society depends on his own individual conduct. And let us all consider, that for all our conduct we must give account to God, who will bring every work into judg ment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil!

CHAPTER VIII.

[AN ADDRESS on Temperance, delivered on the East Line of Ballston, February 26, 1833, and repeated the same day, by request, in the Baptist Church in Ballston Spa.]

ON THE BREAKING OF A RUM-JUG BY A REVOLUTIONARY

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN :

SOLDIER.

Agreeably to the recommendation of the National Temperance Society, and the concurrence of its auxiliaries, as far as their pleasure is known on the subject, this 26th day of February has been designated as a time to be devoted to temperance meetings simultaneously, by the friends of the cause in the American churches, and throughout the American Republic. Ardent desires have been manifested, that all laudable measures might be adopted to arouse the friends of temperance to activity and perseverance in the cause, where auxiliaries are formed, and that where there are none, in cities, towns, or villages, no pains should be spared in endeavors to bring the people in such delinquent places to feel the importance of a general concurrence, as co-workers with God and the American people, in a successful warfare against the intemperate powers of darkness. For this purpose we have assembled in this place to-day, and by appointment the duty devolves on me to address you on the subject which has called us together.

The first point to which I would direct your attention is one to which I have recently been a witness, and which has excited personal emotions not known nor even anticipated on the day when an appointment was made for my address to you in this place. And although it is a subject of peculiar delicacy, and involves a high degree of personal responsibility, in an attempt to do justice to the delineation of an act which, though “done in a corner," must, and ought to be "proclaimed upon the house-top ;" yet I hesi tate not, with deference to the feelings of all who are personally interested, thus publicly to make known and declare the circumstances of the facts to which this article alludes.

My venerable father, who was a Revolutionary soldier, and fought for the independence of his country, yet lives, and is now just entered upon the eightieth year of his age. He is well known to have been one of the early class of settlers in Ballston, and is now a resident on the premises which he has occupied nearly fifty years. It is also well known to the public in this region, that his habit for many years has been to use spirituous liquors as a common drink, when, and as he pleased, without binding himself by the rules of abstinence to any degree of restriction whatever. And although he has never deserved the appellation of a drunkard, yet a free use of spirituous liquors in a manner which may be termed constant, and sometimes hard drinking, has characterized his years of age and decrepitude, and it was greatly to be feared, would accompany him to the grave.

Since the special charge of making provision for my

A PAINFUL REQUIREMENT.

147

aged parents has devolved on me by personal contract, under bonds of indefeasible indemnity in the use of their property, it has been required of me to furnish liquor as well as food. Painful as this requirement has been to me, I have complied on all occasions, with the same up parent cheerfulness that I made other provisions. But there was a vast discrimination in my own mind. Hence ■ made it a subject of daily, secret prayer, that God would be pleased to interpose, and move him to abandon a habit so pernicious in its nature, and so destructive in its consequences. I made it a rule, also, when I found any thing striking in my periodicals on the subject of temperance, to read it to him, accompanied with such remarks as I was capable of making, with a view to rivet the subject on his mind, all which he uniformly received with kind feelings; but if any reply was made, the amount was, that (as he would term it), “a temperate use of spirituous liquors was necessary to his comfort, and beneficial in his age and infirmities." He appeared perfectly satisfied, if the cheapest kind of liquor, even whiskey, was provided, and agreeably to his desire, this was kept for his use at his own discretion.

This was precisely the state of things on the 15th inst. (Feb. 1833), when it was publicly announced that an address on temperance wou'd be delivered at this time and place. The next day I cast my eyes on an article in the "New York Observer," of February 9th, 1833, entitled “A Speech to the Point," the amount of which was a ludicrous (though doubtless a sincere and well-meant) address of a laboring man in England, who gave an account, at a tem

perance meeting, of the circumstances of his reformation from habits of intemperance to a life of sobriety; the consequent blessings which he had experienced, and his earnest entreaty that others of intemperate habits would follow his example. [As a copy of that reformed drunkard's experience, published in the Observer as above stated, has. been preserved, it may be gratifying to readers of these Reminiscences to have the anecdote of the "Speech to the Point" inserted in the words of the author, and in the style of the publisher, both for the amusement and benefit of all who may read, which is verbatim et literatim et punctuatim, as follows:]

"A SPEECH TO THE POINT.-At the second annual meeting of the York (Eng.) Temperance Society, held on the 18th Nov., a laboring man, a member of the Rev. Hugh Stowell's congregation, came forward, and after standing for some length of time, looking very blank, as though he was not accustomed to look so large an assembly in the face, and seeming as though he would not be able to speak a word, began his statement by saying, 'Ah've been one ot t' greatest drunkards and wicketest sinners, at ivver God let live.' He then detailed the means which were rendered efficacious in his reformation, and went on to observe, Fooaks says temperance societies does no good; but let them come to mah house, and they'll see whether or not. Ah, now ev as nice a cheer as ony man need wish to sit down on (laughter). Ah've plenty o' meat in the house; and plenty o' brass in the pocket; and Ah've a good pig a the sty (loud laughter); an what's best of all, they're all paid for, and not a man in Salford can come and axe me for a farthing (applause).

"Fooaks says temperance societies does no good; but they sud come and ax mah wife, and she would tell them whether or not (loud laughter). Ah used to be, ah hated ommost to see her, and would ha' killed her if ah durst; she could get nought to put