your dupes by telling, that Gin hath bought it: who could have thought it?' By spreading the fiery stream, and heaping fuel on the destructive conflagration, many more are wallowing in almost princely affluence; while the victims of your trade, their wives, and children, are covered with rags and drenched in misery. I would affectionately beseech such to examine the source whence their riches flow. I would beg of them to consult their consciences, which will inform them that their ornaments are purchas ed at the expense of misery to their customers, their superfluous finery deprives the others of necessary clothing, their ease, voluptuousness, and splendour are supported by inflicting acute pains, wasting diseases, excruciating torments, madness, despair, and death; on whom? on the enemies of their country? on strangers or foreigners?—even this would be cruel; but no! their victims are their friends, relations, neighbors, and fellow countrymen. I would conjure them, therefore, by the latent spark of manly feel ing that yet warms their breast, by the strugglings of that feeling against sordid interest, by their yet remaining patriotism, to abandon the accursed trade, and attend to their interest for time and for eternity, by turning to the Lord's side." And says a distinguished civilian in our own country,* « It is of the utmost importance to the temporal and eternal interests of our citizens, that a stop should be put to the sale of ardent spirits as speedily as possible."-" Convince the men who make shrines for the goddess Diana that they are partakers in the guilt of those who worship the idol, and most of them will abandon the unhallowed pursuit. Satisfy the unreflecting vender of ardent spirits that he is morally responsible for all the crime and misery which his maddening potations naturally produce, and he will relinquish the demoralizing traffic. Point the christian to the sacred page where the pen of inspiration hath written, 'he who hath the love of God in his heart, worketh no ill to his neighbor,' and he will not, for the sake of a few dollars, destroy the temporal and eternal happiness of those around him. Convince the retailer who makes the drunkard, and sends him staggering home to abuse, and perhaps to murder his wretched wife and starving children, that the curse of Heaven is denounced against him who holdeth the cup to his neighbor's I'ps, and surely he will forbear. Let the attention of the fond patant who seeks to provide for his beloved offspring, by the manufacture or sale of ardent spirits, be directed to this withering curse which may soon be resting upon his own head, when he may be con pelled to rescue his own broken-hearted daughter from the indescribable wretchedness of a drunkard's hovel, or to follow his last son to that hopeless depository, a drunkard's grave; and * Reuben H. Walworth, Chancellor of the State of New York certainly coercion cannot be necessary to induce him to forsake this dangerous pursuit. And let all emulate the precept, and endeavor to live up to the requirements of that law, which commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to consider and treat all mankind as our brethren. 46 High on a scroll, inscribed on Nature's shrine, In September the Temperance Society of Baltimore applied to our secretary for an agent to labor under their direction and at their expense, in that city and state. He engaged for that service the Rev. John Marsh, of Haddam, Connecticut, Secretary of the Connecticut Temperance Society. In addition to the visiting of different parts of that state, he visited also, during his agency, the city of Washington; and was instrumental in procuring the meeting in the capitol which has been referred to, and which has been so extensively useful throughout the country. The Hon. Lewis Cass, secretary of war, presided, and Walter Lowry, Esq. clerk of the senate of the United States, was secretary of the meeting. The Rev. Reuben Post, of Washington City, chaplain of the House of Representatives, (pened the meeting with prayer. The Rev. Mr. Marsh stated that the object of it was, the promotion of the cause of Temperance in the United States, and throughout the world. The meeting was then addressed by the Hon. Felix Grundy, United States Senator from the State of Tennessee; the Hon. Theodore Frelinghuysen, United States Senator from the state of New Jersey; the Hon. Isaac C. Bates, member of the House of Representatives from the State of Massachusetts; the Hon. James M. Wayne, member of the House of Representatires from the State of Georgia, and the Hon. Daniel Webster, United States Senator, from the State of Massachusetts. A vote of thanks was then presented to the secretary of war for presiding on the occasion, and the meeting was closed with prayer by the Rev. Professor Durbin, of Kentucky, chaplain of the Senate of the United States. Those who addressed the meeting spoke in high terms of the social, civil, and religious benefits which have resulted to our country, from the formation and operations of Temperance Societies, and expressed their conviction that the influence of them will be felt through the world. The speeches have since been published in various parts of the country, have passed through several editions, and are now receiving a very extensive circulation. Another important testimony to the benefits of temperance societies, and to the importance of their universal extension, was given by the Hon. William Wirt, late attorney general of the United States. In a communication which he made to a meeting of the Baltimore city Temperance Society he said, "I have been for more than forty years a close observer of life and manners in various parts of the United States, and I know not the evil that will bear a moment's comparison with intemperance. It is no exaggeration to say, as has been often said, that this single cause has produced more vice, crime, poverty, and wretchedness in every form, domestic and social, than all the other ills that scourge us, combined. In truth, it is scarcely possible to meet with misery in any shape, in this country, which will not be found on examination to have proceeded, directly or indirectly, from the excessive use of ardent spirits. Want is one of its immediate consequences. The sad spectacle of starving and destitute families, and of ignorant, half naked, vicious children, ought never to be presented in a country like this, where the demand for labor is constant, the field unlimited, the sources of supply inexhaustible, and where there are none to make us afraid; and it never would be presented, or very rarely indeed, were it not for the desolation brought upon families by the general use of this deadly poison. It paralyses the arm, the brain, the heart. All the best affections, all the energies of the mind, wither under its influence. The man becomes a maniac, and is locked up in a hospital, or imbrues his hands in the