The Washingtonian. [volume], August 30, 1845, Image 1

About The Washingtonian. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1845-1845

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VOLUME 1, Devoted to Total Abstinence, Morals, Education, Literature, Useful Arts, Domestic Economy, and General Intelligence. NUMBER IS.
Strictly Tee-total, and Exclusive of all Matters of a Political or Sectarian Character, anil of all Advertisements of Intoxlcating-drink-selling Establishment*.
by george cochran & co.] WASHINGTON, D. C., AUGUST 30, 1845. [fifteen cents per month.
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POBTIOAIi FOUNT.
" Here Nature's minstrels quaff inspiring draughts."
From the Western Washingtonian.
The following glowingly painful, but accurate, descrip
tion of a drunkard's miseries, were written by Rock
well, a poet who died 'ere the noon of life, which
we find in ap old scrap book. We see, in the bitter
ness of anguish which runs through these lines, a
vivid recollection ot the destitution and wretchedness
brought upon an estimable mother, and an interest
ing group of worse than half orphaned brothers and
sisters, by the drunkenness of a father.
THE INTEMPERATE.
" Pray, Mr. Dram-drinker! how do you do?
What in the world is the matter with you?
How did you come with that bruise on the head?
Why are your eyes so terribly red?
Why do you mutter that infidel hymn?
Why do you tremble in every limb?
Who has done this? Let the reason be shown,
And let the offender be pelted with stone!"
And the dram-drinker said, " If you listen to me,
You shall hear what you hoar, and shall see what yon
see.
" I had a father; the grave is his bed.
I had a mother; she sleeps with the dead.
Freely I wept when they left me alone?
But I shed all my team on their grave and their stone.
I planted a willow?I planted a yew?
And left them to sleep till the last trumpet blew.
^ Fortune was mine, and I mounted her car;
Pleasure from virtue beckoned me far?
Onward I went as an avalanche down,
And the sunshine of fortune was changed to a frown!
" Fortune was gone?and I took to my side,
A young, and a lovely, and beautiful bride ;
Her I treated with coldness and scorn,
Tarrying back till the break of the morn ;
Slighting her kindness, and mocking her tears
Casting n blight on her tenderest years:
Sad, and neglected, and weary, I left her?
Sorrow and care of her reason bereft her?
Till, like a star, when it falls from its pride,
She sunk into the bosom of misery and died.
" I had a child, and it grew like a vine ;
Fair as the rose of Dnmascus was mine;
Fair?and I watched o'er her innocent youth,
As an angel from Heaven would watch over truth.
She grew like her mother?in features and form?
Her blue eye was languid?her cheek, too, was warm.
Seventeen summers had chown on her brow,
The seventeenth winter beheld her laid low !
Yonder they sleep in the grave, side by side?
A father?a mother?a daughter?a bride !
" When they had left me, I stood here alone,
None of my race or my kindred wan known :
Friend** all forsaking, and hope all departed,
Sad, and desponding, and desolate hearted;
Feeling no kindness for aught that was human,
Hated by man, and detested by woman?
Bankrupt in fortune, and ruined in name,
Onward I kept in the pathway of shame:
And, till thiB hour, since my daughter went down,
My brow has but known a continual frown.
"Go to your children, and tell them the tale;
Tell them his cheek, too, was lividly pale;
Tell them his eyes are all bloodshot and cold;
Tell them his purse was a stranger to gold;
Tell them he passed through the world they are in,
The victim of sorrow, and misery, and sin;
Tell them, when life's shameful conflicts are past,
In sorrow and anguish he perished at last."
CLOSING ODE.
Good night, good night, to every one,
Be each heart freed from care;
May every Brother seek his home,
And find contentment there.
May joy beam with to-morrow's sun,
And every prospect Bhine?
While wife and friends laugh merrily,
Without the aid of wine.
Without the aid of wine, my friends,
Without the aid of wine;
While wife and friends laugh merrily,
Without the aid of wine.
Singular tree in New Zealand.?One
of the most extraordinary trees in the forest of
New Zealand is the rata, which, originating
in a parasite, grows to such a size as to rank
amongst the giants of the forest It first makes
its appearance in the form of a tender vine ;
clasping the trunk of some large tree with its
tendrils, and growing both upward and down,
ward, and increasing in bulk at the same time.
