Newspaper Page Text
ed, you II think that there’s ali these fellows a
looking out, and that il you do it, there’ll he such
a fuss raised, as no man on earth can stand.
(Cheers.) And so you’ll wish not only to avoid
the evil, but to avoid even the appearance of evil.
Put your bond and seal to the thing in the eyes of
■all men, and friends and enemies will applaud you.
it is a perfect talisman against all harm.
I wish Mr. Briggs was here: I hoped he would
be here to tell a story—which is too long for inc
to tell. (Cheers, and cries of go on.) No —I’ll
not tell it—but i’ll just say that I signed that
pledge just at the time—and the first time—when
1 felt that craving which physicians lell us is the
sure forerunner of confirmed drunkenness. And
from the moment that I {Hit my hand to that
pledge I was reliever! from any such feeling, so
that I not only never drank again, but I never
warded t» dfrirtk. (Cheers.) I can’t see, then,
'vhy every bofly don’t sign the pledge. [Cheers ]
They ought to do it, (Cheers.]
I’ll toll you a story about its cffects—whcther
true or not I can’t say, but the story is told. A
Washingtonian, a short time since, met a moder
ate wine-drinker, and he was rather disposed to
taunt the Washingtonian with carrying things to
excess, and so on. He said he cared nothing
about wine, and could leave it off any time, and
therefore would’nt take the pledge. The other
used tobacco. Now, said lie, that tobacco is just
as bad as wine No, said the other, it don’t make
a man drunk. But, says he, I’ll tell you what
I’ll do, if you’ll agree to give up wine and sign
the pledge, I’ll throw away my tobacco. And
•he put his hand to his mouth, and was about to
sign and seal the bargain by throwing away hts
<1 ui<l, when, do you believe, the wine-drinker
made off and cleared out. (Cheers and laugh
ter ] But see what it does. The Washingtonian
is willing to quit a comparative evil that he has
loved dearly trom his youth, to prevent another
from that, the consequences of which he has so
much reason to dread.
There is another branch, among many, that I
ought to have touched upon, and that l will
touch upon before I leave New-York, if 1 shall
have the honor and pleasure of being invited to
sjieak again in this city, as I understand I ain.
There is this difficulty, however, in goin j over
this whole subject. For our friends here, the
Reporters, takedown and publish every thing a
man has to say, so that every body reads it, and
he can't say it again: and that’s what I call tak
ing a man's sjieech clean out of his mouth. And
then his mouth is stopped for a second speech on
almost every thing he had to say. For when
he s got hold of a few bright ideas, as he thinks,
and a few good things, which he concludes he
can speak two or three times, he fouls that it’s
published next day and read hy every body ; and
'■’-then he's compelled not to touch any thing he
touched upon before. But there’s one subject 1
must speak about before 1 leave the city, and that
is the importance of the ladies taking it up. One
woman can do more than forty men. I once
heard a great and good man say, that few tilings
were rarer than conspiracies or combinations
among woman for a common object —that such
things were more rare than almost any occur
rence on earth. But that if ever we did find it,
they were sure first to he in the right, and they
were then dead certain to conquer. [Cheering.]
And the reason why I wish to speak of this, is
not because any of the ladies are likely to suffer
in their own persons from this sin. Thank
Heaven, this vice is unknown among the gentle
sex. [Cheers.] W'ser and better than man
upon tliis subject,—they, amid the vice and crime,
and suffering, and despair, by which this evil
surrounds them, neither the vice, nor the crime,
nor the suffering, or despair, which have torn to
pieces their own fond hearts, has ever tempted
them to flv to this accursed source for relief.—
[Cheers.] But 1 shall speak again on the ex
ceeding importance of this point—and if the
ladies do take this in hand, it will fall to the
ground. And not a quarter of a century —aye,
not ten years will elapse, if the ladies of the
United States take it in hand, before every trace
of intemperance will have been swept from our
I and.
Tub Issue at Hand. —The abolitionists arc
about to hold a great meeting in New York at
which the repeal of the Union is to be openly and
fully discussed. One of the new Judges has
lately given it in charge to the Grand Jury of his
Court to have them indicted for high treason, if
they dared thi s to strike at the constitution of
the country. Without venturing any opinion on
the particular point in question, we will say that
it is high time that these mad and mischievous
mpn should be brought to their senses. The laws
y ought to be vindicated; for without it liberty de
generates into licentiousness. These men, a few
years since, affected only to aim at abolition by
;moral means. They are now the open advocates
ofa dissolution of our noble Union. The sacri
fice of the past, thcTpeace of the present, and the
interest of the future demand that they be arrest
ed in their wicked and reckless crusade. If a
few of their leaders were hanged, the rest would
prehaps learn to attend to their own business,
and leave their neighbors at peace. We trust
that the most prominent amongst them may yet
he brought to condign punishment.— Sav. Geor.
