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—«-r 1 ; THE WASHINGTONIAN:! AUGUSTA, SEPT. 93, 1843. Washington Total .Ihs’tnencs Pledge. li t, ■whose 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 j families, do pledge ourselves as Gentlemen, j not to drink any Splritous or Malt Liquors, Wine or Cider. EDITORIAL COMMITTEE. Rev. W. T. Biuxyly, Dr. F. M. Robertson, “ W. J. Hard, Dr. D. Hook, " C. S. Dod, S. T Chapman, Esq. “ Gko. F. Pierce, James Harper, Esq, Col. John Mii.i.eikie, a -r. • ■ (XP To Distant Scbacriseiis.—Post Masters are au-| thuri/.eJ by law to remit money to the publishers of newspapers and periodicals in payment of subscrip, tions. Subscribers to the Washingtonian can therefore pay for their papers without subjecting themselves or the publisher to the expense of postage, by handing the amount to the Post Master, with a request to remit it. Temperance Statistics. Will our friends aid us in procuring statistics of the several Temperance So eieties in Georgia ; thereby enabling us to extend the table published on our 4th page, that we may in lime exhibit the entire strength of the Temperance cause in our State ? We desire to obtain the names of societies, number of members, (designating male and female,) and the nature of their pledge. Our subscri bers and friends of temperance generally, at a distance, will please respond to our earnest request. We earnestly invite an attentive perusal of the communication of our re spected correspondent, “W. A. L.,” in our columns of this day: with which they will no doubt be highly gratified, as we have been, at learning the progress which has been made, and still is going ' on, in the good cause of Temperance, at ' Rock Mills , S. C. It is with the most heart-felt sincerity 1 we greet this and all similar favors, and would be pleased to have them continued 1 by W. A. L. and other friends of the 1 cause. u jj This Paper, conceived by benevo-j 1 lencc, reared and sustained by philanthro- i phy, has been set apart to do a good work ( among men. It goes forth with a warn- | mg voice, to those who revel amid the i scenes of guilt, and would present a pic- | ture of wretchedness and ruin, produced ( by intemperance, that should affright the young and innocent, from the gates ot - hell. It points the afflicted and distressed 1 to tho true source of comfort, in their j troubles and misfortunes, and would < snatch the wine cup from their lips ere < they had tasted the poisonous draught. To ( those who are blessed with health and i wealth—whose arm is full of strength, i and whose mind yet reveals the Divinity 1 within—it says, heed not the siren song, « lest it drown thee in a Hoed of tears. It | is designed to be the herald ofglad tidings I to the broken-hearted—to announce to the patriot the grateful news, that the i enemy is writhing under the power of re formed public opinion, and that with i combined and united exertions in the < glorious cause, the day of victory will soon dawn upon the world. Though it is intended strictly to be the advocate of Temperance, and a means by which it can he advanced, yet it is not to bo restricted in the sphere of its efforts to counteract any evil or error which may have a tendency to retard the improve ment of society, or to vitiate the charac ter of its members. We wish to do more than to drag the sot from his wallopings —more than to place him firmly on his feet; our aim is to purity his affections, restore self-respect, and to replace the lost | dignity of his nature ; to refine and pol-; ish by elevated association his conversa tion and tastes, and to exterminate those habits and vices contracted from low and Jamiliar intercourse, which detract from respectability,and which are criminal in' the sight of God. And we would in the present number, call the attention of our readers to one evu. which is rife in the laud, and which; j jis calculated to pain the true gentlemanj —not to say the Christian. We allude to ! the little respect that many pay to the institutions of God. Os course our re marks will not apply to those who have: made a public profession of his name—j but to those W'ho not having made such, are yet constrained to acknowledge to jthemselvcs, that there is a Supreme Gov ernor of the world, to whom they are and must be accountable. Os the first class wc have nothing to say—wo leave them in the care of those who are appointed to watch over their spiritual state —it is of j the latter we complain, and are compelled ■to notice on their part a lack of respect I for the immediate presence of God, and a Iwant of reverence for his holy will. Why is this ? Does the peculiar form of our government invest one with such a of sovereignty, as to check in the infant mind of its subject, the growth of [that principle which in after life Vouid make him a happier man, a more loyal citizen of his country? Certainly not. ;Of all human institutions it is the most dependant upon morality for its stability, requiring tho continued influence of vir tue. It was so organized as to encourage and foster their growth, and facilitate their diffusion among the people. Aware of the effect of example, our forefathers sought the blessing of Godin their delib erations, and invoked their posterity in all their documents of council and advice, to remember in the days of their man hood and strength the