The Monitor., 1891-09-11
cleaning. From L,fe's Pathway

! Why are not temperance principles as
/ thor oughly inculcated into the minds and
hearts of our school children of the present
time, as were abolition principles during
slavery days?
The follow ing note of interesting history
was recently given expression by one who
was then school girl: During the agl-
tation of slavery it was almost impossible
| for a student in our Northern schools to be
other than an abolitionist,so so constantly and
| so tirelessly vas the question kept before
the minds of the children, often by reading
| poems whose beauty and depth aroused the
| deepest interest and enthusiasm upon the
| subject"
| Since pondering over this interesting
| fact-and we do not doubt it is a fact, hay
| ing tasted somewhat of the effulgent after
glow, when to cheer the leaders of GER
| tain political party would quicken our
| patriotic pulse and make the blood 60 ting
| ling enthusiastically through our veins
the above question has presented iteelf.
No, friends, we do not intend answering
| that question in such manner as will for
ever clear it up in your minds, but we do
| intend to give our version of it, with your
kind permission.
| In the Fl rst place, this continued silence
| on the part of many instructors may come
| through feeling of kindness-of charity.
Why? Because there is no Mason's and
Dixon's line dividing solid South from
| a solid North, and because this blighting.
blackening and internal disease, intemper-
ance, is no respecter of sections or ofrersons,
| but may leave its Shiny trail upon some
| members of the family of the brightest and
| most studious pupils in the school, or the
| families of the instructors themselves may
not be exempt from its degrading in
| fluences. With these facts facing the kind
| ly instructor, who realizes that it is by
| gaining the love and respect of her several
scholars that the greatest progress and
advancement in the various branches can be
made, she Eesitates to wound the pride and
| drag in the dust the canker sore that is eat
| ing out the hope, the comfort and future
prospect for happy and a virtuous life, OF
one or more her pupils, therefore accepts
| the mistaken idea that it were better to leave
these vital principles unmentioned; and so
| the grandest opportunity for education up
on this subject to-day-and so many lost
days in the past-is being neglected.
| Oh, teachers! halt, halt in your onward
marcel and consider what you are doing!
| You NAV be blindly leading a generation
| of school children into the very jaws of the
vilest slavery. You may be leading them
to view the ruin of the grandest republic
| the world has ever known. You may be
| leading them into their reasons dethron-
| ment and into spiritual death, and proba-
| bly, you are being assisted in this work by
many of the parents of those children, who,
| like you, have mistaken ideas upon these
| subjects. For, if the parents be a sober,
| peace loving people, they are not keeping
| silent for either love or charty's sake.
| For what then? Simply for party's sake,t
which they have bowed, and while they
were yet in this attitude of willing respect,
that great, pompous and spoil loving mon
ster, stepped upon their necks and is
holding them there simply to do its
bidding, simply to bring about the means
| 10 reach its ends, no matter how vile or
| how despotic are the ends that are to be
reached.
! Do you raise your hands in holy horror,
teachers and parents a1d say that it is
| false-tbat you are not helping to bring
about this state of affairs?
What are you teaching the children thens
Are you teaching them that it were better,
| it were pleasanter, it were more statesman-
| like, it were more Christlike to be silent
upon this question, which, more than all
| others, is the question dividing the powers
of Light and Darkness in the moral and in
| the Christian world of to-day? Are you
| teaching them this, or are you teaching
| them that bravery and courage and an in
dependence to party strings were more
statesmanlike, more christi,nlike in this
present day and generation.
Upon the parents and teachers of this
nation land who of us are not teachers to
certain extenU rests the destiny of its
| future. To look out over large portions
| of it then, beginning with our own be-
| 4 arlro od nd
ed state, we must humbly conclude we
have been very modest (?) very chartable(9)
very long suffering in our attitude toward
the affairs of this commonwealth So
much SO indeed, that we almost feel crimi-
nally guilty at the condition in which this
9th of 9th month, 1891, finds it. Is it not
so? do we not feel prick of conscience at
some omission of duty, at some opportun-
ity lost, at some wrong example set, when
instead, had we been faithful, We might
have sown good seed or taught good
lesson upon this subject which should and
is claiming our attention more and more?
| Why, to look upon the excise law which
is illustrating itself in Cumberland and
| other counties today, even the rum seller
himself must blush, theoretically speak
ing) whether he be keeping a house 'for
the public good" (9??) in Pole Tavern,
| ElIner OF w OOuStOWD, OF whether lt Oe
woman unworthy that pure name) rum
seller who has taken up the business at her
| besotted husbands death.
| Dost say there is no charity in that lat
ter remark? Away with charity in this
| lying, stealing and murderous business
| We have covered it over with charity and
brotherly kindness too long. 1t has now
gained the upper hand of all our liberties
and we are bound hand and foot---with
countless numbers lost to all decency-and
not one perceivable inch is it receding. (In
New Jersey.)
But look again, the evil-eyed, fiery head
ed, poison tongued monster has over-step-
ped his bounds and in his efforts TO appear
respectable is singing himself to death.
| Come children, teachers, parents let us
band ourselves together and educate our
selves and work in unison that we may be
prepared to rid our heavily burdened land
of his vile carcass, which if left to rot upon
the fertility of our soil may poison it be-
yond all redemption.
| YOUNG FRIENDS TEMPERANCE LITERARY
| SOCIETY.
| A meeting for the organization of the
above named society will be held
in the pleasant parlors of John G. Borton,
! in North Woodstown next Second. day
1 4. a. - IL