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MIPUMMIBJHP.
ATHENS,....SATURDAY, JULY 15, 1848.
The State Temperance Convention.
This important annual festival was celebrated at
Atlanta, on the sth and 6th instant, and such was
the interest of the occasion that we propose to devote
the leading article of our own department in this
week’s issue, to a memorial of its proceedings. Our
chronicle, however, will have no pretension to com
pleteness of detail or to unity of arrangement —fea-
tures which will characterize the usual official report
in the pages of the accredited organ of the Conven
tion —the Temperance Banner. We shall record our
own impressions—contemplating the occasion as one
deeply significant of a “better time coming,” and
pregnant with great and noble results.
The “Rail Road City” was never before so
thronged with people of all ages and of both sexes.
They literally smarmed at every corner ; and where
they found “ sleeping accomodation,” it is beyond
our powers of fancy to divine, though a single fact
may prove suggestive of a key to the mystery. Pro
ceeding at an early hour on the second day of the
Convention, to the neat house of worship recently
erected by the Baptists, where its sittings were held,
we found the aisles and the ample space in front of
the pulpit literally carpeted Avith mattrasses, pre
senting some hundreds of square feet of bedding—and
from the state of the pillows and coverlets, avc con
cluded that at least fifty had been guilty, the pre
vious night, of “ sleeping in church.” We shared
the bed of a friend —and when, about midnight, we
had “ composed our weary limbs to rest,” we were
aroused by a loud knocking at the door. Upon en
quiry, Ave found that some poor bedless wight Avas in
search of lodgings; and to our reply tha t we were
full, he A'ery innocently demanded if there were as
many as four or five of us in that bed! We have no
doubt that there were many, avlio upon that night
would have been very happy, if Fate had not denied
them the opportunity, to exclaim with the amiable
author of the famous apostrophe :
“Oh bed, bed, bed, delicious bed—
What a heaven on earth to the weary head!”
But we Avill sleep no longer over our subject, lest our
readers conclude that Ave were among the sleepless
that night, and are now making up for lost time.
The Aveather was exceedingly hot and sultry during
the Convention, which occasioned great inconvenience
to the multitudes, but especially to the speakers,
who, although they declared themsekes the decided
advocates of cold water, found it impossible to keep
cool.
A larger assemblage of respectable persons never
convened in Georgia for an end purely moral and be
nevolent. We will not undertake to “ number the peo
ple,” but certainly several thousand swelled the or
dinary population of Atlanta, to a mighty multitude.
The Com action itself was very large, and composed
chiefly of men of evident intelligence. The excellent
and honored President, Judge Ltimpkin, presided
with his wonted dignity and affability, infusing vigor
and soul into the proceedings of the body, by his
timely, though unpremeditated bursts of eloquence.
Among the visitors from South Carolina, the Hon.
Judge O’Neall was the “ observed of all observers,”
and when he appeared on the right of the President,
the enquiry and the answer ran from lip to lip—“ Who
is that!” “ That is O’Neall, the apostle of Temp
erance from Carolina.” Many an eye beamed kindly
upon the distinguished guest, and man)’ a heart bade
him welcome.
Among the delegates, the Sons of Temperance
were by far the most numerous, and none entered
with more enthusiasm into the spirit of the occasion.
‘Of the business proceedings of the body, we will bare
ly remark that, in general, they were transacted with
great dignity and unanimity—and were character
ized with that prudence and moderation Avhich should
■ever distinguish the advocates of Temperance. The
report of the Committee on the state of the Cause in
Georgia, was tinged with an enthusiasm which we
doubt not the surrounding circumstances helped to
inspire, and which Avas warmly responded to in the
applause of the Convention.
1 he public exercises of the 6th were held in the
open air at -a spacious stand erected for the purpose.
Here a dense throng was congregated, and none who
w itnessed the scenes and heard the speeches of the
day, could hesitate to pronounce it the proudest oc-
§© 33 si B{& m Ba IITF g& &
casion in the moral annals of Ga. An immense mul
titude moved to the stand in procession—gay with
the brilliant regalia and elegant banners of the Sons
of Temperance, the numerous flags of the Cold Wa
ter Annies, and inspirited (not by the fell spirit of
Alcohol, hoAVever,) by the strains of music from an
excellent brass band. A word of these “ Cold Wa
ter Armies”—to us the most interesting feature of
the scene. There Avere several corps from the place
and adjacent towns—each composed of from fifty to
one hundred lads between ten and sixteen years of
age—all enlisted for life under the Avhite banners of
l otal Abstinence, and leagued to do battle with
l’rince Alcohol. One of these armies Avas not, lioav
ever, composed of boys, but of girls—young girls, in
a delicate and tasteful uniform of blue frocks and
white bonnets, each girl bearing a flag with a signfi
cant motto. As these “ armies ” defiled before the
audience and took their places in front of the stage,
ardent and enthusiastic shouts rent the air, and must
have smote upon the ears of the victims of Intempe
rance, and especially upon the promoters of it, like
the “ crack of doom.”
