The temperance banner. (Penfield, Ga.) 18??-1856, August 11, 1849, Page 130, Image 2

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130 we*iall carryout to perfection, our three great principles of Love, Purity I and Fidelity. llenry County, July 15th, 1849. Dear Sir —-On the fourth day of July I attended a celebration of Doyal Divis ion No.; 105 Sons of Temperance, lo cated at the house of Rev. Solomon Odell, in Henry county. And as 1 feel much interested in the proceedings, per mit me to givb you a brief outline of diem, for publication in the Banner.— When I arrived on the spot about 10 o’cloek, A. M., 1 found, as near as I could estimato them, about one thousand persons present, all anxiously waiting the formation of the procession of the ] noble Sons. Soon the procession began to form, and in a short time, two hun- j dred and ten Sous, with banners flying, | and duly clad in appropriate regalia, i formed a hollow square, (if you will al low me to use a military phrase) when William A. Rogers, Esq., in behalf of the Ladies, presented to the Divis ion a beautiful Bible, accompanied with a chaste and appropriate address. It was duly received, and a handsome ad dress by Solomon Odell, Chaplain of the j Division. After which the Divisions] re-formed a line and marched to the j stand erected for the Orator, where the i vast assemblage of spectators were seat-1 ed. Col. Leonard I’. Doyal, after whom j the Division was named, was introduc- j ed by a brother of the Order to the au- 1 dience, who arose, and after au npology for want of preparation, commenced one of the most masterly and powerful de fences of the Order to which I have ev er had the pleasure of listening. He told them that his object was to convince the judgment and not dazzle the mind ! by unmeaning metaphors or beautiful ! imagery. He gave in beautiful lan- • guage, the desolating ravages of intern-! peranee upon nations, communities, and j individuals—dwelt with peculiar cm- ] phasis upon the sorrows entailed upon i helpless and unoffending females, by j tiie demon of intemperance. Sketched i with a master’s hand, the withering es-! uojeries upon coiAmuf nitres ‘where they are located—and drew with irresislable and thrilling or- ’ atory the picture of the drunkard’s house, and never, no never has a morn truthful and faithful protraiture been given. Would to Cod that every drun kard in the world could have heard it. j The orator next proceeded to answer all of the objections urged against the Or der of the Sons —ami I will here affirm, ] that the arguments adduced, were over whelming, clear, lucid and to the point. And although the speaker said in the outset that he should speak sober facts and strew not one llower of rhetoric over the audience, yet, 1 beg leave to say, that in his defence of the Sons, some of iiis flights were indeed lofty and sublime. No man, however exalt ed his talents, could treat the subject with more thrilling eloquence, sublime oratory, or profound argument than he did. And without being regarded as insidious, I will venture the opinion, that Col. Doyal is one of the most elo quent speakers in the State —and al though the Speaker stood two hours,.the vast assembly listened with profound interest all the time. The company was then requested to repair to the ta ble where a beautiful repast was proyi did for all who were present. The crowd then dispersed without any un pleasant feelings—and thus I spent the fourth of July, with which is associated so many thrilling recollections. How long before the day so dear to every American heart, shall be celebrated by sober and patriotic Americans. How long before whiskey, that,fell destroyer afour race, shall cease tp degrade them who assemble to recall the fearful scenes of the revolutionary strugglo. I think a brighter day is dawning upon our liap- ORGAN OF THE SONS OF TEMPERANCE AND STATE CONVENTION. py land. May our glorious confedera cy soon become disenthralled from the slavery of intemperance. Doyal Division now numbers about one hundred and fifteen members.— j Too much praise cannot be bestowed upon brother Solomon Odell, who, by his example and influence, and ujntiring energy in the temperance cause, has accomplished so much in the neighbor hood in which he lives. There are at this time five Divisions in this county, with a membership ofoverfour hundred. By the by, how many subscribers have you in this county? A SPECTATOR. j For the Temperance Banner. j Celebration of the 4th July by the j/Ccdax j Town Division of the Sons of Temper ance. At an early hour a large conceit rse of the citizens of this and the adjoining counties assembled at Cedar Town, to witness the celebration, by the Sons of Temperance, of the Anniversary of our National Independence. Under the di rection of J. H. Terrell, Marshal of the | day, a Procession, in Regalia, of ’lie I Sons of Temperance of this, and