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PEOPLE’S PHIEND.
A. B. S. MOSELEY, ) Associate
MBS. MAMOIM P. MOSELEY, •
REV. L. R. GWALTNEY, )
Rome, Ga*, Saturday, Feb. 1, 1873.
Chaplains of Good Templar Lodges,
and Pastors Favorable to the Pro
gress of the Temperance Reform.
“The People’s Friend” is the organ
of the I. O. G. Templars, in the State
of Georgia.
We hope it may be widely circulated
in South Carolina, Alabama and Miss
issippi.
While aiming as a family paper, to
advance religion and good morals, it
is especially devoted to the cause of
temperance.
The publishers of the paper, and
friends of this good cause desire your
hearty cooperation and support. You
see everywhere the evils of the liquor
traffic, the slime and deadly touch of
“serpent.” You are eyewitnesses of
the want and wretchedness entailed
upon innocent and helpless children,
wives and mothers by this traffic.
You see its blighting effect upon the
piety and growth of the churches.
You can do much to stay its progress.
We need a paper, earnest and true in
its consecration to the one object of
rescuing the fallen, and saving others
from falling into the slavery
and love of the drunkard’s appetite.
Will you help us in supplying this
need ?
Write for the paper. Speak a word
in its favor; get up clubs of subscrib
ers. In doing this you will greatly aid
in sustaining the paper and nt the
same time, help to carry comfort and
gladness to many desolate homes and
sorrowing hearts.
L. R. GWALTNEY.
To the Worthy Vice Templars of the
I. 0. G. T.
Rome, Ga., Jan. 31, 1873.
Si- :, ers of the Order:
“J/'r ar” what women make them;" if}
an old adage, and a true one! How
great then, is our responsibility! Let
us make men sober, honest, earnest,
truthful and manly. Let us first do
right ourselves, then hold up the right
t - them, and bid them follow ns. They
will not ref ise when shown the right
by an earnest advocate. Mb suffer
most by the evils of intemperance,
then let women rally to the cause and
e.i’rt ourselves to diffuse the principles
of temperance, and to shun its evils.
Th s can best be done through the;
medium of a newspaper, devoted to 1
the cause, a cause to which its editors I
are devoting time, talent and money
v : ’h no sparing hand. That paper 1
the “People’s Friend,” and to you I
as woman, ami an officer, high in j
tii> order, I appeal for your invaluable ]
aid, in supporting the cause of tom- I
perance, in supporting its organ, the ,
i i.oi’LE s Friend, by not only subscrib- !
i g for it yourselves, but by getting !
i o dubs in your lodges. 1 should be
glad to hear from you by letter, and !
can remit your names and money to me '
care the Peoples Friend, and I would
a'-o gladly publish any article of pub- I
lie :nt<rest from any sister. With the
hope of hearing from every Vice Tem
] u- in the State.
1 am, in Faith, Hom*.and Charitv,
Y ur sister
MARGIE P. MOSELEY,
/he following is a verbatim report of a j
part of the Hon- R. D. Harvey’s charge to
th? Grand Jury of the second week of Floyd j
Supeiior Court in reference to the evils of !
ii. emperanee. The Judge uses strong |
language, but not too strong, and does up
tii * subject in a plain and wise manner.— |
If we only had more Harveys on “the !
bench” our land would be happier and not
is row cursed with the rule of Hell’s own
Demon —Alcohol.
My practice, expeiience and observation 1
at the bar before going on the bench (more
limy confirmed by my observation since) !
had so impressed me with the fact that the .
greater part of the violence, lawlessness and j
disorder in our country is attributable to |
the use of strong drink, that my uniform
practice has been to call the attention of !
Grand Juries to it and to the necessity of.
the rigid enforcement of all laws calculated
to curtail its evils and even to the propriety
of suppressing the liquor traffic altogether
by Legislation.
I am happy to announce to you (a fact
apparent to all) that drunkenness, crime
and disorder have greatly diminished of
late in this city and community, even be
yond my most sanguine expectations.—
Three years ago if you were called upon to
serve a week on the jury during a regular
rm of the Superior Court in this city, you
expected to see fifty drunken men during
the week, Now if you shall see one, two,
or three during the week, it is all you ex
pect.