The distinguished orator of the day, Judge Charl
ton of Savannah, made one of the happiest efforts to
Avhich it has been our lot to listen. Ilis eloquence
was marked by a pathos and earnestness that carried
it to the hearts of his auditory—and when we add
that, Avith the Aveb of his persuasive reasoning, were
interwoven frequent tissues of his inimitable and
graceful humor, our readers will scarcely wonder that
the oration Avas received with prolonged applause.
The captains of the “ Cold Water Armies” made
brief addresses to the Convention and the assembly.
One of the young speakers Avon laurels by his playful
speech. Its witty allusions told upon the immense
audience, Avho manifested their approval by loud
cheering. The task of responding to these addresses
Avas assigned to Judge O’Neall, Avhose eloquent and
inspiring Avords served but to fan the flame of the
popular enthusiasm. Whin he took his seat, loud
calls for Judge Lumpkin brought that ever ready ad
vocate of Temperance to his feet, and never before
did he appear to us so ardent, so absorbed in his
theme. Feeling all the interest, and catching all the
fervor of the hour, he poured forth a torrent of con
gratulations, hopes and predictions, which harmo
nized well Avith the spirit of the people.
Instrumental and vocal music lent additional charms
to the exercises; and when they closed, many a full
heart gave utterance to the lips, in the exclamation,
“ This is a proud day for Georgia!” It was a proud
day for our people—since never before, in our history,
has there been such a glorious “ demonstration” in
favor of that crown of earthly virtues —sobriety.
The principal speakers at this Anniversary, were
distinguished members of the Bench, and we could
not help thinking, while looking at that illustrious
trio of Judges, how greatly it Avould conduce to the
happiness of our people and to the safety of their in
terests, if such men were the sole arbiters and dispen
sers of justice in our land.
We should do injustice to our brief chronicle, if we
omitted to mention the address of Judge O’Neall, on
Wednesday night, which was listened to with eager
delight by thousands; and also that of Rev. l)r.
Pearce on Thursday afternoon, characterized by his
wonted vigor of thought and benevolence of heart.
A more harmonious Convention probably never as
sembled for deliberation upon so momentous a subject
as the Temperance Reform in its present aspect; and
we feel assured that anew impulse has been given to
the Cause, which, like a blow upon the centre of a
vast lake, shall send forth expanding circles, until
they break upon the shore in an anthem of triumph.
Georgia Female College.
From the annual “ catalogue of the trustees, fac
ulty and students of the Wesleyan Female College,”
at Macon, we learn that the total number of students
for the present year is 161—of whom 17 are in the
graduating class. The institution appears to be in a
prosperous condition, under its able management.
Slmcrtran fttotitfjlw #ress.
Southern Literary Messenger for July.
This is an excellent number—well sustaining the
high reputation of the work. We especially com
mend the article on Akenside by Tuckerman. Our
correspondent, Miss Lee, contributes a pleasant sto
ry from the German, and Mr. Cooke finishes his
Avell-written tale of “ The Two Country Houses.”
The Knickerbocker for July,
1 he leading paper of this capital monthly is an ar
ticle on Alexander Hamilton, regarded as the master
of political sagacity. It is from the pen of a fine
scholar and vigorous writer, the Rev. E. L. Ma
goon, and the first of a series to be published in a vol
ume, entitled the Orators of the Revolution. We
greatly admire the style of the author, Avho is earn
ing a rapid and enviable celebrity.
It is needless perhaps to say that the Knickerbock
er presents its usual bountiful supply of contributed
and editorial miscellany, in a faultless typography.
(■
<Dur Gossip Column.
