quarrel with the truth. I want to have the best part of
me — the sout— as healthy and vigorous as the body,
and both of them as noble as they Can be made. That's
wy idea of life.
E, IThrows aioay his cigar,'] I know you're right,
and if I could always be with you, I shouldn't get so
wild.
jET. There's your weakness, and hence your danger in
choosing foolish company. You are too ready to join in
with every one you meet. Set yourself to be a man
after your own ideas of right. You've a better right to
lead others in a good way than they have to lead you
wrong; and the true way to become a leader is to rule
yourself. But come, now we've had a long talk, and as
I see you've thrown away your sign of weakness, I'll
take a walk with you.
The Rum Maniac,
" Why am I thus ? " the maniac cried,
" Confined, 'mid crazy people ? Why ?
I am not mad, — knave, stand aside I
I'll have my freedom, or I'll die ;
Its not for cure that here I've come —
I tell thee — all I want is rum :
I must have rum I
Sane ? yes, and have been all the while ;
Why, then, tormented thus? 'TIS sad.
Why chained, and held in duress vile?
The men who brought me here were mad ;
Digitized by VjOOQIC
190 THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER.
I will not stay where spectres come ;
Let me go home : I must have rum> —
I must have rum.
'Tis he, 'tis he, my aged sire I
What has disturbed thee in thy grave?
Why bend on me that eye of fire ?
Why torment since thou canst not save ? * .
Back to the church-yard whence you*ve comOi —
But send me rum, oh, send me rum !
Why is my mother musing there
On that same sacred spot,
Where once she taught me words of prayer?
But now she hears, she heeds me not 5
Mute in her windiug-sheet she stands,
Cold, cold ; I feel her icy hands — her icy hands*
She's vanished; but a dearer friend —
I know her by her angel smile —
Has come her partner to attend.
His hours of misery to beguile.
* Haste, haste, loved one, and set me free ;
'Twere heaven to 'scape from hence to thee.*
She does not hear ; away she flies,
Regardless of the chains I wear.
Back to her mansion in the skies,
%'o dwell with kindred spirits there.
Why is she gone ? Why did she come?
O God, I'm ruined! Give me rum I
Hark! hark! for bread my children cry,^
A cry that drinks my spirit up ;
But 'tis in vain, in vain to try.
Oh, give me back the drunkard's cup I
My lips are parched, my heart is sad ;
This cursed chain, 'twill make me mad ! —
Digitized by VjOOQIC
THE TEMPERANCE Si»EAKER. 191
A. fiend ! a fiend ! with many a dart,
Glares on me with his bloodshot eye,
And aims liis missile at my heart.
Oh, whither, whither shall I ^y?
Fly, — oh, it is. no time for that.
I know thy hellish purpose well.
Avaunt, avaant, thou hated sprite,
And hie thee to thy native hell !
He's gone ! he's gone ! and I am free ;
He's gone, the faithless, braggart liar!
He said he'd borne to summon me.
See, there again, my bed's on fire I
Pire ! Water I Help I Oh, haste, I die I
The flames are kindling round my head.
This smoke ! — I'm strangling — cannot fly !
Oh, snatch me from this burning bed —
There — there again — that demon's there — ,
Crouching to make a fresh attack ;
See how hi's flaming eyeballs glare I
* Thou fiend of fiends, what's brought thee backf
Back in thy car? for wliom? for where?*
He smiles, he beckons me to come.
What are these words thou'st written there? —
* In hell they never want for mm.*
Not -want for rum I Read that again I ^.
I feel the spell ! Haste, drive me down
Where rum is free, where revellers reign,
And 1 can wear the drunkard's crown.
Accept thy proffer, fiend ? I will.
And to thy drunken banquet come.
Fill the great caldron from thy still.
With boiling, burning, fiery rum.
There will I quench this horrid thirst,
With boon companions drink and dwell;
Digitized by VjOOQIC
192 THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER.
Nor plead for rum, as now I must ;
There's liberty to drink in hell."
Thus railed the maniac rum had made ;
• Then starting from his haunted bed —
" On, on, ye demons I On,"^e said,
Then silent sank — his soul had fled I
Scoffer, beware I he In that shroud
Was once a temperate drinker too,
And felt as safe — declaimed as loud
Against extravagance as you ;
And yet, ere long, I saw him stand.