This change has doubtless been wrought
mainly by the inlluence of the temperance
organizatians known as Good Templars.—
Though they were few and feeble at first,
they are a host now. A large majority of
the most influential men in the city are
now bearing the cause onward with their
might. They have already established an
able organ in this city. A live newspaper
to avow its purposes and advocate its prin
ciples. The principles of sobriety and order
working for us, for our children, for God
and our country. Let every lover of his
race ; every lover of his own children give
encouragement to this enterprise. What
would I take to deprive my house of such
a paper for my childien to read of nights?
I want these principles instilled into their
young minds and hearts till they become
part and parcel of their very nature and
being.
It is seldom that I speak to a Grand
Jury of any outward enterprise, but I deem
this so important to law and order, which
it is my duty to promote and enforce in
the community that I could not refrain
from saying this much.
I do not propose at this time to fix ir
revocably the various provisions of my
will, in else God should bless me with any
thing worth making a will about, much less
to publish the same to the. world now, but
I think one item may be regarded as set
tled in these words:
“Whenever and wherever I may die, it
is my will, desire and request to be buried
by the order known as Gcod Templars.”
Perhaps this is too much for an outsider
to request. These are my honest sentiments
and feelings.
Our Sunday Morning.
BY MARGIE P. MOSELY.
Sabbath, God’s day 1 The day on which
after the creation of this world, he rested
from His labors, the day which the lips of
Omnipitence has pronounced holy, that up
on which we are to abstain from toils, to
worship our Creator What force knowl
edge and wisdom is shown in the gift of
this day! Sabbath, rest, intermission of
care, ease suffering— what so sweet to the
worn and weary ! Day by day we toil for
the “meat the perisheth.” struggling al
ways, yet never satisfied. Did no Sab
bath come to break the cea-eless strife
would man ever pause to resuscitate his
failing powers.
The Greed of Gain is a hard task-master.
With the early dawn of a new week, he ur
ges his slave upward—onward. No rest.
Nj pause at noon. The quiet evening with
its sweet thoughts and hallowed influence
forgotten or ignored. Night in her mag
esty, and bedecked with the glittering dia
monds of her millions of star worlds is not
for his eves, he must work, gold is more
beautiful ’han these—lie must have gold
Through the weary hours of six days, are
his energies strained to the utmost and the
seventh would be a likeness ot the others,
but for an allwise prohibition, “in it thou
shalt not do any work.” Beneath him who
is a slave to’gold, there are others slaves.
No master so hard as he who has served.
There is little pity in his soul for the suffer
ing of others, for to him the alluring yel
low dust is as a panacea, for failing strength
and weary limbs, for aching head and
empty hearts, and forgetful of all the high
er. and holier feelings of human nature, as j
well as its frailties and necessities, he cries
continually. “Work ! work! work,” un
til their hands fail, their brains reel, and
the poor suffers beneath this tyrany whisper
“Oh ! for rest! Bless God for the Sab- |
hath.” To the poor especially is the Sab- 1
bath a blessing. It comes, bringing peace
holiness and quietude, as an earnest ofever
lastinc rest. Look up ye who suffer and
thank Him, for
••He wlm>ord*in»-d the Ssbb.ith love* the [ <>or."
Why should we toil on always? “What
profit hath a man of all his labor which he
taketh under the sun,” if he love not
God ?
Humanity is fickle. Man needs to be re- I
minded of his own interest. Can be forget
his <>wn welfare ? Assuredly, and his best
good, that “pearl of greatest price,” re
ligion. Lulled in the 'ap of benumbed con- (
sciousness, we dream only of earth ; we
struggle for treasuries of which death shall
rob us, we forget there is a higher life,
loose sight of the beacon light which Christ
has hung out of the window of Heaven and
by which we may steer our tempest-tossed
barks into the haven of eternity, we forget
Sabbath come to us like
Music that softer falls
Their petals from blown roses on ilie grsss,
Brlsht dews, on stil! waters, between
Os liabowy granite on a gleaming pass—
Music, that gentlier on the spirit lies,
Than tired eyelids upon tired eyes.