Since Ave greeted you last, dear reader, we have
availed ourself of the facilities offered by our Rail
Roads, to visit the extreme North-Western section
of Georgia, and to look upon the “terra incognita,”
in the vicinity of Dalton, a city in the woods which
has sprung up beneath that wand of modern witch
craft—enterprise! When avc rejoiced in the days and
the delights of boyhood, Ave read with great pleasure,
as every boy and girl should do now, a book entitled,
“Eyes and no Eyes,” which taught us the impor
tance of observing all things about us. That lesson
Ave neAer forgot , and consequently we “ observed ”
some things in our brief journey Avhich we shall, by
and by, record for the benefit of those Avho are com
pelled to stay at home. Our tour embraced the time
of our National Jubilee, a season of patriotism and
speech-making, when orations are as plenty as black
berries, though not generally so agreeable!—and it
was our good fortune to encounter an esteemed friend,
Avho had been unexpectedly called on at a civic cele
bration to make a Temperance address, in place of a
judge whose duties on the bench compelled him to
forfeit his engagement to deliver such an address.
Our friend ll gave us a someAvhat amusing ac
count of the disadvantages under Avhich he performed
his task. We will sum them up hastily, to wit: a
sudden call, a Avearisome ride with a consequent head
ache, and two previous and unsolicited speeches from
officious parties Avith the consequent fatigue of the
audience. Under these circumstances he resorted to
anecdote, and who will doubt that he succeeded in
pleasing his hearers, Avith a fund of story, like the
following samples. lie thus commenced his dis
course : “ An eloquent divine Avas once summoned to
preach in a parish church remote from hisoAvn. lie
poured forth his Avonted pathos and ferA’or,complete
ly subduing the hearts, and suffusing with tears the
eyes of all his auditory except one man, who sat erect
and unmoved. Tht.s indifference induced a person
sitting by, to ask him how it was possible he could
remain unaffected by such eloquence, to which he re
plied— ‘ Why bless me sir, he don’t belong to our
parish !’ ” Another specimen of our friend’s anecdo
tal ability, Avill certainly please our readers. It was
designed to illustrate a remark that the tippler is at
first unwilling to have his visits to the dram-shop
known to his family. A tlmving farmer who had form
ed the habit of visiting the grocery Avhenevcr ho went
to court, and was sometimes so much overcome by
his potations, as to be unable to go home at night,
apologized to his Avife, the next day, by saying that
he had been kept on jury duty by the Sheriff. This
excuse became at length quite frequent; but as his
wife, in her innocence, attributed his repeated jury
duty to his honorable position in society, she never
divined the real cause of his absences. It happened
that on a harA’esting occasion he invited his neigh
bors to his house, and despatched his servant to toAvn
Avith tAvo five gallon jugs swinging at his saddle-bow,
and an order on the grocery keeper for ten gallons of
Avhiskey. Cato reached the village, obtained the de
sired supplies, and started upon his return. Unfor
tunately, at a bad place in the road, his horse stum,
bled, threAv Cato and broke both the jugs. Poor Ca
to feeling that it would never do to go home without
the whiskey, returned to town and besought the deal
er to furnish him a second supply. This he refused
to do without a further order, and Cato, to drown
his care, resorted to drinking, and, like his master,
passed the night in the village. The next day he
rode home, and ineanAvhile, his master’s guests had
dispersed Avithout the expected treat. As Cato rode
at full speed toivards the house, his master met him,
and, raising his cane, exclaimed, “You black rascal,
why did you not fulfil my orders and bring the Avhis
key last night 1” The poor fellow threw up his
hands, as if in great distress, and said, “Hear me
one moment, massa, ’fore you strike poor Cato.”
And when bade to say on, he added—“ Fact is, mas
sa, jiss as I was about to leave town, massa Sheriff
cotched me and kep ine on jury all night.” It is
probably needless to add, that Cato was instantly
ordered to go to his work, and no further reference to
his delinquency was made We heard recent
ly, in a pretty village church, a sermon from the text,
“ By faith, Moses, when he Avas of years, refused to
be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.” The prea
cher was a man of excellent spirit and quite respect
able abilities, but he said one thing in the course of
his sermon which we could have laughed at very
heartily, if it had been said elsewhere. Speaking of
the sacrifices which Moses chose to make, he said that
“in refusing to be the heir of Pharaoh, he gave up
as much as half the State of Georgia, he gave up all
Egypt /” This strikes us as a curious statistical
fact; and Ave doubt not that the relativ T e A r alue of
Georgia and Egypt was not Avell understood before.
