St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-12-06

IL was temperance sunday. anu as
you know, never believed much in
temperance pledges and that sort of
thing. But after six weeks among
your friends l was fast coming to
the conclusion that they must be a
temperate people. Still 1 did wish
they could be tested, so was very
glad of a temperance Sunday.
The morning sermon was fine, then
became a back seat sinner and
watched and listened to the lesson in
Sunday school; my taking a back
seat led me right into one of the old
er classes, and l was SO deeply inter
ested forgot for while to watch
the rest of the school.
First one thing then another on
the temperance line was talked
over"
"Oh don't / just wish 1 had been
tkereI' interrupted Clarence. 1T
must have been something grand to
hear those staunch old temperance
men stand up tor the good, in the
face of new ideas"
With a slight curl of the lip TerrilI
replied, You would, no doubt, have
been interested, but with your ideas
l think you would have been sur
prised. One person thought one
thing, and another, another, and at
last one man said said, Viii you
give me d definition Of temperance?
As he fired the question directly at
me, | was for a minute dumb. The
idea of me; a man who loved new
cider and liked wine well enough,
giving a definition of temperance,
but as l had about made up my
mind to sign a pledge to please dear
Aunt Eleanor, | tried to form some
kind Of an answer, so said, total
abstinence from every thing harmful"
Well, as I said, 1 was green at it,
and did not wonder the good man
said THAT is no definition at all, it
is moderate use of everything
good, and the total abstinence OF
everything bad" or that is as near
as I remember the words"
ooh Hal, 1 know who that was,
you don't need to tell, it will be fun
guessing names. That was man
whose intelligence l used to admire,
and wished l was smart enough to
answer him for l would like to argue
with him, but go on, what next?"
well, l wanted to say much
obliged for the definition, for | said
to myself, moderate use of every
thing good, now 1 will not have to
give up cider or wine"
Look here Hal Terrill you know
he never meant any such thing as
that"
Just you wait Clarence, you
wanted this just as it happened, l
believe, now 1 will proceed. with
your permission. In the evening
there was a lecture, all the young
people were there; at the close the
pledge was circulated. l said now
Hal Terrill here is your chance now,
or never, to carry pledge to Aunt
Eleanor with your name on it, and
thought [ will watch Noble and
Grant, if they sign it, will, for had
formed such good opinion OF these
fellows that | never doubted, their
signingit. l almost disgraced myself |
by whistl1ng as the pledge passed them
and not a sign. | think some one |
else likes sweet cider besides me, and |
as the Bible says, eff meat make |
my brother to offend" instead of |
drink, why there they go, 1 was dis
a little for I thought |
those boys seemed such good friends
to everyone, they would do as simple
a thing as sign the pledge to help
some one, they don't know whom
they might help out of a gutter"
"Of course Hal, you put your name
down, and was not your aunt a
happy woman ?''
OF course 1 did not do any such
thing. II those fellows who pretend
to be good and do what is right,
can't do that, l can't If they want
a chance to drink by and by, so do I.
They had no idea of this little by
play, that was all ready to start
On a new track, and all they needed
to do was to switch me on. Talk
about your Epworth League motto
Look up and not down,
Look out and not in,
Look forward and not back,
And lend a hand"