hand that deliver ed them in infancy. We deny that there is any thing in the peculiar construction of our government that discourages a pub lic manifestation of respect at all times for the Deity. Why is it then that those who are not willing to deny the existence of God, or to question the divine origin of his word, hesitate not unfrequently to violate his law, by taking hissacred name in vain, and by desecrating the Sabbath, the day he has set apart for rest unto all mankind? Why is it that those who are forced by public opinion, to enter his sa cred temples, act as though they were not in a solemn place, consecrated to the Almighty, and in a manner more becom ing infidels? Why is it that those who aro not professors of religion allow others to scoff, profane and ridicule sacred mat ters, in their presence, and yet in that as sembly no voice is heard to say, “thou shalt ; not take tho name of the Lord thv God in * vain.” Men do not hesitate to hush the mouth ofslfmder when it is uttered against a friend, and he who would silently listen to such abuse, is justly regarded as being mean and dastardly. God and his insti tutions can be abused, and honor and courage, come not to his defence. The Mahomedau hows down to Mecca —the deluded Hindoo prostrates himself before the car of Juggernaut—the savage invocation is heard in his native wilds, calling upon the Great Spirit—yet in this enlightened, liberal, Christian country, there are those who countenance profani ty, and who throw the burden of rebuke upon those who are weak enough to ac knowledge his authority. It would really , seem, in the eyes of some, nay, of many, that it was unmanly and dishonorable to be the champion of a God. The cause of this silence, to condemn that which is prohibited by revelation, and which conscience tells them is wrong, arises from a lack of moral courage—a deficiency of that cardinal principle which proper education can alone produce. Parents who do not early instil into the minds of their children a deep rever ence for sacred things, and show, by ex ample, an abhorrence for profanity, may be certain that their offsprings will grow up too cowardly to resept an insult offer ed to their Maker. Let them remember, if they wish their country to improve— its institutions to flourish—their children to be respectable and happy, they should teach them in early life that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. For the Washingtonian. . Messrs. Editors —Amidst the numer ous sources of argument and contention, with which the world is rife at the present day, as evinced by the jour ; nals from every point of the compass, on the subjects of arts, sciences, govern ment, political economy, &c., each with its advocates on the one hand, adducing ievidence in support of some new inven- Ition, proposition or calculation, and in de i monstration of the respective theorys or subjects advanced^—with others in denun ciation of these, and the propagation of i others diametrically opposite; all appar ently, if not really, striving to enlighten Jthe public mind, and advance the good of i mankind, by their devotion and enthusi . asm in the cause. It is a consolitarv re -1 flection to the philanthropist, that there is ; at least one subject, last though not least, i on which all the discordant sentimentsj ) entertained in relation to the subjects be-' f fore adverted to, seem to be merged in |to a universal acquiescence. One point t on which all men, however diversified as ! to talent or opinion, (on other subjects,) , are united and agreed, r Temperance may now be fairly rank- L ed by acclamation, as being the promo , ter and forerunner of moral reform, and p a cause in which there are none so high I advanced on the pinnacle of tame, as to I disregard; and which all may vie, not in opposition to,but in emulating each other in efforts to advance the cause. Each successive day brings forth new champions, enlisted in the support and heartily espousing Temperance; going forth marfully, determined to battle with the monster, not only on the outskirts of the field, but determined to carry destruction to the very citadel of his camp. To all who throw the weight of their influence into the scale, the friends of Temperance are truly indebted ; but to none *o much, as those individuals, who front endowments of nature, aided by a proper cultivation of intellect, are eminently qualified properly to advance and defend the principles for which they contend; especially when they happen to be, (and many such there arc,) one of those whe from a too scrupulous observ ance of the false etiquet of former times, have been so far overcome by indulgence as to bcon the verge ofdestruction, but who have fortunately been reclaimed by the in fluence abroad—and w ho after being con vinced of the error of their course, have been possessed of that moral courage and firmness, so truly characteristic of the true gentleman and evincing the very soul ofhonor, as magnanimously to throw themselves in the breach, inculcating in the community, by precept as well as ex ample, the virtuous tendencies of tem perance, and denouncing the vices of an opposite course. The friends of Temperance can now with confidence assume high grounds, in the advancement of their principles; the time has arrived when it is not necessary to seek advocates of the cause, the