to serpents and crawl about him. He
escaped that time but did not give up drink
until October, 1912, when poor, shaken in
health and depressed in spirits, almost
drained of self-respect and energy, he was
persuaded to attend temperance meeting.
Then and there he took the pledge of total
abstinence, and at the same time there came
upon him an irresistible vearning to go out
and do something for those who were suffer-
ing from the drink evil.
At that time the cause of temperance was
not honored as now. Those who became its
advocates were looked upon with suspicion
even by the friends of moderation. They
were generally assumed to be fanatics, and
when they were not abused they were rdi-
cued. But John B. Cough was well equipped
for the campaign. He was born orator. He
never in his life wrote out a speech before
hand, or even prepared notes for one. Like
most all orators, from Demosthenes to Mr..
Gladstone, ne suffered from what has been
called stage fright to the last. Writing after
thirty-seven years experience as public
speaker he said Il have never known the
time when did not dread an audience. Often
that fear has amounted to positive suffering,
and seldom am | called on to face an audi
ence when would not rather by far run the
Other way and as grow older this suffering
is increasing" Yet from the first his ad-
dresses took hold upon his hearers strongly.
AS an unknown young man he set forth, car
pet-bag in hand, to tramp through the New
England States, glad enough to obtain seven
tv-fve cents for a temperance lecture. But
this did not last long. The reputation of the
fiery young speaker, who carried his argu-
ments home by the most striking anecdotes
and examples from every day life, began to
spread He was able to demand five dollars
lecture in short time. His zeal was hot
In the first year he spoke 1856 times. Thence
forward, for seventeen years he dealt only
with temperance, and during that period he
addressed 5000 audiences.
He travelled through the Eastern and
Southern States and Canada. everywhere Gre
ating deep impression. 1t was in the North
ern States that his best work was done. In
the first two years of his labors he obtained
81 700 signatures to the temperance pledge,
and this was hut small part of the effect
produced by his oratory. His fame reached
England and the London Temperance League
persuaded him to visit Great Britain, where
he arrived in 1858. His success in Great
Britain was marked The harvest certainly
was ripe. The drink evil had attained fear
full proportions, and illustrations of its effects
were only too plentiful. 1t has been said
that thousands of reclaimed drunkards ,esti-
fed to the practical value of Coughs labors.
Certainly the Temperance Leagues desired to
retain his services; but he had engagements
in the United States which could no longer
be postponed, and in 1855 he returned and
took up his Old work with undated success.
In 1857 he made another journey to England,
and remained there until 1860. After having
confined his addresses to temperance for
seventeen years, he began to take up other
subjects, literary and social, though from
first to last his chief successes were obtained
on the temperance platform As he traversed
the world he was enabled to perceive the
steady progress of the cause he had at heart.
For whatever change had occurred John B.
Cough was justified in taking some personal
credit. for few men have chanpioned a great
cause in the teeth of inherited prejudice,
habit and all the sensual tendencies, of man
kind, with such power, persistence and elo
quence. From 1860 onward, he spoke on
other topics. though he never abandoned his
first love. Until 1882 he was almost con-
stantly in the lecture field Then his health
began to fail, and had been uncertain to the
time of his fatal illness. In 1916 he published
an autobiography, which was subsequently,
brought down to 1870. In 1881 he published
Sunshine and Shadow" a volume of recol-
lections and anecdotes. John B. Cough was
no self-seeker, but a plain. genial, warm
hearted man. who loved his fellows and
thought he could do no better with his gifts
than to help them. He has done well, and
has left behind him a record of duty per-
formed, of high aims wortlily upheld, of
practical aid given to the sick and suffering,
of support furnished the weak and hesitatng,
of life driven into mems minds as by flash
from above, of a trumpet tongue declaiming
against the curse of this and all preceding
ages. His life-work is his most speaking
eulogv.