of vis- j j iting brethren from neighboring Divis -1,0 o o ! ions, was formed at the Store of Prior | & White; officers of the Division in ! front, proceeded by the I. S. and theC., 1 i the O. S. bringing up the rear. The! ] procession moved to the Baptist Church i where there had assembled perhaps o.ver a thousand persons. After prayer by Rev. J. M. Wood,Chaplainof the Divis ion, and music on the Piano by Mrs. E. A. Moseley; when all had become i breathless stillness, the graceful, forms of two lovely young females, deejeed in ] white, the emblem of purity, were, seen j | in the vestibule of the church; bearing ! j a beautiful Banner. On it, in legible j J characters, among other devices,[could ! [easily be read, Love, Purity, Pideli ! ty ; The Ladies, to the Cedar .Town | Division of the Sons of Temperance.” This chaste Banner was borne by Misses ! A. Janes and JL West; ! representatives in” the Ladies, grt^J. • lv advanced in froiit bf the Seats oecu -1 pied by the Division, where they were, met by brethren James Gibson and H. Witcher, on behalf of the Sons; where a very neat and appropriate address was j very prettily pronounced by Miss Janes, : and the Banner placed by Miss West l in the hands of bro. Witcher. The ad j dress oil the part of the Ladies was re ! sponded to by brother G.ibspb in a chaste j and handsome reply. After a short interval, enlivened by music, the Declaration of Independence, i prefaced by a few remarks, was. read by bro. E. 11. Richardson; and u sen sible and well written. Oration, suited to the occasion, was delivered by bro. H. I A. Gibson, the Orator of the day. Each of these addresses! was considered war thy n place in the columns of your val unble Banner, and as reflecting much credit upon the Speakers and the Divis ion. The company then repaired to the Big Spring, belonging to Mr. A. Prior; where, by the side of that sparkling i fount of nature's beverage to, man, per i haps one thousand persons of both sex os, partook of an excellent Barbecue j prepared by the Sons and the Daugh tersof Temperance. Here, the length ened table groaned beneath its burden of shoat, lamb, and beef; its scores of fowls and loads of vegetables, to say no thing oftlie profusion of pie, cake, &C., all served up in the best Georgia style. For, you must know, Mr. Editor, asoor valley abounds in “ hog and hominyi” and our gardens in vegetables, so too, pur Ladies (let me just whisper it jn your ear),are hard to beat iu preparing all the nice things for a cold water cel ebration. And let me add, sir, they are all Daughters of Temperance, good and true ; and are much pleased with j our motto: “Love, Purity, and Fideli ty.” However stubborn the opposition we experience from male lovers of the “ critter,” the ladies all, old and young, are in favor of Temperance. For they are the greatest sufferers from the vice we desire to put down. After dinner the company returned j to the church, where they’ had an oppor tunity of hearing one of Col. N. G. Fos- ] ter’s happy efforts in the great Temper- i unco cause. It was just the thing we I needed. He triumphantly met the ob- ] Ijections commonly urged against the ! Order of the Sons of Temperance, and i feelingly urged home to every good j 1 man’s bosom, the duty of aiding in the I great reform. The speaker was : as fe licitous in manner as cogent in matter; and, while every good man was irresist ! aid ; carried along and made to feel an inclination to aid the good cause, the most embittered opponent could find no thing to take umbrage at; and doubt less felt the malignity of his opposition ] softened into acquiescence, if not into j ‘downright approval. What an invalq ; able State Lecturer would such a speak |er make ! The field issufficiently large : (embracing 93 counties), for the employ ment of two ; and, if properl y called up on, the regularly organized Divisions in Georgia would doubtless, by volun tary contributions, raise a sum sufficient ! to employ two suitable Lecturers to la bor within the limits of our State. Yours in L. P. <& F. BENJ. T. MOSELEY, R. S. For the Temperance Banner. History of the Centreville Division. Wo. 41, S. of T. After niany years of indefatigable ex ertion, on the part of the wise and good, to devise a plan for the amelioration of the condition of humanity, so far, at least, as to suppress the slavish vice of intemperance, and to elevate the lords of creation to their primeval state, the ener gies oftlie few that prayed the consum- Mpjfion of this gtoriotw end, were ptxcd Totho uttermost. They founded Societies in succession —they based them upon what seemed to them permanent basis ; and each seem ed to rise and prosper lor a season, and bid fair to be productive of much good, ultimately ; but, alas! their fondest an ticipations could not be realized ; their laudable efforts were doomed to wither and droop. This catastrophe awaited every