. . .We regret not to have room for the interest
ing correspondence which passed between Miss Cal
lie McGregor Lumpkin and the committee of the
Franklin College Temperance Society on the presen
tation of a beautiful banner to the Society, which
Avas wrought by the fair hands of that worthy daugh
ter of one of our most distinguished living advocates
of the Temperance Reformation. *
<Dur fHustc <Stan&.
%* Music publishers who desire to have their issues no
ticed in this department of the Gazette, will send copies
to the editor through Messrs. Burgess, Stringer k Cos., of
New-York.
We have receivdd from Firth Pond & Cos., —those
enterprising publishers and musical purveyors,—tin*
following pieces of new piano music, all of which are
tastefully executed.
1. The Soltiicr's Return: a Pong for the People.
Embellished with a colored portrait of Gen. Scott—
the words by George P. Morris, and the music by
Dyer.
2. The Star and the Surge. One of Lover’s ad
mirable songs.
3. Woodman Spare that Tree Quickstep. Com
posed by Dodworth for his Cornet Band.
4. Hie Mountain Home Wultz. An exquisite
piece of music, arranged from the favorite air, “ Will
you come to my mountain home 1”
5. The Foam of the Atlantic Wave. Another of
Lover’s songs which avc consider very beautiful.
6. The Dark Sett. Five Negro Quadrilles, —all
popular, and embracing Mary Blane and Carry me
back to Old Virginia.
7. America. A national song. “My ancestors
were free-born men.”
8. The Creole Waltz. This is a decided gem.
9. The Jewel Waltz. Composed by Francis Buck.
10. The Rosa Polka. Composed by B. A. Russell.
This is a very pretty specimen of the Polka family.
11. Im Belle Indienne. This is a valse brillante by
a composer of very high character, B. W. Berg.
£fje American OTcefclo JJrrss.
Scientific American. New-York : Munn & Cos.
This admirable Journal is of the same size and
price Avith our own, and we have no hesitation in
naming it as the best popular vehicle of scientific in
formation in the United States. It is indispensable
to the intelligent artizan.
McMakin’s Model American Courier.
The only faidt we have to find with Mr. McMa
kin’s spirited journal is that it is too large. The on
ly Avay to read it conveniently is to spread it out on.
a bed and walk around it. It embodies a vast amount
of intelligence of all kinds, with numerous excellent
original stories, sketches, letters, &c.
New-York Weekly Express.
It is to this encyclopaedia of news that wo general
ly refer for information on the topics of the day. Its
quadruple folds display an immense mass of reading,-
and its views are generally liberal and enlightened.
It gives us, moreover, the spirit of the Neiv-York
press with much fairness. Our friend and contribu
tor, Charles Lanman, Esq., is writing letters from
Washington to the Exjrress we observe. Some ad
mirable communications’ from his pen have also ap
peared in the National Intelligencer.
myt ©lit lE^orltr.
England. The Cambria’s dates are to the 17th ult.,
at Avhich time great tranquility reigned in London
.and throughout the kingdom. The attempted Char
tist demonstrations on Whit Monday (the 12th)
proved utter failures everyAvhere, and the “ Reform”
moA r ement among the people is quietly progressing
in a constitutional manner. Mr. Hume’s bill was to
be up in the House on the 21st ult.
France. A great change has come over the as
pect of affairs in the new republic in one short month
—and when in May no sound Aras heard but “ Vive
la Republique ” —“ A bas le roi!” in June are heard
the ominous shouts, “Vive le Empereur”—“Vive
Louis Napoleon”—“A bas le Republique,” etc.,
from the populace and from various regiments. The
elements of revolution are still at work in France,
and it is noAv exceedingly doubtful whether or not
the republic will weather the new storm.
Denmark and the Duchies. The prospect of
peace is again obscured in this quarter. Hostilities
have been reneAved with great vigor, and the issue,
though still doubtful, appears to favor the Danes,
with their Norwegian and Swedish allies.
Notices to Correspondents.
J. D. D. Our departure from home immediately
after the receipt of your first favor, was the only
reason why we did not write to you or to our fair
correspondent, E., Avhose article was in type for No.
9, but unavoidably left out. We thank you for your
courtesy, and shall take an early opportunity of ex
pressing our acknowledgements and wishes to E. by
letter.
X. Y. Z. You are altogether too severe in your
satire upon a certain fashionable custom. Although
we think it AveU and worthy to “ shoot folly as it
flies,” we think execution should be done artem se
cundum, and are compelled to decline your (other
wise) racy paper.
L. F. Do not be impatient since your article
“ hides its time.”
79