The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-07-19
THE GOOD TEMPLARS.

At the meeting of Bennington Lodge
No. 81, last Friday evening, the test o.
Third Party Prohibition" was eX.
plunged from their records by an over,
whelming vote. 1t will be remembered
that several months since Levi S. Lew.
is engineered through this old and use
full society q set of resolutions which q
large number ofmcmbers regarded as q
virtual turning of the Good Templars
Lodge into Prohibition club. In fact
the Democratic papers hailed the import
of these resolutions to be of that effect
and gloated over the supposed addition
to the ranks of their coadjutors. The
resolutions were clearly unconstitution.
al and were condemned by the Lodge
Deputy, the Chief Templar, the District
Deputy and even by the Grand Chief
Templar of the State as introducing pol
itics, and subversive as such of the
genius of Good Templary. At one
time this Lodge contained eight reform
ed men of all political shades of belief,
and if the Third Party Test" of these
resolutions had then been the shibbo-
leth, more than one-half Qhey being
Democrats) could never have been
members at all. This is referred to,
to show how utterly nonsensical ex-
treme action is in a society as useful as
the Good Templars have been in Ben
nington. Meeting without interregnum
since Oct. %, 1868, the Lodge has always
upheld this pledge
~ hereby solemnly promise that will not
make, buy, SELL use, furnish, or cause to be fur
nished to others as a beverage any spirituous or
malt liquors, wines cider; and that In all hon.
orable ways will discountenance their use in the
community"
This the test of Good Templar. The
Lodge does not ask as to their religion
or politics. The platform is broad 50
that any good man or woman or child
may stand upon it. This common sense
theory is the antipOdes of the resolu-
lions so unceremoniously anathemized
Friday, and which should never have
been passed or entertained. We give
in this important connection a short
sketch of the order:
In the year 1852, in a country village
in the State of New York, originated q
temperance society called the Independ-
ent Order of Good Templars, and was
introduced into Vermont in 1856. 1t
found the times ripe for its coming and
proved to be plant Of rapid aud per-
manent growth, for from that seed
dropped in waiting, fruitful soil, has
grown the largest, the most widely ex-
tended and powerful temperance or
ganization the world has ever known.
1t spread rapidly throughout the States
and this continent. crossed the Atlantic
and found home in foreign lands, until
now its bonds and bands of brotherly
love embrace continents and comprise
within its fraternal grasp the dwellers
from Maine and Canada to California,
from the British Isles to New South
Wales, and from Scandinavia to Aus
tralasia.
The order of Good Templars today
has ceased to be national, it is cosmo-
politan, for wherever civilization ex-
tends upon the globe, there it is estab-
lished until it numbers its Grand Lodges
by the score, its subordinate Lodges by
the thousands, and its membership al
most by the millions, emphasizing the
folly of incorporating the theory of
local Prohibition club, be it in Benning-
ton or England or Australasia).
The sun never sets upon the lodges of
our order for they are located in coun-
tries that belt the earth, and Good Tenn
plar work and teachings never cease.
Brothers and sisters, the same pass
word (which admits us to our lodges
here will open the doors and ensure
ms fraternal welcome to lodges of our
order in all parts of the civilized world.
Our ritualistic work is printed and
used in thirteen different languages, so
that our II. w. G.. Lodge is virtually
congress of nations in the scope and
character of its representation. Our
platform is so wide and deep, and liber-
al that there is room upon it for all who
are opposed to the curse of alcoholism.
We know neither race, sex nor creed
color, party nor religion; our motto is
faith, hope and charity; our platform is
total abstinence for the individual and
prohibition for the nations our mission
10 save the fallen and prevent others
from falling through the curse of intem-
perance aud the use of Intoxicating
liquors and our waichword and rally
ing cry enlblazoned on our bannersi Is
for God, and home, and every land.