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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