be nign influence it has exerted on the com munity is too palpable to need demon- I stration ; all see, and seeing can but ac- 1 knowledge it; and there are none who will so far stem the current of public ! opinion as to oppose its progress. But : notwithstanding those encouraging cir cumstances, yet much more remains to be done ; we have among us many high minded, honorable citizens, with the good of the cause at heart, who have as yet de ferred joining in with us, openly, in the espousal of Temperance, influenced from honest, but (as we believe) mistaken fears, as to the permanency of the re form ; anticipating that like other ex-i citements, this too would be evanescent,; and pass away with the abatement of the first ehulution of enthusiasm of its friends, leaving the community to return again, into more strongly confirmed habits of intemperance. To such of the friends of the cause, fortunately, it may with truth now be said, their fears are unfounded, that crisis is past; the excitement has abated, and now that ample opportunity for sober,cool and dispassionate reflection on the sub ject, has elapsed ; the still, steady, onward progress of the reform, furnishes abundant evidence of the deep-rooted hold it has on in the affections of the people, for a perseverence, a continued perseverence, in advancing the cause of Temperance. Therefore, I would hint, to those who have heretofore been rather skeptical and doubtful on the subject, that it is high time they should now come out, and lend us the weight of their influence ; remem bering that they cannot much longer hold neutral ground on the subject; as ere long it may justly be charged upon those, that arc not with us, that they are against us. And though it would be far from my desire, in the least degree to blend the 1 subjects of Temperance and Politics ; vet I would remind gentlemen high in the confidence of their fellow citizens, of all parties, that they too should have an eye to the subject: for, from present indica tions, public opinion will not long toler ate any men in high places, unless they' should be sound to the core on this point, 1 joined and identified with their constitu ents in the promotion of the Temperance' i reform. Ergo. For the Washingtonian. Messrs. Editors —The “smell of rum”, has come down upon us from the neigh boring hills. Yes, from that region whence we usually get nothing hut re freshing and healthful breezes, charged with fragrant odours, have been brought to us disgusting vapors loaded with the] sickening stench of rum. Yes, when by the sword of Temperance we had suc ceeded in expelling the noxious enemy from the city, there have been found those, who, not having the health and comfort of our citizens at heart, nor the fear of the Washingtonian before their eyes, have had the audacity to come! among us with their bodies fuming with! this proscribed smell. Oh ! shocking out-l rage! Who can hear it ? Justice and law demand the punish ment of all who introduce nuisances! among us; but as mercy should be the. charactic attribute of our citizens, and; as it is possible our proscription of this; smell has not been published in the ele-; vated regions whence this annoyance has 1 now come, I would, Messrs. Editors, pro pose, before resorting to severe measures, ! that your papers announcing our wishes on this subject, be put into the hands of our friends for distribution in that quar ter. It is useless to designate the per sons to whom they should be given—the nose will do this at ten yards distance. In the same benevolent spirit, I would , also recommend, that visits from persons whose approach is thus offensively ad umbrated, be prohibited in future, unless preceded by at least three days sobriety and purifying ablutions. This measure is commended to our' adoption by the hope, that the occasional i taste of the sweets of temperance, may; 1 result in the entire reformation of ouri visiters; and all objections to# on their i part, would give way at once, if they , would only notice how their acquaintance i bear up to the windward of them now, i when business or politeness compels mo- mentary contiguity to their persons. And finally, in excess of mercy, I would ( propose before total and lasting ostracism ; from decent society, he resorted to, that, i for the purpose of showing our extreme! and unalterable repugnance to this hated smell, no one shall, from this lime for- ! ward, be considered guilty of a breach of ! politeness, who refuses parlance with its i conducters at less than fifteen paces.— 1 We must protect ourselves. Am as. : i For the Washingtonian. —1 In a government like ours, where all i power is derived from the people, it be comes a solemn enquiry how the perpe tuity of our free institutions shall be best secured. In examining the changes that have ; I taken place, in the political condition of 1 | past ages, we find, that whenever there existed a general diffusion of intelligence among the people, and a high moral , standard, there teas to he found the great i cst amount of civil and religious liberty, j The reason is obvious: the people under- 1 stand too well their own rights, to become , fit instruments for Tyrrany and Despo | tism. If then, intelligence and virtue, are ab i solutely necessary for the understanding and maintaining of our rights, how ira portant is it, in a Country like this, where each man (irrespective of his intelligence i or moral worth) wields the same amount ; of political power, that the people should : be intelligent and virtuous; that they should understand the great questions brought before them, and not become by their ignorance, the dupes of designing demagogues, who only seek power, and care not by what means it is attained. It is a cheering sight to the patriot, to see the various plans that are now in op eration for the mental and moral im. i ! provement of the rising generation; but great as is the good that will result from these plans, much can be accomplished bv individual effort. It is not necessary that a man should be familiar with the clas jsics, or be the graduate of a college, (although desirable.) to be intelligent.