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THE WASHINGTONIAN:
AUGUSTA, JULY 1, 1843.
U'anhiaglon Total .Ibsthunce Pledge.
-
We, whose names an hereunto annexed, desirous
if forming a Soc iety for our mutual benefit,
and tu guard against a pernicious practice,
which is injurious to our health, standing and
families, do pledge ourselves as Gentlemen,
not to drink any
Spiritous or Malt Liquors, Wine or Cider.
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE.
Rev. W. T. Brantmt, Dr. P. M. Robertson,
“ WJ.Hard, Dr. D. Hook,
“ C. S, Dod, S. T. Chapman, Esq,
" Geo. F. Pierce, James Harper, Esq,
Col. John Miixedoe,
To poBRESPONDENTa.—We have re
ceived a prose piece and a poetic article
from “D. L. R.” The first is highly
creditable, and will no doubt furnish ex
tracts for a future nurtber of this paper.
It would be better, perhaps, to let the
poetry remain in manuscript.
In breaking open “ E’s” poetic effusion
we tore off the caption,—can’t assume
the responsibility of giving it one.
Remark —All communications must,
hereafter, be accompanied by the au
thor’s name.
We will be glad to publish any
account of Temperance celebrations
which may take place on the 4th July.
Will our friends send in their speeches ,
toasts and songs, or any thing else done
or said on these occasions, calculated to
please and to do good.
Before our next number bo in the
hands of our readers, our national anni
\ersary will have passed. Each return
of this day has been ushered in with the
welcome of a nation rejoicing still to run
its course of unrivalled prosperity. Du
ring the sixty-seven years which has
elapsed since the glad tidings of our new
born liberty went forth to arouse a slum
bering world from servitude, our progress
has been onward—we have become great
as a people; civilization has brought the
wide wilderness into cultivation—the
Bible and the School Book are every
where, and learning and literature are
found as in our mansions, so in the hum
ble cottage—we have equal laws and
equal rights—all men are free to act, and
to thrive. The spectacle of a nation,
thus emancipating itself from the thral
dom of the past, and the prejudices of
ages, and throwing itself upon the inhe
rent rights of man—basing its govern
ment solely upon the virtue and intelli
gence of the people, has not been
unmarked, or without its effect. So far,
we have been the beacon-light of popular
liberty to the world—the admiration, and
object of emulation of other nations,
struggling with convulsive efforts to work
out for themselves their own political
regeneration.
But while we have thus become the
wonder of others, manifesting all the
external evidence of prosperous and en
lightened freedom, are we not to a certain
extent the semblance of that which
internally we are not? Are our laws
administered without fear and partiality?
Has not a spirit of anarchy shown itself
too frequently in the halls of legislation,
and been widely diffused among the peo
ple ? Has not a greediness for wealth
■ well nigh banished honest industry, and
brought with it an emulation of foreign
luxury in place of the simplicity of our
fathers. In a word, is not licentiousness,
moral and political, rife in the land, and
the people forsaking the virtue which
gave them freedom, and which alone can
sustain it. It is time then, that atten
tion be directed to this subject. It is
true then, that the orator should move the
people, not with words to stir their pas
sions—not with words to lull them to
repose; but with the power of an elo
quence that would mould them as if by
some process of art into new men, and
stamp upon their very nature—a name,
they could never dishonor—the name of
an American Citizen.
Now’s the time, now’s the day,
Speak for freedom ’ere it pass away.
These-reflections come within our pro
vince as connected with the cause to
which this paper is devoted : The day
commemorative of that Independence to
which we owe the blessings of our politi
cal condition has ever been characterized
by the intemperance of its festivities—
our patriotic citizens seem to have been
laboring under the impression that it was
their duty to drink, and to get drunk, in
honor of the occasion. The country,
in this respect, is undergoing a happy
change—a change which is cheering to
the patriot; to this green spot—to this
oasis does he flee, to revive his sunken
, spirit, to breath the air of hope. Tem
, perance and rational liberty must go
} hand in hand—they support and sustain
, each other. The same principle of self
control, which reforms the drunkard will
: make him a good citizen, if not in each
individual case, certainly in the mass.—
' The same self-denial which will induce
him to forego accustomed gratification
from a sense of duty to himself, his wife,
. and his children, will curb the unrestrain
, ed indulgence of his passions—will render
i him subservient to the just restraints of
the laws of God and of man—will make
him a lover of order and an active agent
for good. We strike at the root of the
evil, if we can influence those who pro
fess to govern themselves politically, to
do it individually. Could every be
persuaded, properly to regulate his own
desires, to control his own impetuosities,
and to bring his own household under the
same subjection, the republic would be
safe. The influence and power of the
1 same spirit which gave him mastery over
himself, would operate still further—it
> would extend to all the relative duties he
1 had to perform as a member of society;
’ and thus not only giving peace and hap.
piness to himself, but to all around. Is
, not, then, the cause of temperance the
, cause of patriotism. .