A music which sneaks to our spirits the
saying : Rest —cease from troubling I
Why are you boweddown with heaviness
and weary thoughts? Letnot distress
weighuponyou- Christ arisen, bejoyfifl!”
hink not of the work of to-morrow: Suf
ficient to the day is the evil thereof.” Al of
God’s creaturcare fed, yet they do not
gather “into barns,” why should man the
first and best of ail His works toil on for
ever. —
“Why should life all labor be;
Time drifts onward fast.”
And in a little time our lips are dimb!”
then arise while speach is given a prais
God ! The Sabbath bells are ringing out
messages »f His mercies and loving kind
nesses will you close your ears, and dream
of gains you throw away gifts- Come
Come in spirit and receive the grandest
of all gifts—the gospel!”
Such were the thoughts that came once
to me I walked upon the streets of a great
city It was a Sabbath morning, the sun
light rested upon the spires and steeples of
the city with a tender glory, the bells were
ringing their glad morning peals calling the
people to worship and crowds were wend
ing their way through the winding streets
to the various churches. As I proceeded
1 observed an old man with hoary hairs
and distorted limbs seated beside th?, door
of a little hovel. His head was bent upon
his staffand his hand raised to his ear, as
though he attempted, by excluding the
outside world from view, to concentrate
his whole attention upon something to
which he seemed to be listening. It was
but a short distance to the church, and
the minister had already commenced his
sermon, I devined the intention of the old
man, and drawing nearer, I enquired why
he did not go to church. Raising his eyes
in which there was a look of unutterable
melancholly, he ftplied, “I am alone
all aloir? in the world, this little hut con
tains the sum of my earthly possessions,
I am crippled and unable to work, if this
were taken from me I should be destitute.
I wish T could hear the word of God preach
ed but the house connot be made secuie.”
| “Go and let me remain here until you re
turn. He regarded me for a women’ in
: silence and said, “Do not remain, 1 will
i go—if I loose this, God will provide.”
But I sat down, and with a prayer for
the childnes, friendless one, Iwatchtedhim
hobble to the church and enter. -The
who had just left me had once been num
bered among the merchant princesol a great
I city. Through misfortune and intem
pcrande he had lost his wealth’ A malig
nant disease had deprived him of the love
’ of'his youth, and the child of his manhood.
Then with a constitution weakend by ill
ness and exposure, he had fallen a prey
■ to a torturing disease which distorted his
' limbs, and rendered him a cripple of life.
Health, wealth, piide, ambition, loved
ones, all gone, the old man had no heart
to attempt, less ability to perform any labor
by which to earn a support: and thus, bre- ■
ken hearted and forsaken, lie lived upon
the scanty bounty, but the best she could
give, of a poor sewing girl, whose mother I
he had once befriended. While I sat me
ditating upon the sorrows of his life, and I
the vicissitudes of human existence, a per- ,
son passed, who inquired why I was s tting ’
there. i 'old the sad story of the old
ba-ket maker, and with eyes brightening
through the mist of tears, my listener said, ■
he was a friend to me in my youth; 1 have 1
a home, be shall no longer be homeless. 1
When the old man returned limpingupon
his crutches to his door, there was a light
in his eyes, winch 1 had not seen there lie
fore. God had given him that wealth
which the world cannot take away, and 1
clasping my hand, he said fervently. “I
am no longer poor, though homeless here,
1 have a home not made with hands, eter
nal in the heavens!”
His last words to me upon departing for
the church were, “God, provide,” and
according to his faith, he had received a
dwelling place here, and the hope of a
home in the man-ion above.
Editors Peojje's Friend:
According to promise I drop you a j
line to inform jou of the temperance I
movement in and around Atlanta.
M e visited Atlanta Lodge No. 1 at
its last meeting and found the mem-
bers highly elated because the staunch
old Temperance War Horse, Rev. C.