Refusing, on the brink of hell,
A pardon from his Saviour's hand,
Then plunging down with fiends to dwelL
From thence, methinks, I hear him say,
" Dash, dash the chalice, break the spell!
Stop while you can, and where you may,^
There's no escape when once in hell.* '
O God, thy gracious Spirit send,
That we the mocker's snares may fly,
And thus escape that dreadful end.
That death eternal, drunkards die !
« ♦ >
Appeal to Parents.
Fathers and mothers, we appeal to you. Behold your
Bons, how they throng the places where the cup of death
Is sold ! How rapid their course to ruin I Yonder is a
thoughtless youth. See that man hand him the glass !
It Is full of deadly poison. Mark how for paltry pence
he stabs the body and the soul of thy child. In a moment
reason Is gone ; he raves, he reels, he falls. By the hand
of the seducer he is tumbled into the street. There the
Digitized by VjOOQIC
THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER. 193
young profligate lies. Hark I the shout of the wicked
mob I Hasten, parents, to your erring child. Alas I he
Is^ dead I And vvho murdered that child ? Every bosom
responds, — the man that sold him the poison. OA, what
cruel, horrid work is this! It has, Indeed, filled the world
with the wounded, the dying, and the dead, with blighted
hopes and broken hearts, with widows and with orphans ;
and the gray hairs of fathers and mothers It has brought
with sorrow to the grave. When, when shall It stop?
Is there no end to this river of death ? Shall It never
cease to pour Its desolating waters over the land and the
world? Never, until the ministry and the church awake
more to the subject, and take hold of the work of reform
with an Interest and effort becoming the appalling mag«
nitude of the evil. Never, until the principle of total alh
stinence shall everywhere prevail.
KEV. D. B. DOWNEB.
''Strike at the Boot."
" Strike at the root ! '* Aloft the upas grows,
And spreads Its balelbl shadow o'er the land;
Through all society the poison flows,
And death and misery glare on every hand.
" Strike at the root ; " to lop or to restrain
The wild luxuriance of the fatal tree
Were just as wise one sheep-cot door to chain,
And leave the folds when all the wolves are tree,
" Strike at the root," If 'neath your vigorous blows
Branch after mighty branch come tumbling down,
Such wond'rous strange vitality It shows,
One springtide would replace its verdant crown.
18
Digitized by VjOOQIC
194 THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER.
There is a giant evil in this land,
Which throws the shadow of a dread eclipse
O'er all our pomps and institutions grand,
And steeps In degradation to the lips
The stature of our greatness : at this hour,
Spite of oui- halls of science, art, and song;
Spite of a literature, a world's bright dower, —
Nobler was ne'er enshrined by ancient tongue;
Spite often thousand temples, which arise «
And point to heaven, and silently proclaim
Man's fellowship with angels and the skies.
Which pitying look upon our nation's shame ;
Spite of a civilization which can boast
Such triumphs and such trophies as this earth
Before had never seen, amidst the host
Of thrones and empires, all of glorious birth, —
In spite of all, and the fair.good of all
Annulling like a pestilence firom hell,
*Tis drunkenness that makes man misery's thrall*
Take that away, and social life were well.
This is the poison-bearing tree, whose limbs
Rain pauperism, disease, starvation, crime,
Unchastity, and madness' dreadful whine;
Profanity, with all its beastly slime.
This crowds your felon den, your workhouse fills,
Nurtures sedition in his horrid lair,
Imbrutes man's godlike nature, conscience kills,
And changes into flends earth's angels fair.
" Strike at the root I " Earth groans beneath this curse j
Religion, baffled, shudders at the scene ;
" Strike at the root," remove this pes£ and. worse,
And earth shall smile again like Eden's flowery green.