1 Surrounded by every means and source
of information pertaining to the busy
and exciting pursuits of life, the Editor
( can, from his little sanctum, trace the
progress of commerce as it exchanges
the products of one country for that of
another—watch the spirit of trade, eager
’ to know when and where its genius and
er. terprise will stop; and there, too, he
' notes the first feeble, gentle, effort of as
piring ambition, until, with strong and
impetuous stride, it rushes forth to clutch
within its iron grasp the tyrant’s sceptre.
I The discordant elements which compose
j society, mingle together in confusion—
boil and bubble up beneath and around—
’ the power and fury of a nation bent upon
P a nation’s death are marshalled before
his eyes—the gasping breath of the one,
is drowned by the rejoicing acclamations
of victory, victory of the other. Thus
j is the map of life spread out before him;
and in his quiet retirement, elevated
r above the strife and conflicts of life,
j though in daily intercourse with men
and countries—with extended means of
{ comparison, his advantages to enlighten
I and purify public sentiment are pre
eminently great. But these means and
, facilities increase expectation, add weight
> to his responsibility, and require for their
. proper use and application, sound judg
, ment, wise discretion, and a fearless de
t termination to do right.
j He must send out to those who patron
t ize him the impress of his mind and of
[■ his heart. To do this in a manner cal
, culated to benefit those into whose hands
. his thoughts and his feelings may fall,
l and to obtain his own approbation, is a
l task attended with many trials and diffi
i culties, and which no ordinary man can
- accomplish. Upon the performance of
, this duty rests the rewards of honor—
I whilst the abuse of confidence, the com
i promise of truth, and the criminal disre-
II gard of principle, will always secure the
. scorn and contempt of those whose es
-3 teem is to be valued.
; To furnish then for the mind streneth
. ening food, and to supply useful and
) practical information, the wheat must
. be winnowed from the chaff and trash
- that is scattered around him. Whatev.
1 er may have a tendency to increase the
, present corrupt taste for promiscuous
f reading—a desire for exciting descriptions
of crime and immorality, should be care
fully avoided—their moral effect is highly
pernicious. Regard their dissemination
■ as so much deadly poison, destroying the
> mind of the young, and depriving old
- rnrnaimtSimmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
age of that mature thought which !
should be its comfort and its support, ;
Thus careful that whatever goes out j
from under his signature, should bear the |
signet of value—of genuine thought—
his labor in this respect will speak for it
self, and if then those with whom he
communes are not edified and elevated
by such a companion, their minds are too
obtuse to comprehend and their hearts
too depraved to improve.
But the Editor has not only to satisfy
the wants of the mind—he has assumed
a position which invests him with the j
character of a moral guardian—of a
public censor; and upon the discharge i
of this branch of his duty, his weight
and influence will depend. A neutral
party in a warfare in which vice would i
dethrone virtue, is an anomalous charac
ter, unknown in the moral government
of the universe—the enemy would soon
claim him as h welcome ally. If he at
tempts to occupy this position—to pre
judge popular opinion—to act like the
automaton, only from extraneous influ
ence, he will soon find that he maintains
an unenviable situation, and is attracting
disgraceful distinction. Controlled by no
fixed principle—he is ever vascillating
between the hope of pleasing and the |
fear of rebuke—living a miserable life—
and at last condemned to die, the pitiable!
victim of a power that has no mercy on
fawning sycophants. On the other hand,
if he stands firm and undaunted as the
statue, his eye fixed and steadfast upon
his country —and to her honor and wel
fare alone—if his voice is heard contin
ually exalting virtue—denouncing vice
and crime with scorching indignity—the
divine weapon of truth his guardian and !
his defence, with it to conquer where e’er !
it shines—he will prevail. But should j
he fall, the honors of his country will
cover the grave of the fearless champion
of her cause.
Avarice and Sensuality.— These
arc the principal enemies with which we
have to contend in carrying into effect
the benevolent measures of our Society. 1
They have ever constituted the most
powerful obstacles to our success, and so
long as man is made up of his present
compound, we must contend with these
difficulties. Avarice prepares the poison
in the most attractive form; it studies
the most palatable mixtures and exposes
the bait to public view. Sensuality is
allured by the bait, and makes haste to
swallow the fascinating beverage. The
former thirsts for money and is gratified
when its object is attained, no matter how
base the means used for its attainment.