blood of his wife and children, and is sent to the gallows or doomed to the penitentiary; or, if he escapes these consequences, he becomes a walking pestilence on the earth, miserable in himself, and loathsome to all who behold him. How often do we see, too, whole families contaminated by the vicious example of the parent; husbands, wives, daughters, and sons, all drunkards and furies sometimes wives murdering their husbands; at others husbands their wives; and worst of all, if worse can be in such a group of horrors, children murdering their parents. But below this grade of crime, how much is there of unseen and untold misery, throughout our otherwise happy land, proceeding from this fatal cause alone. I am persuaded that if we could have a statistical survey and report of the affairs of unhappy families and individuals, with the causes of their misery annexed, we should find nine cases out of ten, if not a still greater proportion, resulting from the use of ardent spirits alone. With this conviction, which seems to have become universal among reflecting men, the apathy shown to the continuance of the evil can only be ascribed to the circumstance that the mischief, though verbally admitted, is not seen and felt in all its enormity. If some fatal plague, of a contagious. character, were imported into our country, and had commenced its ravages in our cities, we should see the most prompt and vigor ous measures at once adopted to repress and extinguish it: but what are the most fearful plagues that ever carried death and havoc in their train through the eastern countries, compared with this? They are only occasional; this is perennial. They are confined by climate or place; this malady is of all climates, and all times and places. They kill the body at once; this consumes both body and soul by a lingering and dreadful death, involving the dearest connections in the vortex of ruin. What parent, however exemplary himself, can ever feel that his son is safe while the living fountain of poison is within his reach? God grant that it may soon become a fountain sealed, in our country at least. What a relief, what a delightful relief, would it be to turn from the awful and horrid past, to the pure, peaceful, and happy future! to see the springs of life, and feeling, and intelligence, renewed on every hand; health, industry, and prosperity, glowing around us; the altars of domestic peace and love rekindled in every family; and the religion of the Saviour presented with a fair field for its celestial action. "The progress already made by our temperance societies, in advancing this golden age, proves them to be of a divine origin. May the Almighty crown his own work with full and speedy sucI remain, dear sir, respectfully and truly yours, cess. "WILLIAM WIRT." So numerous and striking have been the benefits of societies formed on the plan of abstinence from the use of ardent spirit, that increased efforts have been made during the past year to extend them through the country.* The friends of temperance in the State of New York have set an example on this subject, which, f followed, would do much towards banishing intemperance from the earth. They have entered, with systematic vigor, and with great success, on the plan of forming a temperance society in every town, and in every school district in the State. A circular has been issued and sent to every family, inviting all the members who have come to years of understanding, to abstain from the use of ardent spirit; and to unite with a temperance society. More than 50,000 have been added to their temperance societies during the past year. And the secretary of that society states, that the members which are added to their societies will average a thousand a day. "The circulars," he says, "have produced and are producing wonders. All that our State needs is information, and the work will be onward Pennsylvania has sent for a partial supply of the circulars, and we have sent enough to the Secretary of the navy for the supply of our national ships. To engage in this benevolent work all classes of people, and to * Appendix E. extend the same efficient system throughout the country, the Committee of the American Temperance Society, at their meeting in Boston, January 16, 1832, adopted the following resolutions, viz. "1. That the social, civil, and religious interests of our country, and of the world, would be greatly promoted, should each individual abstain entirely from the use of ardent spirit, as a drink; from the manufacture of it, and the traffic in it; and from the furnishing of it, in any way, as drink for others. "2. That each individual in our country, as soon as practicable, be particularly invited thus to abstain, and in all suitable ways to exert his influence, to lead all others to do the same. "3. That, as information is important, a Circular, containing a brief view of the prominent facts on this subject, be prepared, and, as means can be obtained, be sent to every family in the United States, respectfully and earnestly requesting each individual, who has come to years of understanding, to adopt the above plan; and, for the sake of doing good, to unite with others in a Temperance Society. "4. That, to promote the formation of Temperance Societies, to invite all to join them, and to carry the above plan into practical effect throughout our country, it is needful that one or more wise and efficient Agents should be employed by each State; and that some General Agents should visit all parts of our land. 5. That application be made to benevolent individuals and known friends of temperance, for means to accomplish the abovementioned objects; and to enable the American Temperance Society to prosecute its great and benevolent work, till the use of ardent spirit as a drink, the manufacture of it, and the traffic in it, shall be done away throughout our country, and throughout the world." In pursuance of the above resolutions, the following letter has been published, and sent to a number of gentlemen in different parts of the United States : "The AMERICAN TEMPERANCE SOCIETY is engaged in the great and benevolent work of extending the principle of abstinence from the use of ardent spirit, till it shall become universal. By means of the press and of living agents, a strong impression has already been made, and a great change effected with regard to this subject. More than a million of persons in the United States now abstain from the use of ardent spirit. Among them are those of all ages, and in all kinds of lawful business. Many, who for years used it habitually, and thought it needful, have found by experience that they were mistaken, and that they are in all respects better without it. And should the experiment be fairly made, this would be found to be the case with all. "More than a thousand distilleries have been stopped; more than three thousand merchants have ceased to traffic in the poison, |