After a while the parasite, having killed the
parent trunk, establishes itself upon its root,
?ends forth numerous branches aloft which
again send forth nrial roots clasping tho neigh*
boring trees* and ultimately the rata occupies
a larger space than any tree in the forest. It
ia under thia tree that the vegetating caterpillar
ia found. The rata is the Metrosidorus robusts
? very handsome plant, and of singular habits
by no means aatiafactorily explained.
From the Alexandria Gazette.
GREAT MEETING OF THE SONS OF
TEMPERANCE.
The presentation of a " Banner" to Harmo
ny Division No. 2, S. of T., was an interesting
affair, witnessed by at least two thousand per
sons. Fears were entertained, during the
morning, that the anticipated meeting would
be marred on account of portending rain. But
at noon the clouds melted away, and the laugh
ing sunshine bursted forth, as if it would fain
smile on the evening exercises, and be in uni
son with so many joyous hearts. At 2 o'clock
Harmony Division, numbering 110 members,
marched through several of our principal
streets, beaded by a fine band of music, whose
soul-stirring airs, in connexion with the ap?
pearance of the Order, made every heart leap
with gladness?and then proceeded to the
Canal, in order to receive visiters from George
town and Washington; after which the line
of march was again formed, when they moved
from thence to the market square. Order hav
ing been requested by the marshal, Mr. Robt.
M. Larmour, the Rev. Job Guest commenced
the exercises with prayer, at the conclusion of
which, a song by members of the "Order" si
lenced the hum, occasioned by so many rest
less spirits congregated, and prepared the way
for the presentation. Then came the "Banner,"
to which all eyes were directed; and as it was
first elevated, and its spotless folds thrown to
the breeze, all hearts seemed to throb with
joy. The Rev. J. N. Danforth prefaced the
giving of the Banner with the following re
marks :
In the name of the Ladies of Alexandria, I
present you with this Banner?the result of
their toil and liberality?the evidence of their
{irofound interest in the cause of Temperance,
t is not the symbol of war?it bears no in
scription of hostile defiance; it is not destined
to be unfolded on the field of battle, to wave
at the head of regiments drawn up for the
deadly strife; or, stained with human blood,
to be trampled in the dust of the ensanguined
plain. It is not the standard of a political
party, seeking in its triumph the prostration
of its opponents. It is -not the banner of a fac
tion, burning with a selfish and insatiable am
bition to rule iu the State. It is a standard
for the Sons of Temperance, prepared by fair
hands and gentle hearts, for the encourage
ment and use of those, who, in our communi
ty, have embarked in this sacred cause.
That inverted goblet which crowns the sum
mit of the banner, not only symbolizes the doc
trine of perpetual renunciation, but seems to
bid you spare no efforts until every cup shall
be drained, and every fountain of liquid fire
exhausted. This urn of pure and translucent
water, so beautifully painted, exhibits that
substitute for the fiery beverage, which all true
temperance men receive. The altar which
forms the base of this urn, is the altar of total
abstinence, signifying that this alone is the
true basis of the temperance cause. Here is
Hygeia, the imaginary goddess of Health, rais
ing her eyes to Heaven in devout gratitude for
the blessings that have descended from Heaven
to Earth, through the channel of Temperance.
She is attended by two Sons of Temperance,
whose habits may be seen in the ruddy glow
of their cheeks, and the manly vigor of their
limbs. But what form is that below, bending
with weakness, bowing as if with premature
age, with bloated face and bleared eyes?with
tangled hair and tattered garments?an object
of disgust and yet of pity?who is it? It is the
ruined drunkard, struggling to use! See, he
has indignantly broken the bottle, whose in
spiration was death. He has wounded the
venemous serpent, that lay coiled in the spark
ling glass, and whose sting he has so often
felt. There it lies, readv to be crushed by his
heel, while with an imploring attitude, and an
anxious heart, he looks for some deliverer?he
waits to feel the pressure of some friendly
hand, and to hear the tones of some encourag
ing voice. It is the crisis of his fate. At this
perilous moment, when life and death seem to
join in fearful struggle, behold the Son of
Temperance unrols the Pledge, and invites
the wretched drunkard to sign, and be free and
happy, to be redeemed, regenerated, and discn
I thralled.
Now reverse the picture. Behold the in
scription: "Hope leads, Love unites, Faith
strengthens us. Or, if we contemplate the
symbolical colors that are blended in the rosette,
and distributed through the standard?the red,
the white, and the blue, we are reminded of
the mutual love, the moral purity, and the in
corruptible fidelity, which binds the members
of this association, as with a three-fold cord
that cannot be broken.