— Let him determine that he will improve his mind, and let him spend the hours that he now spends idly, in reading books of instruction, and he will soon be astonish ed at the amount of knowledge he has obtained, and at the increased clearness and comprehensiveness of his views. Let each man in this great Nation, pursue this plan but for one year, and a change will have been produced that will astonish the most incredulous. Among the private efforts for mental improvement, is that of a little society in our own city. A few* young gentlemen associated for mutual encouragement in writing and speaking, have gone on quietly, but progressively, for about two :yeats. They now desire to extend their usefulness, and are making arrangements 'to have lectures delivered by competent gentlemen, who have kindly consented to do so, for the public benefit. Let the citizens encourage this effort, and aid the society by their countenance. There are young gentlemen in that association who will at no distant day, be an honor |to their native State. Come then, friends :of youth, encourage this enterprise, and by your example lead other young men to associate with them, and soon shall the haunts ot vice that they now frequent be deserted, and they be found in the more honorable employment of preparing them selves to become faithful sentinels on the watch-tower of Freedom. G. Fur the Washingtonian. Messrs. Editors —Were the effects of intemperance confined exclusively to those who are its willing subjects, we would have less cause to deprecate the evil, for the miseries entailed on them would be the legitimate reward of their misdoings. Jlut as “man liveth not to himself alone,” there arc others involved in his fortunes w ho must ever share with him in his joys and sorrow s, and if those who are so frequently seduced from the 'paths of sobriety were to consider the rc dation they sustain to others, they would certainly prize their own privileges and the welfare of others more, than to yit Id themselves slaves to so hard a master.— We frequently form inadequate concep tions oi' the extent of the ravages of intemperance, even when we see the most abandoned of its subjects struggling beneath its most severe inflictions, and are ready to shed a tear of sympaty, and exert our efforts to the utmost to rescue them ; but could we always follow them from the more public thoroughfares to the retirement of the family circle, what would be the feelings aroused while be | holding the destitution of those who are not only dependent on, but identified in I feeling and interest with them. No matter what the external circumstances of a man may be, if all is right at home he still has sources of pleasure that no woes can embitter nor afflictions dero gate. If the angry surge of mislortune sweep the stores of wealth that years have accumulated, and on which the i heart delights to feast—if ambition in its eager chase see the bright scenes that fancy paints overspread with clouds whose presaging shadows fling a death like chill upon the spirit’s pride—if hope, cheered by the promises that in the dis tance smile, fade and leave no trace amidst disaster’s gloom—and if friend ship, unrequited, meet a stern repulse from a heartless world, —then, even then, when all else shall fail, the weary spirit finds a quiet refuge from the ills of life amidst the endearments that crowd about its home. It has always been a matter of surprise to me, how a man can forfeit the digni ty that belongs to him, and yield up the independence of a man to the control of so servile a passion.—But I am still more astonished, to see him violate the most sacred obligations that are incumbent on him in life, not only in the want and ruin he brings upon his family, but in the neg ligence of her who often pines the mid night hour away, marked only by the loneliness of her desolation, while he is spent amidst the scenes of revelry; when she should be— His glory and delight, the cherished one Around whom his heart’s affections cluster— -1 he fountain of every pleasant thought— The sweet embodiment of all that’s dear; Her smile the halo that begirts his joy, And gilds his pathway thiough the’world of care For she will linger round when all have gone, And left him wreck’d,deserted and forlorn ; And he should,in return.protect and shield Her, as his life, his soul, his all, — And about her, be willing here to spend Ten thousand livesin ecstacy complete, Delighted—charmed—and think the time spent loon And notwithstanding this, there are ma ny who still partake of that cup that