The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-09-29
Temperance.
An Unstained Banner.

Senator Colquitt, in his address at
the anniversary of the National Tenn
perance Society, thus paid graceful and
feeling tribute to the home, mingled
with words of touching appeal: Surely
there is not man in this country whose
sensibilities are not touched with the
thought of home; the home of my child
hood, the home of my early married
life, the birthplace of my children-the
home where as boy l used to run
under the shade-trees, where the old
gate swung upon its hinges, sister upon
one side and brother upon the other,
and she now gone long since into the
quiet valley. What makes this country,
my friends? We may argue politics;
we may have petty despites and party
divisions; we may argue about slavery
and tariff and civil service reform, but
the basis, the foundation of the safety
of this country at last is in the hearth
stones and the families of this country.
| speak for the homes. Preserve The
homes. Destroy these hearthstones,
and you destroy the cornerstone of the
commonwealth. Preserve the homes
of your boys and girls, and your coun-
try is safe. Show me the home where
there is king and a queen residing,
father and mother enthroned in the fam
lily circle in the midst of their children,
talking of the traditions of the past and
of honor, virtue and purity, and / will
show you republic of which it may be
said, Este perpetud--live forever-and
that is our republic. l might appeal to
| you for the women tonight who are
broken down and crushed in their pow
erty-stricken homes in this very city.
If could gather together here tonight
the signs, the means and the woes of
the broken-hearted women of this city
alone, there is no cyclone that would
be more terrible than the concentrated
wailings of these women. And then,
when you think of the homes of this
entire land that are blasted and their
love gone, will you respond? Are you
men, are you gallant, are you courteous,
are you knightly? If so, every man in
this country, if for no other and purer or
elevated or more religious motive, will
stand up in behalf of the women of the
land ana bid defiance to the enemies of
temperance. And if the appeal for
women will not do, what man or woman
is not aroused by the wailing and dis
tress of a child's voice? Where are
the children tonight? My brethren
and sisters, many of them are crying
out from their miserable homes-chil-
dren into whose faces there never has
gone light or Joy or play. The birds
may sing. and the lambs may play in
the meadow, and the flowers may SEND
forth their fragrance, but the children
of the drinkers of this land are weep
ing. They have pinched faces anC
bleared eyes, but none of the buoyancy
or spring-time of a happy childhood
God forgive the man that would lay the
weight of his hand upon the life of on,
of these little creatures! The few years
of this life are brief enough, and let tn,
children have little JOY before the,
are thrust out into the difficulties of life
Will you join with us in the South il
promoting the cause of temperance
There is an enemy in this countr.
which is despoiling our homes, whicl
is debauching and killing our youn.
men, which is bringing our mothers t
premature graves, which is maxim
children weep all over this land an
which is making victims of our men
more of them falling in two years b
liquor than fell during the late civi
strife. Let us have these old men 70
counsel, the young men for the double
quick and the women for prayer. lie
our banner still flutter, for | glory il
the fact that it is a banner that is nc
stained with tears or with blood, but i
is of pure, snowy white, akin to tn
glowing robes of the angels in heaven
God bless our homes and give us home
in heaven as the reward of our labor
for his cause here"