Accept, then, Sons of Temperance, this
beautiful Standard, which I have the honor to
present in the name of the fair Ladies of
Alexandria, surpassed by none, either in per
sonal accomplishments, the virtues of domes
tic life, or the refined sensibilities of tender
and generous hearts. Let the smile of beauty,
that accompanies the gift, cheer your labors.
If, in the desolating flood of intemperance
which has swept over the land, woman has
been the chief sufferer, she is willing, in her
sphere, to be the chief laborer; and her's shall
be the chief joy at the deliverance of the en
slaved. She bids you go on?gather fresh lau
rels in this field?multiply your bloodless tro
phies?rescue the wretched?bind up broken
hearts?release the captives; give back to the
weeping wife her long lost husbaud?restore
to those innocent, suffering children, their ex
iled father; then hear her thanks, and their
shouts of joy, for what, under God, you have
been permitted to do. The thoughts of day
will be more pleasant?the repose of night
more sweet?the sleep of death more peace
ful, and eternity itself more glorious. In the
words of that spirit-stirring song of the Star
spangled Banner, which rings upon the Ame
rican heart like the sounds of a trumpet, I
would say?
That Timpkranck Bnnnor, oh long may it wave,
O'er the land of the free and the homo of the brave.
To this Mr. T. N. Davy replied:
In receiving this banner from you, reverend
silr, in behalf of the ladies, as illustrative of
their regard for the institution of which I am
honored in being a member, and their repreT
sentative on this occasion' permit me to offer
them that which will be more enduring, and
I am sure more gratifying than a wreath of
roses, or all the pageantry and show of earth
?the unfeigned gratitude of an hundred
hearts. And we do not feel thus excited
on account of the rich material, elegant de
|sigti, or splendid execution. These, in them
selves, are valuable enough, and must elicit
the admiration of this vast concourse: but it
is the motives which prompted?the philan
thropy which executed?and the j.ove for the
institution, whose principles they have so beau
tifully shadowed forth. ftMs this which in
vests it with all its importance?it is this
which blends with the artist's penciling the
richest, choicest tints, and seems to throw over
the whole the sun-light of heaven?and it is
this which sends a thrill of joy through our
bosoms; because we know tnat if woman's
approbation rests upon an object, in opposition
to the prejudices of the world, it must, it will
succeed. Why they have selected the poor,
despised " Nazarines," from whom no good,
it was thought, could come, as being worthy
of their benisons, and in spite of the unmerited
censure so kindly lavished upon us, have thus
openly declared their approval of our acts, is
a matter of surprise and pleasure. But it only
shows woman's adherence to right principles,
in sunshine and storm. Tt reminds me of a
beautiful sentiment of the poet, showing her
fidelity and constancy in the days of him who
spake as never man spake:
Not she with traitorous lips the Saviour stung,
Not she denied him with unholy tongue ;
She, when apostles shrunk, could danger brave,
Last at the cross, and earliest at the grave.
Has woman won for her fair brow garlands
steeped in immortality because of her devotion
to her country's welfare, and the interests of
her race? She has. For when the young
eagle of the first republic battled with the an
gry war-cloud, the Grecian mothers led their
sons to the altar of their country, and freely j
offered them up to the spirit of liberty?when
the vine-clad hills of France trembled beneath
the stamping of the iron-hoofed war horse,
'twas woman who seemed prompted by the
arbiter of nations, who pierced the black storm
cloud with her more than magic wand, and
brought down the red thunderbolt harmless
at her feet?when the wrongs of an op
pressed people in the western world cried for
vengeance, and our proud bird, beneath whose
golden wings we now stand, struggled to be
released from her chains and thraldom? twas
woman who was the first to make sacrifice lor
her bleeding country; aodaJ though the thun
der of every cannon brought death to ner own
home, yet she hailed its hoarse voice with joy,
for its dying echo spoke of "life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness;" and then she went
forth into the field of carnage to bind up the
wounds of the fallen, sustain the dying upon
her bosom, and lay the brave down to rest,
? with all their country's honor blest. Vv hen
the fearful pestilence hovered over a distant
city, and shook from its wings disease and
death?when the merry clink of the hammer
was hushed?the hands that had so oft used
it were nerveless?the rustling of wheels
echoed not along those almost deserted streets,
unless it were the funeral cart, pursuing its
way to the place of burial, and gready death
insatiable for human life smote down not only
the first born, but in many cases whole fami
lies, and when nearly all had forsaken the poor
fever-scorched victim to die uncared for, woman
forsook them not, but performed those acts of
kindness and mercy that even an an^el mignt,
have envied. And when the cry of suffering
humanity burdened the wings of every breeze,
and reached up to the ears of Jehovah, because
of drunkenness, the ladies, still true to the
world's interests, have manifested a desire, a
determination, to arrest the spreading ruin.