at tempt to emancipate man from the iron fetters that bound him. But, so great was his inordinate and vitiated thirst for the poisonous, cxhilerating influence of alcohol, that in the wrebklcss depravity of his heart, he turned his heel upon him, that was suffering martyrdom in the information of the world ; and treat ed him ns he would, have done a Corsair or a Cannibal. This was, not at all strange, contemplating the dominion of evij inclinations, ‘over goody which has been transmitted to us from, Adan>, : — Mai>, however, was never so straighten ed in his circumstances, but that he had the right of choosing good: therefore, the sinful, degraded condUipa in which he wns found, eyen in the nineteenth century, is wholly attributable to hir. self. Intemperance has, ever proven, the greatest bane to society and good government; hence the multiplied forms of organized Societies that have been es-. tablished; and which, unfortunately, ’ proved abortive. Now it is admissible, j that if a proper plan for the destruction,] of the Upas could have been established.: even half a century ago, in our own gov ernment, there could have been saved a sufficient treasure to educate every male child in it. But for the want of a prop, er plan every effort hitherto failed. Re cently, however, in the providence of God, man’s ingenuity was taxed to the construction of a plan; that being based upon the true principles of Holy writ, ” ill withstand the impotent basts, and fiery darts of his “brimstone majestV and bis minions.” This glorious plan is found in the Heaven-born principles of tlie “ Sons of Temperance.” Os these principles, the votaries arc proud to boast; and animated by true philanthropic motives, the patriotic Sons turned out en masse, on the second in stant, nt half past six o’clock, past noon, to celebrate the “ glorious Anniversary of Centreville Division.” After ortmu izingthe meeting, the brother R. S. was called upon to address the Division, which was done at some length; making many appropriate remarks. Brother -M. J. Mulkey followed, with a verv in teresting narative of the Societies previ ously formed; having for their object the ostensible purpose of restoring man to that state of pristine purity in “which he was found upon the banks oftlie Ti gris, in the day that he was placed in the Garden, He concluded by pointing the young" I members to the Bible, from which to derive a rule of life, that would make them Sons of Temperance in spir it and in truth. The brethren all, with a very few’ exceptions, made appropos remarks; a detail of which' would bo too voluminous for the present purpose. Rev. James R. Thomas, a visitin<>- broth er, participated in the festivities, and the evening was spent in the most agreeable and interesting manner. All were glad they came out; feeling that it was good to be there; and many were sorry to depart. Such are the powerful influen ces of Temperance convivialities!! This Division was organized on the second day of June, A. D., eighteen hundred and forty-eight, by the induc tion of eight Mechanics— number bare ly sufficient to constitute a Division. VVhat a spectacle was here presented! eight officers to command, and none to obey 1! Surrounded with a prejudiced multitude that were eager to defeat the laudable effort, there was every prospect of crushing this noble institution in its .infancy.* Her puie#e Jfin seeiAed tia impotent to Withstand the conflict, and to heave the mighty engine of reforma tion. But ere long, she began to rise m the majesty of might, and under the smiling auspices of Heaven, she merged from the depths of persecution, and ga thering strength, as by magic, she soon towered above the fondest anticipations, —and such was the augmentation of her strength, that on tho thirty-first dav of Mai oh last, (a day memorable in her an nals, being the day. of her dedication) she numbered fifty eight, allowing five withdrawals and one expulsion. Since which time twenty have been added.— This once forlorn hope now bids fair to be the brightest star in the galaxy.— Guided by reason, and sustained by Love, Purity and Fidelity, she isatonco the focus of “earthly felicity.” Dear Brother Brant/y —By a Resolu tion of this Division, you are specially requested to publish the foregoing histo ry in your very excellent Banner, with a request that the editors of the South ern Recorder, Federal Union, Journal & Messenger, and Columbus Enquirer, would be pleased to copy. Yours in L. P. & F., R. M. SMITH, R. S. Messrs, Editors —Please give this an, insertion and yoq will greatly oblige many Sons of T. R. M. SMITH, G. P. HOLMES... For the Temperance Banner. Good Retreat, Wayne c 0. ,) July 9th, 1849. y Mr . Editor —On the anniversary of • the day in which our Forefathers de. blared:these United States free and inde pendent, and for the support ot that de claration, pledged their lives, their for-