The latter cries out for indulgence—yea,
indulgence at the expense of fortune,
health and reputation. The one fattens
upon ruin and destruction—grows plump
and plethoric upon the woes of the vic
tims which it makes; the other prepares
for destruction new victims, and circu
lates the poison which avarice had min
gled. Avarice is the vender—Sensuality
is the purchaser. And which is the most
execrable ? One adopts, coolly and de
deliberately, a business by which his un
hallowed gains are to bo realized from
human degradation and suffering: the
other dethrones his reason and gives to
appetite the empire. One acts with a
diabolical pre-meditation : the other by
a heedless impulse. Much as we pity
and condemn the man who embrutes his
reason and yields himself up to the unre
strained indulgence of a depraved appe
tite—we more heartily reprobate his con
duct who mixes the destructive draught
. and employs all his artifice to commend
to the unwary that which he well knows
will be the occasion of so much mischief.
Let the friends of reform remember that
avarice and sensuality are constantly
busy.—ls theywould triumph over such
foes as these, they too must be awake.
FIVE THINGS WHICH LOOK SUSPICIOUS.
1. It looks suspicious to see men going
into a shop, where, although confection
aries and sundry other things are display
ed in front, it is well understood that
strong drink is to be had in the “ back
i room.”
2. It looks suspicious to see a face
which became suddenly and naturally
pale when its owner subscribed the Total
Abstinence pledge, gradually resuming
its color, and finally becoming as florid
as ever.
3. It looks suspicious for a man who -
is a member of a Christian Church tot
! decline all co-operation in an enterprise
lof such pure philanthropy as the Tem- J
perance reform—it makes us think, (per-!
i haps erroneously,) that he cherishes a
j secret attachment for the criltur.
4. It looks suspicious to see profess
ed Washingtonians too fond of brandy?
peaches, syllabub, and sundry other good j
things which contain the deceitful poison
in disguise. They should guard against
' taking too much of these, as they might
| chance to find themselves fuddled.
5. It looks suspicious when the. same
j characters refuse to take our paper —are
; never seen at our meetings, and exhibit a
| general indifference to all that pertains
|to our measures. We suspect them of j
lukewarmness in a good cause.
ciety,” is the name of an association,
w hich has existed in our city for nearly
two years. It is now in a flourishing
condition, and composed of our most re
spectable and talented young gentlemen
—some of whom bid fair, in the course of
time, to rival any of our most popular
declaimers.
The members of this Society propose
| passing the evening of the 4th July next
1 in the City Hall Park, when an Essay
; will be read by Mr. J. R. Dow; and an
Address, prepared for the occasion, will be
delivered by Mr. George Morgan—w here
they invite their friends to partake of a
“ feast of reason,” and an entertainment
calculated to produce a full “flow of
soul,” poetic and patriotic. “ The night
we celebrate,” will oft recur to the mind
of the patriot—whilst the music, the
j shade of the grove, and the sweet “ voice
'of her I love,” as gently she reclines on
the arm of her chosen, —will w'akc the
“ Poet’s sigh.”
Legal Intelligence. —At the June
term of the Superior Court of Richmond
County, his Honor Judge Shly presiding,
the following gentlemen, after an exain
i ination highly creditable to themselves
1 and their preceptors, were admitted to
plead and practice in the several Courts
of Law and Equity in this State. —
Messrs. Lawrence D. Lallerstedt, Wil
liam A. Ramsay and Wooding.
The Ciieraw Gazette,— We have
received the Bth No. of Vol. 1, of this ex
cellent paper, devoted to the interests of
the farmer, published weekly, at S 3 00 j
per annum, and would l were it possible
place it in the hands of every good citizen
in our State, for the independent stand
the editor has taken in the Temperance
cause, and also for the useful information
it contains.
Often, non-paying subscribers threaten
to stop their paper, which always proves j
an unpleasant disappointment to the pub- 1
lisher — as friend Stubbs to the j
fifteen, we say to a few who dislike us,
“pay up, and quif.”
Friend Stubbs is a model of an editor.
Keep the ball rolling.
Editorial Pluck. —Friend Stubs,
dram drinkers, you’ll find to be a pretty
dogged fellow to deal with. We like
his spunk, or rather his manly independ
ence, which cannot be daunted by threat- \
cning his purse, albeit this purse is not
“ trash” to him, only when compared to
that jewel principle. Hear how he]
talks! big, as if a purse were in his way,
and “ fifteen subscribers” to be sneezed ]
at.— S. C. Temp. Advocate.
“ To Correspondents.-—We last week
received a communication signed “ An- j
ti-Tejiperance.” We have no partic
ular reason for not publishing it, except
that it was not perfectly convenient to
set it in type, and we could not conceive
i that the cause of Anti-Temperance would
be seriously inconvenienced by the delay.