And it is right that she should be foremost in
this god-like enterprise, not simply because
she possesses the power to move the moral
world, but because she is the greatest sufferer.
It is upon her blushing hopes and prospects
that the demon loves to revel?it is upon her
sensitive, confiding heart that the vjper loves
to bury its poisonous fangs, and in"l?l sorrow
and anguish, so acute thatnonff but the drunk
ard's wife can know or feel. Hut notwithstand
ing all this 1 have known young ladies who
never refuse a glass of wine when presented,
and offer as a reason that it is no harm, it can
not hurt them; and to ask them to sign a tem
perance pledge would be offering an insult
which could never be atoned for. Do you
wish to see pictured in sad reality the result
of that first wrong step? Then come
me to that convivial party. She is therewith
him?him to whom her heart and life are
plighted. In obedience to ihe custom of the
times, the wine cup passes around, and in
stead of refusing as she should have done, and
given her decided disapprobation thereto, she
presses it to her lips, and so does the object of
her choice. But little did she think that it
would be the source of all her grief and tears,
from that fatal hour until she laid dowu in the
?rave?but it was so as her subsequent history
shows. But they are now before the hymenial
altar?the mutual pledge has been given?the
vows are recorded in heaven, and sue is now
a bride. Two short years have fled away and
oh! what a different picture is presented! It
is a stormy, winter night?behold that once
happy bride in yonder miserable hovel, shiver
ing over a few expiring embers. On her care
worn brow twine bitter weeds of untold grief?
her cheeks, pale and haggard, bear the impress
of sorrow's finger; over her sad, expressive
countenance, steals the hectic blu6h, revealing
the solemn truth that consumption revels on
that delicate frame, and that soon the neglect
ed flower, crushed by him who should have
preserved it by every attention, would fade
and die. But where is he who once loved
her, and would love her still, if the magic
spells of the sorcerer, as first exhibited in the
wine cup, could be torn away from him, and
he again stand forth in the manliness of his
heart not perverted? He is in that miserable
grog-shop, a drunkard. But hark! A shriek
of agony and distress mounts on the midnight
Mast, and then another, yet another, piercing
the heart not callous to human suffering with
the keeuist anguish. It comes from that sad
hovel just referred to. The drunken husband?
the tiend in human form?has just returned
from his revelry, and that arm which should
be uplifted in the defence &nd protection of
that tender vine which had entwined itself
around him, has stricken it to the earth, and
there she lies the bleeding, dying victim to the
influence of the wine cup.
Oh! woman, what gloom on thy sinless path,
Man's selfish vices fling,
Ilis ever the maniac joy* of guilt,
But thine, oiu! the sting.
How many a gentle heart thnu criinh'd,
How many a form laid low!
? Oh ! the seraph's pause in their hymns of bliss,
To weep over woman's woe.
But this beautiful banner reveals the retiring
thunder cloud, and the bright bow of hope and
promise, bending over its angry scowl. Twen
ty-five thousand men, whose duly and pleasure
are represented in the painting before you, are
waging war against the monster, and will con
tinue the battle until he shall be entirely sub
dued?until the serpent shall be crushed be
neath their feet, and the influence which binds
them together encircle the world, and reach
up even to the throne of God.
To you, members of the Order of the Sons
of Temperance, although by some the object
of scorn and derision, I would urge your duty.
Live above suspicion; for every act of impro
priety, which to you may seem small and tri
fling, will be magnified by your enemies into
mountains. Governed as you are by the prin
ciples of our holy religion, and bowing as you
do before an altar, bearing the beautiful in
scription of44 Love, Purity, and Fidelity," may
we not hope that you will not only acknowl
edge, but practice the motto, 44 Hope leads,
Love unites, and Faith strengthens us." Then
the star of Temperance will shine brighter in
the light of your virtues, and let the Temper
ance community urge what objections to the
44Order" they may feel disposed in their blind
ed and misguided judgments, be not discoura
ged, but march forward to victory and glory.