Digitized by VjOOQIC
THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER. 195
Woman's Dutj/*
Women have many duties, some in common witbmen,
and not a few peculiar to tliemselves ; but among them
all there is none which they owe to society greater than
that which should lead them to take an active, personal,
and abiding interest in all moral reforms. The Temper-
ance Reform especially should find among women its
warmest friends, its firmest supporters. For does not
woman herself suffer from the great curse of intemper-
ance? Ask the thousands of drunkards' wives in our
land, and with a wail of anguish they would tell you
that women sufffer, even if it is only man that sins, — the
innocent thus sharing the punishment of the guilty
But then, woman -herself, alas ! so far forgets herself as
to " look upon the wine when it is red," and finds her-
self the Tictim of the ** worm of the still." For the sake
of our suffering sisterhood, for the sake of our sinning
sisterhood, I pall upon the women of our land to awake,
and arise, that the claims of the temperance cause may
be ftiUy met by Ihem. Lend a helping hand to those
who would lift your brothers and slaters from the mire
of intemperance. Join temperance organizations which
are In your midst, and let the full weight of your influ-
ence be felt on the side of truth and righteousness.
There is woman's proper place, and there she should be,
unless she believes that, like the Mohammedan houri,
she has no soul and it is immaterial what course she pur-
sues. Women of America, do yout duty in reference to
the temperance cause, I beg of you, that your own souls
may be blessed when the Master shall say, ** Well done,**
to each of his faithful disciples.
MRS. p. A. HANAFOED.
Digitized by C#00QIC
196 THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER.
My Husband Uses Tobacco*
He sits in his cliair f^om morning till night,
• 'Tis smoke, chew, smoke ;
He rises at dawn his pipe to light.
Goes puffing and chewing with all his might
Till the hour of sleep. 'Tis his delight
To smoke, chew, smoke.
The quid goes in when the pipe goes out;
*Tis chew, chew, chew ;
Now a cloud of smoke pours from his throat,
Then his mouth sends a constant stream afloatf
Sufficient to carry a mill or boat ;
*Tis chew, chew, chew.
He sits all day in a smoke or fog;
'Tis puff, puff, puff;
He growls at his wife, the cat, and the dog,
He covers with filth the carpet and rug,
And his only reply, when you give him a jog
Is puff, puff, puff.
The house all o'er, fl'om end to end,
Is smoke, smoke, smoke ;
In whatever room my way I wend,
If I take his old clothes to patch and mend.
Ungrateful perftimes will ever. ascend,
Of smoke, smoke, smoke.
At home or abroad, afar or near,
'Tis smoke, chew, smoke ;
His mouth is stuffed f^om ear to ear.
Or puffing the stump of pipe so dear,
And his days will end, I verily fear.
In smoke, smoke, smoke.
Digitized by VjOOQ IC
THE TEMPEEANCE SPEAKEB. 197
Young ladies, beware, live single indeed,
Ere you marry a man wlio uses the ** weed;**
Better that husbands you ever should lack, oh,
Than marry a man who uses tobacco I
Alcohol is Doomed.
The temperance reformers have a very difficult task
to perform. They have undertaken to hew down and
uproot the great and ancient tree. It has existed and
flourished for thousands of years. It has struck its
roots deep down into the very heart of civilized life ; it
is nourished by the rich blood of thousands of annual
victims J it is watered with the copious tears of number-
less wives and children, mothers and sisters, widows
and orphans; it is waving its death-bearing branches
far and wide over the families of our fatherland ; it en-
chains the senses by its narcotic influence ; it drugs the
reason to torpitude by its intoxicating fruit; it throws
up the reins to the maddened passions to rush headlong
on their unbridled course ; it gathers under its pestilen-
tial shade tens of thousands of its deluded victims, from
tiie respectable moderate drinker to the besotted drunk-
ard. What a task have they undertaken to perform I
This tree of death is not only rooted with vast strength,
but it is defended by thousands interested in ks exist-
ence; it is protected with great vigilance by a host of
distillers, brewers, and liquor-sellers ; it is favored by a
government that draws a vast revenue from its produce,
it is excused by myriads of moderate drinkers, saints,
and sinners, men and women, old and young. **PuU it
Digitized by VnOO^lC
198 THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER.
down I " say these men in scorn ; " as well might a few
idle boys attempt to demolish the fortifications of a
strong city by pelting them with thistledown and feath-
ers, as you to abolish the use of alcohol by your teeto-
talism." But in spite of such success the teetotalers
will go on with their work. With the brawny arm of
firm resolve, with the keen axe of truth, with the un-
tiring perseverance of genuine benevolence, with the
dauntless courage of. duty, they will go on, making the
whole region ring with their repeated strokes, until the
Upas-tree trembles and crashes to the ground amid the
rejoicings of humanity. '* A consummation devoutly to
be wished," sneer the opponents of the temperance
movement. — ** A consummation sure to come" responds
the earnest workers in the glorious cause. For, depend
upon it, sooner or later, this giant evil must f&ll. It is
condemned by all experience ; all the main props of its
support have been proved unsound. Why- should it be
allowed any longer to exist? Resolve, then, that, God
helping you, not a single stone be left unturned for the
final overthrow of the greatest enemy of our race,
JOHN W. XpiTOH.