Old “ Bald Face ” has still many ad
mirers, and although we occasionally see
some of them capsized in the gutter and
? reeling along the streets yet he holds a
mighty sway, and rules it with a jug of
rum! But we are flying from our sub
ject. This week, in consequence of
; the non-appearance of “ Anti-Temper
ance,” we received a Note signed “Fif
teen Subscribers,” threatening that if
we did not publish the Communication,
they would withdraw their names! Well,
gentlemen, withdraw, so soon as you
please, but do not forget to pay up your
arrears. We believe we would make
money by striking your names from our
list at any rate. On second thought, we
will forgive you what is already due, if
you will only give us the opportunity to
purge our books of the foul contamina
! tion of your presence.— Cheraw Gazette.
{fc?” We call the attention of every one
who is in need of summer clothing, to the
Home Industry Society—hy patronizing
that establishment, you will be “ feeding
the hungry and clothing the naked.”
i -
We regard the agitation of the Irish
repeal question by the people of this
country, as being highly impolitic, and
| well calculated to jeopard the character
j for neutrality which we have sustained
: with so much credit ever since our Inde
| pendence. We have been unsparing in
our abuse of England for meddling in
our domestic relations : with what rea
son or consistency can we now take
. sides in a question the termination of
| which can be of no benefit to us, as a
! nation. Whatever part the South may
j have assumed in connection with this
! subject heretofore, it will now cease to
, act; and that no matter how much this
question may be agitated at the North,
! for political effect, we at least will keep
our mouths shut for the future, —and
hope, at the next Irish repeal meeting,
whenever it is held at the South, some
friend of Mr. O’Connell will read, for the
information of all present, his speech,
recently delivered at the Corn Exchange
in Dublin, or the following extract, in
order that the sentiments of their leader
may be clearly understood. This speech
will dissolve the union between himself
and the South.
“But it is clearly an insult to the hu
man understanding to speak so. When
did tyranny relax its gripe merely be
cause it ought to do so? And if it would,
why did they not emancipate their slaves
for the centuries that passed without agi
tation? [Hear.] As long as there was
no agitation, the masters enjoyed the per
secution of their slaves in quietness; but
the moment the agitation commenced,
they cried out, “ Oh, it is not the slave
we are flogging, but we are flogging,
through his back, the anti-slavery men.”
[Laughter.] But the subject is too se
rious for ridicule. lam afraid they nev
er will give up slavery until some horri
ble calamity befalls their country ; and
here I warn them against the event, for
it is utterly impossible that slavery caVi
continue much longer. [Hear, hear.]
But, good Heaven! can Irishmen bo
found to justify, or rather to palliate; for
no one could dare attempt to justify a
system which shuts out the book of hu
man knowledge and seeks to reduce to
the condition of a slave 2,500,000 human
beings—which closes against them not
' only the light of human science, but the
rays of Divine revelation, and the doc-
I trines which the Son of God came upon
I earth to plant. The man who will do so
belongs not to my kind. [Hear, hear. J
Over the broad Atlantic I pour forth my
voice, saying, “ Come out of such a land,
you Irishmen ; if you remain, and dare
countenance the system of slavery that
is supported there, we will recognise you
' and cheers.] But is that all that can bo
I said against slavery ? Can any thing
Ire more dreadfully destructive of moral
ity ? lam prevented, by the presence in
which I speak, from entering as fully
into this subject as I might before a more
select but less pure auditory than the
present; but, I ask, can there be morality
under a system which prevents the mar
riage state, or wherq those who are mar
ried to-day may be forced from each oth
er to-morrow ; where the husband is sold
to one slave owner, and the wife to a.-
nother ; and where the children may be
torn from the parents and sent else
where ? Can there be morality where
; the power of the master over the female
slave is unlimited, and where no passion
is so brutal that it has not the means of
its gratification ? I say the man is not a
Christian—he cannot believe in the bind
ing law of the decalogue —he may go to
the chapel or the church, and he may
turn up the whites of his eyes, but he can
not kneel as a Christian before his Crea
tor, or he would not dare to palliate such
;an infamous system. No: America, the
i black spot of slavery rests on your star
spangled banner; and no matter what
1 glory you may acquire beneath it, the
hideous, damning stain of slavery re
i mains upon you; and a just Providence
‘ I will, sooner or later, avenge itself for your
| crime. [Loud and continued cheer.]
Sir, I have spoken the sentiments of the
Repeal Association. [Renewed cheers;]
There is not a man amongst the hund
reds of thousands that belong to our body,
or amongst the millions that will belong
to it, who does not concur in what I sta
ted. We may not get money from
America after this declaration; but even
if we should not, we do not want blood •
stained money. [Hear, hear.] If they
make it a condition of their sympathy, or
if there be implied any submission to the
doctrine of slavery on our part in receiv
ing remittances, let them cease sending
it at once. fl