The Postmaster General has issued instruc
tions that newspaper postage is to be charged up
on newspapers, extra newspapers, supplements to
newspapers, anil the printed or written notices
sent by the publishers of newspapers to their sub
scribers, attached to the margin of the newspaper,
stating the amount due for subsbription.
[Masonic Register.
THE WASHINGTONIAN:|
AUGUSTA, JUNE 11th, 184*.
U'aa/iington Total Abstinence Pledge.,
We, ichose names are hereunto annexed, desirous
of forming a Society for our mutual benefit,
and to* guard against a pernicious practice,
which is injurious to our health, standing and
families, do pledge ourselves as Gentlemen,
not to drink any
Splritous or Malt Uiquors, Wine or Cider.
O’ A meeting of the Washington Total Ab
stinence Society, will be held in the UNITARI
AN CHURCH, on Wednesday Night next, at
half-past 8 o’clock.
Several Addresses may be expected.
By order W. HAINES, Jr.
June 11, 1842. Secretary.
To our Patrons.
To-day tve issue the first No. of the Wash
ingtonian, and from the very liberal patronage
already gi' en us, predict our most sanguine ex
pectations will be realized. But a short time ago,
and the idea of establishing a publication devoted
to the cause of Total Abstinence, in this city,
would not have met with the supjiort necessary
to insure its success, and the attempt of a work
similar to the one we have undertaken, would have
lircn deemed fruitless. But, within a few short
weeks, an entire change has coinc over our city—
the citizens have risen in their might to support
the Pledge of the Washingtonians, and are now
prepared to sustain us. It becomes us then, as
public journalists, just entering upon a new
career, in return for the public liberality of the
friends ofour paper, so readily evinced towards
us, to do our duty in the manner it devolves upon
us. We shall steadily observe the strictest re
gard for the morality of our paper, its usefulness
to society, and the obligations we arc under, to
make it worthy the confidence of the people.
Keeping aloof from all religious or political con
troversies—devoted to no sectarian doctrine—
it will be our aim, to impress upon our fellow men
the importance of an union on a subject of vital
interest totheir welfare—the welfare of our whole
country.
We have not yet received our exchange pa
pers, and arc compelled to make selections for
this No. principally from such as our friends
were kind enough to loan us. Wc shall be able
hereafter, to furnish articles for our paper, from
many of the best publications in the country;
and ho|ie, through tile assistance of original con
tributions promised, and the matter gleaned from
such a source, to make the Washingtonian
worthy the cause it advocates.
O’ The second No. of Thk Washingtonian
will be issued on the 20th of the present month,
after which tune, our regular days of publication
will be the Ist and 3rd Saturday of every month.
US’ Wc have issued an extra quantity ofour
first No., and left them with many persons who
arc not subscribers. We will call on all such
on the day of our next publication, to receive the
names of subscribers. Those who do not wish
our paper continued, will please preserve the co
pies, and notify us. It is probable wc may have
to supply many of our subscribers with the num
bers from the commencement ofthe volume, and
in order to do this, we would thank those to
retain the Nos. as above requested, that wc may
obtain them.
Payments.
We will call on our subscribers in the city, for
their payments in advance, on the day ofour next
publication, (the 20th inst.) an acknowledgement
ofwhich, and all other payments,will be published
in a list, regularly every month.
Mr. Marshall’s Speech.
The length of this speech, which wc need
make no apology for laying before our readers,
excludes a portion of matter from this No. which
we have in type for our next. We hope its
length will not prevent them from giving it a
thorough perusal. The arguments are “strong
as holy writ”—the speech throughout lively and
entertaining, and cannot fail to impress upon
them the truth of his remarks.
gjf Wc return our thanks to the editor ofthe
Hamburg Journal, for the favorable notice given
us in that paper, on the 2d inst, as also his kind
offer to receive subscriptions for us. Our carrier
will deliver the paper regularly to subscribers re
siding in Hamburg, if a list of twenty names or
more, can be obtained.
