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COMPARATIVE LOSS AND GAIN.

posed of such men, by the elective franchise of the sovereign people, irrespective of all fears of consequences, as shall not hesitate to deal out destruction to the craft of liquor monopoly, the abettors of which boast of their many millions of dollars in cash, real estate investments, and stock of poison on hand, in readiness to make and destroy millions of drunkards, without being able to compute the true estimated value of one of their souls, nor of their own souls, in equal danger of destruction.

And whether the writer of this book of temperance reminiscences be alive or dead on the legislative session of the State of New York, in 1853, let it be read and remembered, that in the seventy-seventh year of his age, he has conscientiously taken this liberty of forewarning his countrymen of the next Hon. Legislature, whoever they may be, that they follow not the example of their late legislative predecessors, by turning a deaf ear to petitions for the Maine Liquor Law statute, until they FIRST compute the Saviour's estimated value of the soul of one lost drunkard, equivalent in dollars and cents to the amount of the entire wealth of this globe of earth; and this amount multiplied by the most accurate number that can be ascertained of the drunkards made by intoxicating liquors, and lost by death in this State of New York, during the period of one year from the day and date of the decision of the New York State Legislature of 1852, in the city of Albany, when they rejected the petitions of hundreds of thousands for the statute of the Law of Maine, and by such rejection secured to the liquor-craft monopoly the full amount of their own estimated claim of one hundred millions of

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dollars for the city of New York, and a proportionate claim of many millions of dollars for the whole State, all once at fearful hazard of loss by the adoption of the Maine Law statute, but now, with triumphant rejoicing, is secure from fear of hazard by the laws of man!—but (shall it be added), fearless of the judgments of Almighty God by the loss of priceless souls!

Meanwhile, let all the powers of moral suasion be resumed with renewed vigilance and assiduity, trusting God to bring to pass, by his own appointed instrumentalities, his own purposes for the overthrow of intemperance, and the total destruction of all the works of Satan.

12

CHAPTER VII.

[THE FIRST TEMPERANCE ADDRESS, verbatim from the original manuscript, delivered August 25, 1808, by the author of these reminiscences, before the first known Temperance Society of our land or world, and repeated, by special request, before the same Society, at their annual meeting, 1843, in the Church, near the place of the first organization, at which time the Parent Society re-organized on the unanimous adoption of the Total Abstinence American pledge.]

THE first Temperance Address, verbatim from the original manuscript, delivered August 25, 1808, by the author of these historical reminiscences, before the first known temperance society of our land or world, and repeated, by request, before the same society, at their annual meeting, 1843, in the nearest house of public worship to the place ›f the first organization, in connection with an address of nore recent date on the "WOES OF INTEMPERANCE," at which time and place the Parent Society re-organized, on the unanimous adoption of the Total Abstinence American pledge, witnessed by a numerous assembly.

ADDRESS.

MR. PRESIDENT: Every institution which tends to encourage virtue, promote morality, and suppress vice, is of importance to mankind, and ought to command due respect and esteem. Many institutions of this description are now extant. Some of them have proved successful in reforming the vicious, and others have been more unsuccessful.

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In this enlightened age, and in this free country, where every man is at full liberty to adopt that system for the regulation of his own conduct which he deems most congenial with his feeling and interest, it is hardly supposable, that any one will rashly and precipitately agree in the adoption of any system until he has first surveyed its boundaries, developed its interior principles, and weighed the sum total of the consequences which will be likely to result from its operation. To think and act for himself, both in matters civil and religious, are privileges which every man claims as peculiar to his nature.

Whenever a new institution is ushered into the world, the first thing to be attended to is, to examine the basis upon which the superstructure is reared, to investigate its pretended object, and trace its leading features from the original source to the effect which it has on society. If the basis on which it is founded is not inconsistent with reason and divine revelation; if its apparent object is to reclaim what is wrong in man, and stimulate to a line of conduct congenial with the true happiness, the interest, and prosperity of society; and, if there is ground of probability that these will be the effects which it will produce in the operation, the conclusion must terminate in its favor, and its adoption will be the voice of philanthropy and of wisdom.

The formation of this Union Temperate Society in its present state, is without a precedent and without a rival! It is the only institution of the kind now extant, within the limits of our knowledge. The institution is now upon the stage, for the investigation of all who wish to become ac

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quainted with it; and its virtual language to the community is, examine for yourselves, and see whether it is worthy of your attention and patronage, or whether it merits your disapprobation and deserved odium. Espousing its professed principles, and confidently believing that its object is to promote the good of society, I appear before you, this day, in vindication of the institution now under consideration.

The formation of this society has excited the attention of curious inquirers, the result of which has already been a diversity of opinions relative to its effects upon the conduct of its adherents. Some view it as a deprivation of the liberties peculiar to the appetite, and as an infringement on the natural rights of man; while others turn the whole subject into ridicule, and make sport of the institution which inculcates reasonable restraint. To bring all men to think alike on every subject can never be expected, while the human heart is governed and biased by such a variety of motives and propensities. In common with others of my fellow-men, I claim the privilege of adopting sentiments for myself, and am willing that others should enjoy the same privilege.

In my view of things, the basis on which the institution under consideration is founded, is a conviction of the unhappy consequences resulting to society from the prevalent and, in many instances, the intemperate use of spirituous liquors. To remedy this long-established and deep-rooted evil; to eradicate it from society; render it odious and detestable; and to substitute temperance, sobriety, and virtue in its room, are the professed objects of this institution.