H^-i-
The Social Olass.
Thou social glass I bright, sparkling thing.
What treachery lurks beneath thy smile I
Pretending peace and joy to bring.
Life's fount thou poisonest the while.
Accursed monster I in thy praise
Even sages wrote, and poets sung I
And psBans did thy votaries raise.
While thou their hearts remorseless wnmg.
Digitized by VjOOQIC
THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER. 199
A moral juggernaut art thou ;
Before thy car the inebriate reels,
And madly to fhlfll his vow
Falls prostrate 'neath thy bloody wheels*
Vile spirit ! thou in friendship's gntse
Dost proifer the enchanted bowl ;
And while thy victim sinks and dies
Has forged a chain to bind his soul*
Thou whlsperest, " Let us merry be,
And social joys the night shall crown I"
Poor victim I from the tempter flee ;
The poisoned chalice — " Dash it down ! *
** Yes, dash it down I ** - touch not a drop.
Behold an ocean round thee roll;
A mad'ning tide, thou canst not stop,
To overwhelm and sink thy sool.
Beware the fell destroyer's grasp;
He conquereth the wise and brave.
The good and wise the demon clasp ;
Behold t they fill the drunkard's grave.
Youth's vigorous form he wastes away;
In manhood's veins a fever bums;
Age's gray hairs dishonored lay,
And beauty to corruption turns.
Riches he scattereth like chaff.
As fly the leaves before the wind ;
For those who madly ruin quaff
He leave th not a hope behind.
Digitized by VnOO^lC
200 THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER.
His power for ages has endured ;
He rides upon a boundless sea,
None from his ravages are secured ;
Yes I "all teetotalers " are free.
Twenty Appeals; or, Meaaons Why you
should Sign fhe JPledge.
[This dialogue should be recited by twenty-one members of a
Temperance Society, who each says his sentence, and then leaves
the platform clear for a successor.]
[Number one may be spoken by the Chairman.]
1. Ladies and Gentlemen : — Some of my colleagues
wish us to make a strong appeal to all those who may
be present this evening, dnd have not signed the pledge,
to do so at once. We think it desirable for many rea-
sons. We think all classes of society have an interest
in forwarding the temperance movement. However,
with your permission, my colleagues will each state
their particular reasons, and will appeal to you with all
the energy and argument at their command.
[Each speaker advances and says his part.]
2. We appeal to the philanthropist You who would
see the human race better, nobler, and more elevated
intellectually. Drink degrades a man to the very low-
est ! Then, if you have your principles at heart, help
on a movement which has the bettering of humanity for
its object.
8. We appeal to the Christian. " No drunkard shall
inherit the kingdom of heaven." Then do you help us
Digitized by VjOOQIC
THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER. 201
to make teetotalers as fast as possible ! for whilst drink
exists, there must, of necessity, be drunkards, and these
must always be excluded from the fold of Christ. Come,
yow, and sign the pledge, n^y friends I
4. We appeal to the father. He has sons who must
stand or fall by their character for uprightness, integ-
rity, and sobriety. Let him, then, surround them with
the safeguard of our noble principles ; and to do this,
first set the example. Come, you, and sign the pledge I
5. We appeal to mothers. They have daughters, and
drink has tempted thousands to their ruin, whilst it is
drink alone which enables them to continue so wicked.
Would you not rather mourn over the dead than the
fallen? Come, then, sign the pledge, and set the ex-
ample !
6. We appeal to young men. Life is before you, fUU
of temptation. You must keep yourself free from them
if you would be successful. Shun as the pest that
which can cause you to forget the true dignity of man-
hood. Come, you, quickly, and sign the pledge !