J. Oliver had returned to the city to
make it his home, and had declared
his intention of depositing his card
with them. Atlanta Lodge is looking
for glorious victories during the spring
campaign.
Floral Lodge No. 2 will move her
place of meeting to the lower part of
Decatur street. They have engaged a
good room in a good locality. Bro.
E. W. Mason caused quite a sensation
by depositing his card in that Lodge.
Alex felt so good about it that he act
ually fell down stairs in leaving the
Lodge room and Alex has to shut his
■ eyes to laugh, and after getting into it
continued his laughing fit, and failing
to see a cellar that was open in he
went with a thud. Why Alex, says
one of the brothers I could have told
you that hole was open. Oh well says
Alex that ish all right I found him.
Floral will send in a good report to
the Grand Lodge next quarter.
Georgia No. 123 has been beautify
ing her already superb rooms, Faith,
Hope and Charity beautiful chromos
and a very line steel engraving. From
store to store Faith, Hope and Chari
ty statuary&c., are among the addi
tions lately placed in their room.
Georgia has among its members
some of the first ladies and gentlemen
in the city. Capt. John Milledge is
doing noble work; Rev. Dr. Dozier
and Mr. Warren arc always on hand
I *
when most needed.
, Hamilton Lodge leads the van in
. new members this quarter, six joined
at the last meeting.
i Peachtree Lodge has initiated about
all within reach of their lodge and now
they are doing good work with the
Cold Water Temple. Every lodge en
dorses the Executive Committee in its
, late actions. The present Executive
Committee has won the hearts of the
people and all round this burg they
i are proud of their leaders and will
stand to them to the end.
Judge Underwood has been invited
by Georgia Lodge to make a temper
ance speech in Atlanta and ho has con
sented to do so.
You are aware that the Legislature
is now in session. A bill was intro-
. duccd last week to allow some man
i to sell the infernal poison with-
I out license. Nice man that to rep
resent the people and we expect
his next bill will be to legalize all
' , grades of murder. We are proud that
we have the People’s Friend to en-
i lighten the people. I believe if a good
i live agent was put in Atlanta two thou
. ' sand subscribers could be obtained for
1 it in this citv alone.
S. T.
i “The chains of habit are never felt until
j they are too strong to be broken,” .says
that great moralist, Sain Johnson, and no
maxim was ever truer. How important,
then, that we should allow no chain to be
woven about us which we would not publie
;ly avow. V, ould any one desire to acknowl
i edge himself the slave of alcohol. If so,
let him indulge in the “social glass.” and
whether he acknowledge the tact or not,
the public will know he is such, for as the
first sin marked Cain, so this sin ofdrunk
; entie.-s marks its votaries. Rest assured
. there is i.o such thing as “secret drinking,”
fir sooner or later will the chains of habit
, force you to do in public what you have
been secretly doing, and vainly imagining
j would not be known. “Verily your sin
shall find you out.” Men talk about not
yielding their Ireedom,” about “pitying” a
man who is afraid to “take a gla-s with a
friend ;” they are the men to be pitied, for
they ignore the fact that they are the
slaves of habit and afraid to hr free. The I
man who takes ope glass of intoxicating
drink a day, for a week, only for pleasure,
must take two the next week from necessity.
One drink calls for another and that for
another, until the advocate of the social
glass exclaims with Rip Van Winkle, I
would part wid my right han’ for one drink
out de bottle, und v«n I gits dat one, 1
: would give my whole soul for the balance.”
Habit is a hard taskmaster ! He exercises a
>ight and almost imperceptible authority at
first, then he tightens the reins, and grows
' more exacting as the years pass- There is i
no pity in his heart for the aged, the old
and infirm. ’The weaker his slave, the
more he exacts of him, and the longer that
slave has served, the more it costs him to
purchase his freedom. This is the kind of
master to whom the advocate of “a social
glass” is selling himself—this is the free
dom of which so many boast! Verily there
is madness in the thought!