Temperance Celebration lor the 4th July.
At a meeting of the Washington Total Absti
nence Society of Augusta, held on the 10th of
May last, the following resolutions were adopted: ,
Resolved, That there be a Temperance Cele
bration on the evening of the 4th of July next,
and that there be a Committee of arrangements
appointed by the President, to make all the ne
cessary preparations for carrying the object of
this resolution into effect.
Resolved , That an executive committee con
sisting of four from each ward, be appointed, to
co-operate with the Board of Managers in for
warding the objects of this society.
Resolved, That the proceedings ofthis meeting
be published in the city papers.
The following arc the committees appointed:
C. A. INGRAHAM,'t !
E. W. TOLMAN, ! Committee of |
E. E. SCOFIELD, [ Arrangem’ts.
JAMES HARPER, J
Ward No. I.—John W. Wightman, W. F.
Pepiberton, James Godbee, Samuel C. Mustin.
Ward No. 2.—Luther Roll, J. L. Mims, B.
T. Nichol, Beal M. Duval.
Ward No, 3.f—Wm. O. Eve,C. A. Ingraham,
John B. Murphy, E. E. Scofield.
Ward No. 4.—Porter Fleming,Hawkins Huff,
Alexander Philip, R. P. Spelman.
For the Washingtonian.
“ th(tt rulelh his spirit, is better than he that
takelh a city /”
If this proverb of the wisest of men be true,
the Alexanders and Bonapartes sink into pigmies
by the side of reformed drunkards: These have
subdued habits of sell indulgence of gigantic
force, by the simple force of principle; while
those, have only overcome physical force, by still
greater physical force: These, have controlled
passion and inclination, while those have merely
in accordance with inclination, destroyed every
thing in their paths, because they had the means
of destruction in their hands. These, from de
formity have brought forth beauty, while those,
from all that was beautiful and admirable in men,
have brought forth all the hideousness of incar
nate demons: These, from the feebleness of
body, and fatuity of mind consequent upon in
temperance, have struggled into that energy of
both, which has made them blessings to all around
them; while, those, from almost super-human
strength of mind and body, have sunk into mad
men, whose onward progress is murder and
rapine, and whose rear is one scene of wide spread
desolation and ruin.
It is very doubtful whether the reformed drunk
ard has his equal on earth, certainly not his su
perior, except in the humble, self-denying Christ
ian. The temperance ofthc latter embraces “ all
things,” and his heaven descended principle of
action, is more comprehensive in every point of
view, than that which guides and governs the
former—he prefers shame to honour, tributation
to enjoyment, and pain to pleasure, when duty
requires, while the reformed sensualist may only
be seeking honor among men and temporal happi
ness by his reformation. But this superiority of
the Christian in all true sublimity and moral
grandeur of character, lessens not the truth of
our proposition in the sense we wish it taken—
that among men of the world, the reformed drunk
ard has not his equal in true greatness, according
to the sense of the motto we have adopted for the
caption of this article. He hath ruled his own
spirit—he hath subdued his own passions, and he
hath conquered his own powerful evil and de
structive habits. Who can compare with him 1
Can he who has not, like him, proved victorious
in the same unequal combat I—The simple love
of good, overcoming inclination, example and
habit, when energy of character has been almost
entirely destroyed! Do any of the great generals
of ancient or modern times, deserve to rank with
these greatest of Conquerors ? For truly great
men then, we must look to reformed drunkards!
In further proof of this fact, we have only to no
tice that the really feeble among the intemperate,
do not reform—they have not the resolution even
to make the attempt—they perish in their own
native insignificance. But no sooner is the
chord of native greatness touched and thereby
made to vibrate, in the bosoms of nature’s noble
men who have been overcome by this habit, than
they struggle with unconquerable perseverance
into light, life, and all other fruitions of sobriety.
The fact to which we have just paid respectful
attention, is one of the most cheering mental de
velopments of the nineteenth century. The en
ergies of our race have long been enchained by
the unworthy sentiment, that like blocks of wood
or marble, we could be influenced to action, nei
ther by the power o( truth, nor by the persuasion
of love. But as in former times, the great prac
tical truth in the moral regeneration of the na
tions, was taught by the declaration—“ of these
stones, (the Gentiles,) God is able to raise up
children to Abraham,” so now, the stupendous
falsehood that has disfranchised mankind from
the rights and privileges of virtue, is exposed to
withering contempt, by the reformation of that
class of our glorious race, universally thought to
be the most feeble and the most helpless. And
that this truth might stand forth in conspicuous
anti peerless majesty, our benificent Father has
so ordered, that, not the eloquence and learning
of the wise, but the plain practical discourses of
reformed drunkards themselves, should be the in
strumentality, by which mankind should learn,
t hat obedience or disobedience, sobriety or drunk
enness, happiness or misery, was left to their
own choice! Mark it well!!
