The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-08-30
The Good TemnInr,s Lecture.


Several who had heard Mr.. Chas. NJ.
Bliss few years ago when he lectured
on art" in Masonic hall, were expecting
considerable in his address before the
Good Templars Lodge last FRIDAY even.
ing, The audience was select and con-
sisted of but few beside the regular at
PENDANTS upon these meetings. The
effort was worthy Of a wider hearing,
the case being presented in very clear
light and several points enlarged upon
which are seldom is ever alluded to in a
temperance address,
Especially is this true OF his idea Of the
character of the AngloSaXon race.
Despotic Russia or autocratic Germany
might indeed force prohibition on the
people whether they agreed to it or not,
but not so the English speaking race.
They have a mind of their own. Mr..
Bliss quoted from Matthew Arnold, Bull
wer Lytton. Thomas Carlysle, James
Russell Lowell and others, and at times
rose to the height of rare eloquence. He
makes his points clear, is a pleasant
speaker and gave his audience an able
and thoughtful address, for which the
Lodge gave HIM an unanimous vote of
thanks. We give an epitOme for the
edification of the general public.
MIR. Bliss began by stating his own po
siton as temperance man. He said
that he was an original Maine law man,
but that he soon found that the law did
not accomplish what was expected of it,
He had not on that account given it up.
however, but believed in it in certain cir,
circumstances, He had little faith in
high licence, so called. What, however,
he proposed to discourse on was the
causes that had led to the partial failure
of prohibition. and to urge on the tenn
perance people the use of those moral
means which in other moral causes had
been so beneficial,
One cause of the failure of prohibition
was the nature Of the men on whom ~
was tried, Men of Anglo Saxon blood
were poor subjects for sumptuary laws,
Individual freedom was their birth
right, and with their education it was
not easy to force prohihitory laws on
them. Then again the methods employ
ed were against the natural tendencies Of
OF the human mind. The temperance
people could do little to win men to
them when they were continually en-
deavoring to force an obnoxious law
against them. The drunkard could not
well he reclaimed by the man who, not
an officer, caused his arrest for drunk
enness. The temperance people when
they become league to enforce prohib-
itory laws lose their hold as persuaders
to temperate living.
Other errors OF the temperance people
not pertaining to the execution OF the
law were pointed out, The lecturer did
not believe in conspiracy Of liquor
dealers to entrap young men into drink
ing practices, aud held that such a
charge was unwarranted on the part OF
the temperance people. Nor would he
assail the liquor dealer as criminal.
His buslness he was opposed to, had no
apology for it, bur loud mouthed de-
nunciations of liquor sellers was, in his
opinion, an error.
He urged the use of moral means In
diminishing the liquor traffic first, then
legal when moral failed. The temper.
ance people reversed this order. He also
held the drunkard to the first response
bilities for his error, not the man who
sold him the liquor. The education of
youth into habits of sobriety and self re-
straint he held up as a high duty and
pointed out how easy it was for the
youth to decline the protfered glass If he
only knew it. He held. too, that the
spirit in which the temperance cause
was carried on was the only test Of sue
cess in it, this benevolent spirit must be
paramount.
This Lodge, and perhaps others, will
ask Mr.. Bliss at some future time to
again address them. This gentlamaD,as
our readers well know, is thoroughly
with many subjects besides
art, history and politics,
and il il ALWAYS a pleasure to hear him
speak.