Many men brag of their power to resist
the temptations and evils of intemperance,
but they reckon without reason ; they know
not the power of habit. Men have been
heroes enough to meet death, stare him in
the face, and bare their breasts to his
deadly arrows, yet were not heroes of suffi
cient power to break the chains of habit!
They have smiled at calamity and destruc
tion, yet cowered to the dictates of a vicious
taste ; they have laughed at pain, yet bowed
in tears beneath the rod of a vitiated appe
tite; they have mocked at death in fear
lessness and pride, yet cringed as a ciaven
to the dictates of Habit! Then talk not
of the “social glass,” but rather of the
slave's g-ass, lor sooner or later he is a
slave who tampers with wine. Gall no glass
“social” that co’ tains the poison which
kills both body and soul! /Speak not of him
who offers you wine as a friend but as a
foe, the more to be dreaded, as like the
wily sei pent, he charms with his wiles
while he seeks to destroy. Taste not,
touch not, handle not the fatal cup, Look
not upon the wine when it is red, when it
giveth its color in the cup, for at last it
biteth like a serpent and stiugeth like an
adder ! For the cup is sorrow, shame,
misery, disgrace, poverty, suffering and
every other ill which curses poor, frail
suffering humanity, and moreover
A Bohon Upas there you will find,
Which Rfter the body destroys the mind.
LETTER FRO 17THE G. A. S.
Editors the People’s Fripnd :
1 promised to give yon a letter for each
issue of The Friend, but the pressure of
business in my office will necessitate my
being very brief. The letters received from
the various parts of the State are of a very
encouraging character, and would stimulate
your readers if they could hear wl at is
being done, and what progress the Order
is making, yet, for the present, I can only
give you a few extracts.
Bro. Robert Hester, of Eatonton, write,-;
“So far as I can tee, our members have no
intention of giving up the good, cause th :y
are somewhat lukewarm just now, but wo
have enough good material to keep in good
working order.”
Bro. McMahan, of Oglethorpe, wiites:
‘Crawford Lodge is all right; will meet in
our new hall on the 31st.” Bro. Hays, of
Peach Tree Lodge, writes : “Our Lodge is
in fine condition, and the work goes on
well. ’ ’
Bro- Palmer, from Cuthbert, writes:
“Our Lodge has very nearly cased to work,
fora want of interest manifested by the
members, and from the fact that the
churches have taken a stand against, us to
a great extent. This I think is one great
cause of our partial failure. IVe need’.elp
and strong help at that.” I give you this
extract to show what a damaging effect can
be produced bj r a church taking a position
against this reform, and I can conceive of
no just cause for such a position,
Bro. Eliis writes from Calhoun, “W’e
are doing a good work for the Temperance
cause; have initiated from three to six
every meeting since Christmas, and have
only had two violations during the Holi
days.”
Bro. Duncan, of Conyers, says: “The
new Lodge at. Sheffield, and No. 9 at Con
yers, are both flourishing; the new lodge
has some fifty members.”
Bro. Ledbetter writes from Canton:
“Our Lodges are doing well, and are firm
in their adhesion to our Grand Lodge,
all are loyal. I hope to organize some new
lodges as soon as the weather will permit.”
Bro. Marshall writes from Eatonton:
“Our lodge has not suffered in any way
that I know of; we are few in number, but
that few are of the right material.”
Many more such extracts could be given,
hut I will not trespass farther. It is grati
fying to know that instead of losing, our
order is gaining; instead of decreasing, it is
most assuredly increasing daily in numerical
strength and influence. Gibraltar ’Lodge
at stone Mountain, has sprung up anew,
and all the members have gone to work.
1 bey initiated twenty-one at a recent meet
ing, some sisters carrying their brothers,
and wives their husb.inds. I heir meetings
almost amount to ovations, the enthusiasm
is so intense. Can we make it so in our
Lodge? Let us try, it is worth an effort.
More anon,
S. C. IL
A San Francisco woman claims a divorce
because she was intoxocated when she was
married and did not know what she was
about.
An Engliih transport with three hun
dred soldiers abroad is overdue at Halifax,
aud it is feared she h«s been lost at sea -