Political Journals. —Among the signs ofthc
times, which augurs well for our side, we notice
the attention which Temperance receives from
our political presses. Two years ago they were
very chary of their columns. Often were they
| solicited for a [dace in their papers, but Temper
ance Societies were in such odour, that editors
wished our communications should he !t like an
angel’s visits, few and far between." Now
they need no solicitation. No bread will be ta
ken from them—no votes will be lost by publish
ing our successes, and wishing us “ God speed.”
In the Editorial department we now see the lan
guage of eulogy and of benediction. Whence this
mighty change! How is it that the power of the
press is turned to our support 1 Public opinion
is with us, we rejoice in it. How great our en
couragement to persevere in our efforts.--Pen
field Temperance Banner.
Aristocratic Notions. —There exists a great
and fundamental error in the education of our
youth. Thousands arc permitted by their pa
rents to consider themselves of a superior caste
to their neighbors, because their situation is
placed beyond manual labor—not by any merit
of their’s or their forefathers, but very frequently
merely by fortuitous circumstances.
No other Aristocracy should exist among a
Nation of Republicans, than the Aristocracy of
personal talent and merit. Our Declaration of
Independence most emphatically declares that
“ all men are born equal;” and there is no doubt
but when the great and noble chiefs of the Revo
lution put their lives and every other earthly
blessing near and dear to man in extreme jeop
ardy, they intended to root out the false notions
of Aristocracy, that one man was superior to
another on account of his wealth, or that such
wealth could entitle him to triumph over the feel
ings and situation of his neighbor. These false
notions of society, (derived in part from the op
pressive feudal system,) should never have found
a place in our Republican soil. The atmosphere
of Liberty and Equality, should have been con
sidered too pure to jiermit a weed of such noxious
and uncharitable growth to flourish among us.
Much of this false pride has, however, in later
years, been augmented in our youth of both
sexes, by instilling into their minds wide distinc
tions, supposed to exist between them and their
poorer neighbors.
No such thing as real respectability can exist,
unless it be associated with an honorable, chari
table, and useful life ; and so far as this is valua
ble, every Profession and Trade fairly carried on
is respectable, and so is the toil of the laborer, if
faithfully performed by the poorest man anion<r
us.
Having thrown off the yoke of foreign political
Aristocracy, should be extremely captious of
continuing its moral bondage.
It is astonishing how much evil passion is gen
erated by an overbearing and contemptuous
spirit, when the poorer man considers himself
insulted and treated as unworthy the kind notice
of his opulent neighbor: the latter should reflect
that the former conceives it a sufficient cause for
discontent, that he is not able to enjoy the plea
sures and luxuries which fall to the lot of him,
who insults him, and words of kindness should
at least soothe the situation of him, whom fortune
has not befriended, although generally, his in
nato value is greater than the man who adds
harsh language or unfeeling demeanor to indi
gence.
There is another very forcible reason why the
rich should conduct themselves with affability
towards the poor. The most opulent knows not
a day but his riches may “ make to themselves
wings and flee away.” How frequently have we
(especially of late years), witnessed the rich, by a
sudden vicissitude and freak of fortune, deprived
almost of every terrestrial blessing! A fire—the
loss of property by debtors—an epidemic—pros
tration of health—-the death of those wc value
above every earthly boon—all these, and a thou
sand other ills which flesh is heir to,” are ever
ready to admonish us on what a feeble tenure we
owe our boasted Aristocracy—and that nothing
is so unstable as earthly felicity—in fact, it hangs
on a thread of a more slender tenuity than the
gossamer— and yet with the experience that
thousands of our once happy fellow mortals are
annually brought to poverty and the grave—the
affluent survivor (who escapes retribution) con
j tinues to treat his indigent fellow citizen with
| contumely, even whilst he must be aware, on a
moment’s reflection, that any cause for his aristo
j cratic superiority is actually most insecure, sha-
I dowy and evanescent.— [Amcr. Masonic Reg.