You are the pioneers in this great enterprise,
and on your efforts depend the subjugation of
the moral world; and I am certain that I do
not hazard too much when I say, that if ever
iutemperance is driven from our world, and
the plumy wings of peace arid joy wave over
it, it will be through your instrumentality, and
that only. Men begin to see the matter in this
light already, and thousands are flocking up
to our beautiful temple and inquiring before
its altar the meaning of those simple emblems,
which, when fully informed of, and regularly
initiated into, like the philosopher of other
days, have cried out "eureka?eureka," "we
have found it, we have found it." We give
the honor of establishing the foundation upon
which our towering monument is based, to
the self-sacrificing spiritof Washingtonianism;
but we have erected the structure, placed on
the capstone, with a shout of Grace, Grace
unto it! 'Tis true the Washingtonians have
accomplished much, aye, the result of the great
good accomplished through their instrumen
tality, will not be ascertained until the end of
time: but that, however splendid, was only
the morning twilight, for when the crowning
glory of the 19th century bursted forth, it
eclipsed all that preceded it, and like "another
son arisen at noon" it added additional lustre
to the moral day, and gave more strengih to
the principles of the moral world. Do you
now ask for our trophies .' They are be/ore
you. And do you inquire what is our duty as
brothers of this great family to each other, and
to the world? You may read it in the paint
ing spread out, to which we ask your investi
gation, and challenge your scrutiny. Our duty
to each other may be summed up in one sen
tence. 44 Love for each other's interestsand
our duty to the world is an exertion to save
the poor drunkard from ruin. And although
he may be ragged, rum-painted, and rum-bloat
ed, as is this poor fellow, yet we will receive
him with open arms, and press him to our
fellowship, and even he, 44 who, for the sake
of a small pittance tempts his fellow creatures
to destruction?he whose sole employment is
to cut and carve as a licensed butcher the very
heart of public peace, and domestic happiness
he whom death deputes to do the work of age
he whom the reigning furies of Hell have del
egated as their chief recruiting officer?eyen
he, with all his sin, excites our compassion,
and gladly would we save him from the blood
bought responsibilities which he invokes upon
his own guilty head." But when we give men
the pledge, our business does not stop there?
we watch over and counsel them, guard them
against dangers, and as far as we are able,
assist in avoiding them; and if they should
again fall victims to the destroyer, we 44 deal
gently with the erring," and try by every means
to reinstate and saye. And here I will relate
an incident which is known only to you, breth
ren, and that 44 God who seeth in secret, but
rewardeth openly," which will fully sustain
all that I have said about the advantage of the
Order in this particular. A member violated
the pledge more than once; consequently the
rules of the Division were enforced, and he
was expelled; after which he became more
intemperate than before, and seemed rushing
headlong into ruin. Remorse, remorse, stung
him to madness, and in order to silence " the
still small voice " he made an effort to stupify
his senses in the extravagant use of the be
witching draught. And then his family felt
unkindness and neglect?the horrors of a
drunkard's home, and the withering, burning
blight of a drunkard's legacy seemed all that
would shortly be left to his wife and children.
She then addressed a letter to the Division
which affected to tears all who heard it. She
stated her miserable situation, in all simplici
ty, and with all the pathos which belongs
alone to woman, begged that one more effort
would be made to redeem her husband. Ac
cordingly, a committee was appointed to visit
the fallen brother, of which I was the chair
man. It was early on Sabbath morning, when
we went to discharge our duty. He was at
home and we at once explained the object of
our visit. It moved his heart, as kindness
ever will; and I could see from the emotion
of his bosom, the suppressed tear, and the
tremulously uttered word, that he was tjulv
penitent. Overtures for his returh to odr fel
lowship were made, which were promptly
and gladly complied with, and now he stands
firmly on the rock of Total Abatis^c?, wfrich
no power can shake. (
Deal gently with the erripg?knew, ' ;a
They may have lotted in rain;
? Pevhaps unkindness made thorn so,
Oh win tnera back again.
i ? - . o
Speak gently! 'Us a little thipg, - ? '
Dropped in the heart's deep well,' .*?? A
The godd, the joy, which it may hfihg, l -
Eternity shall teU. i'l *
I B>ve frefaeiWy1fc^'1?te'stpr the Pledge
at what are called ojir great Temperance meet
ings, and I believe that the honest purpose of
their heart at that sacred hour, was to keep it
inviolate; but not having any to notice them,
or take them by the hand when the dark hour
of trial and temptation came?none to speak
one common word of comfort, which on the
ear of him who thought to die unmourned,
falls like choicest music; and feeling that they
were outcasts, degraded beings still, the weight
of public condemnation pressing heavy upon
their already bruised spirits, and the scathing
curse of the drunkard falling upon their unpro
tected heads, in the madness and remorse of
that hour have rushed again to the wine cup
in order to " forget dull care," and bury the
misery and wretchedness surrounding them.
