Evening star., 1897-03-20

rected him to seize the defiant liquor dealer
and disarm him. which the officer did and
under the direction of the mayor the kegs
and barerls were rolled out upon the side
walk, and the ak with which the liquor
merchant had threatened to split open the
heads of the officers was used to split open
the heads of the barrels and kegs, and let
out the contents into the cutters.
Neal Dow, like his great military COM
maLder IN later years, was a tanner by
trade. and is said to have been quite sue
cessful in converting tan bark into money.
He was an abolitionlst in early years, as
Jealous for the extirpation of negro slav-
cry as he has been in later times for the
extirpation of the slavery Of strong drink,
and has the reputation of an enterprfstng.
progressive and public-spirited citizen apart
from his reform wolK, having been
member CT the public school board. over
seer OF the poor, director in banks, rail-
road and manufacturing companies, and
president of a gas company.
His War Service.
Although nearly sixty years old and ex
empt from military service. and Quaker
withal ne RESPONDED to the call for vol
unteers in 1861, and. raising a regiment
and battery OF artillery, marched to the
front, and served as brigadier general of
volurteers holding at different times three
separate commands. He was twice wound
ed in battle. and being taken prisoner. was
corfred for eight months in Libby prison.
Here, 1t Is said. his great store of general
intelligence, fine conversat tional abilities
and great fund of anecdote. made him the
chief faverite with his fellow prisoners
Chaplain McCabe. who was one of his
companions in Libby. says of him: Gen.
Neal Dow is an ally of the Almighty in
making this world better and Fastening
the coming of the millennial glory
Al the conclusion of the war his tenn
peIance work was resumed. and in It's pros
ecutior ne Travelled extensively through
the states and also in Canada He has also
three times visited Great Britain, giving
over three years without any pecuniary
compensation to the advocacy of total alb
stinence ard prohibition, and addressing
large audiences in all the principal centers
CT England. Scotland and Ireland, as well
as In many cities on the continent
Even after he had reached his nnetieth
year he continued to travel extensively adj
dressing large audiences in Boston, New
\ ork, Montreal and elsewhere, and at Old
otchard Beach made lengthy address to
an audience of about 5000 people his
clear and resonant voice" so saws one who
hearC him. being fully equal to the ex
traCrdiEary OCCASION
He now confines himself to writing and
short addresses to delegations who fire.
quent1y visit him at his home II is nm
derstood that he is engaged in the prepa-
ration of an autobiography to be publish
ed after his death. In an article fresh
rom rom MS pen, which appears in the Ma
tional Temperance Advocate of the cur
rent month, he writes:
nave not seen. l cannot expect to live
20 see, the full. ripe. rich fruitage which
the people would surely gather from the
general adoption of policy based upon ex-
per1ence Justified in reason and sustained
ny an enlightened popular intelligence and
qulckened public conscience-the lesis-
iatlVe condemnation of the liquor traffic
hut Wherever such policy has been con-
sistently and persistently applied to its
purpose, its result has been all that its
most mos sangulne friends could anticipate
w hen the original Maine law was first en-
acted ! wrote to the then editor of the
-Natlonai Temperance Advocate that more.
thah any other measure this law will bless
,he people which will adopt it | am no
less nrmly convinced today than at any
ime IN the past that greater good to
greater numbers can otherwise he obtain
ed IMAM when under wise and conscientious
teacnefs and fearless earnest leaders the
people shall understand how their interests
shall insist upon putting this gigantic
crime under the ban of honestly enforced
prohibitory legislation
Inc present home of Neal Dow is on
congress street. in Portland, Maine direct
~ opposite the house in which he was
porn ana here he has lived during the
whole of his long and eventful career
His nlnety-third birthday was cclebrat ted
Thursday. March Is. in Boston, by an i'm
mense banquet and public meeting in Ire
mont Temple. and is being celebrated quite
extensively throughout the country The
National Woman's Christian Temperance
Union at its last convention adopted res
olutlon making March 20 one of the red
letter days of the organization and other
temperance societies are taking similar
action.