The work of reform and the cutting loose from
long established habits, particularly that of
using intoxicating drinks, is a very difficult
one; and it requires every agency to facilitate
it. For when a man signs the declaration of
his moral and intellectual freedom, adheres to
it only one day, and like the maniac in the
gospel, comes forth from the tombs clothed
and in his right mind, he sees himself as he
is, a poor, miserable, degraded wretch; and
just at that eventful crisis, when the ghastly
ghosts of butchered hours, misspelt privileges,
the remembrance of loved friends, who, have
been hurried to the grave, because tjL his con
duct, rushes back upon his mind; and tortures
his heart, when the events of eternity loom
up, tinged with no ray of hope, or brightened
with no beam of promise, and he Teads upon
the burning thunderbolts of God's justice,
"no drunkards shall inherit the kingdom of
heaven "?oh! just then he needs the atten
tion of some good Samaritan to strengthen his
resolutions and offer him some encourage
ment, or else he is lost, forever lost. Do you
ask me to show you these effects of reforma
tion through our instrumentality, sanctioned
by the blessings of God ? Go seek out the
traick of the wild tornado, and yon will see it
nil grown up with the sweetest roses of do*
mestic bliss! Go to the poor drunkard's home,
once desolate and cheerless, and you will see
the hearth-stone enlivened with smiles. Go
to the young man, the prop and hope of decli
ning years, once dragged down almost to the
grave by the mighty incubus so big with utter
ruin, and you will see him now standing erect
in conscious dignity. Go ask the christian
world what of the night? and the watchmen
on its walls will respond that the day star of
our hope has dawned. And ask in such thun
der tones as may reach up to the heavens, if a
witness to the excellency of our institution is
dwelling there ? If there is one note higher
and sweeter than all the rest echoing along
the light concave of glory, it will be the united
voices of redeemed thousands giving to the
cause which we advocate the praise of their
salvation. I have seen the poor drunkard en
ter the gates of the " Order," and in a few
months have seen him stand up a christian.
But you are still uncompromising foes, attempt
ing if not by a positive, a negative course, to
crush us in our infancy. We do not expect
anything else from men who profess not to be
governed even by the golden rule, but you
who assume the righteousness of that great
teacher whose advent into our guilty world
was sung by angels to the shepherds on the
plains of Bethlehem more than 1600 years
ago?you who teach the doctrine that man is
an accountable being, and that there exists
within him a spirit which must live on for
ever, from you we expect better things. And
let me tell you, that the day of retributive jus
tice will determine the amount of coloring
your conduct in this particular has given to
the destinies of immortal spirits. If there
were no life eternal, no perpetual spring time,
in some far off regian, wherever it be?
I Where lovo has put off, in the land of its birth,
1'he stain it had gathered in this,
And hefted the sweet singer, that gladdejned the earth,
Lies asletp in the bosom of bliss.
If all these soul-stirring thoughts were only
imaginary things, and that when tpan falls
into the grave, like the leaves of autumn he
mingles with .the dust to live no more! if the
sweet recollectionsJ;of a "better land," of
which all dreams in early years were torn
away from your affections, vou might then,
with a callous heart, see him who in the
brightest hour of his existence, before the gaze
of heaven and men, pledged himself to Iqve,
honor, and cherish her, who gave up all for
him, forfeit those sacred obligations, and be*
fore the bridal flowers faded away, demon
like, suffer his conduct to prey upon her heart,
yet full of early love, until she be immolated
upon the altar of his passions and appetite!
You might then, with philosophic cpidness,
gaze upon the aged mother, bowed down with
a mountain load of grief, because of the profli
gacy of her only son; aye, if there was no still,
small voiee within us, no divinity which makes
man a god, and poiuts out a hereafter, you
might see an ocean of tears wept, and look
upon the skies loaded with "sighs that ever
sigh," with an infidel heart; but even then, with
all your excuses as moral agents, and all your
objections to the institution which I represent,
our country holds you responsible for your con
duct and example, and before its tribunal you
are to be, you nkall be, judged. Some ha^e
predicted our downfall, but under the blessing
of that Go4 who rules in heaven and on the
earth, that event will never occur; but we
shall exist as a brotherhood so long as there is
one drunkard unredeemed. The inveteiaie