7. We appeal to the young women. If you would be
useful in your several spheres ; if you would retain your
power over men, your eflaciency as daughters and as
wives, your capacity to be ministering angels in this
world of wickedness, come you, we pray, and sign the
pledge !
8. We appeal to the drunkard. Gather up your reso-
lution; think of the happy days when you. were pure
and spotless in God*s sight; when you were a useful
member of society ; when your inteUect was vigorous ;
when you were looked %tp to, and not looked down upon ,
when you were too independent to put up with a land-
lord's taunts or a wife's reproaches. There is time yet
for you to mend. Come along then ; we will make you
Digitized by VjOOQIC
202 THE TEMPERANCE SPEAIvER.
a wiser and a better man. Put your hand on your heart,
and say, "Now for it! IMl be a man again!" Come,
you, our beloved brothers, and sign the pledge!
9. We appeal to the irresolute. If you waver, you
may live to repent it to the last day of your life. Ours
is the safest side ; no reasonable being can deny it. Do
not then trifle with your convictions. Throw your
weight into the scale of the right, the noble, and the
good. Come, yod, at once, without delay, and sign the
pledge !
10. We appeal to the politician. Ho constantly spends
his time legislating for the benefit cf the nation. He
would not have had to spend his time in enacting the
long list of laws, for dealing with the consequences of the
liquor traffic, had pledge-signing been universal. Come,
you, then, and sign the pledge !.
11. We appeal to our Imo judges^ who tell us that
nine-tenths of our crime is the ofi'spring of drink; that
our jails arc filled from the public houses. When this is
declared from the judicial bench, is It not time that they
"Should at once say, " We will not countenance this "?
12. We appeal to the tax'payers. We all pay taxes;
and the more gin-palaces there are, the greater the
taxes. Do ycJu want to reduce them ? Do you wish to
lessen the numbers of the destitute and the deserted?
Come, th.eo, lend your influence, and sign the pledge !
13. We appeal to the doctors. They know how drink
kills, and they know very well it never cures! They
know how much disease drink brings, and what a friend
drink is to them, since it finds them patients and fills
their pockets ! But we appeal to them to do what is
right, set their faces manfully against the custom, them-
selves signing the pledge, and putting temperance into
their practice.
Digitized by VjOOQ IC
THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER. 203
14. "We appeal to the patriot, he who loves his coan-
try, and would desire to see It elevated above other
nations. Greatness is mad« up of aggregate wisdom.
We are the equal of any other nation so long as we keep
away firom drink. . Give our soldiers plenty of it, and
they are at anybody's mercy. An army of our meji
given any quantity of whiskey before a battle would
simply sing, "Columbia rules the world," and allow
themselves to be conquered.
15. We appeal now to storekeepers of all kinds. The
baker will be all the better if we are teetotalers, because
bread will then be cheaper since grain will not be
wasted, and we shall want more of the staff, of life for
our families. Come, then, Mr. Baker, you and your
brethren should sign tjie pledge !
16. We appeal to the bookseller. Vigorous Intellect
requfres vigorous food. Sober men want books and
periodicals ; but the drunkard and the drinker are sel-
dom friends of yours. Do you then push the sales of our
Temperance publications. Above all, come yourself, and
sign the pledge I
17. We appeal to the managers of Benevolent Associa'
tions. You want our teetotalers; the drunkard never
dreams of helping you in your good work ; his head Is
filled with muddled ideas, and he has no room for you.
Reform him, and he at once sees your value. You, then,
ought to come and encourage him, by at once signing
the pledge !
18. We appeal to the tailor. Under the aolper regime,
rags must give place to good clothes; for soberness
brings self-respect, and self-respect brings the tailor.
But the drunkard does you no good; he carries about
with him the suit you made for him ten years ago, and
Digitized by VjOOQIC
204 • THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER.
is not ashamed of it. Come, youj then, and sign ±9
pledge !
19. We appeal to the upholsterer. For the sober man
will also want you. His money goes for nice furniture,
soft carpets, spring-beds, and mirrors to look at his
healthy face. He spends his money with you, but the
poor drinker brings you his old, battered furniture, and
sells it to you for a mere song. You want monepy not
goods ; therefore, do you set the example, and come and
sign the pledge !
20. We appeal to managers of Insurance Companies,
We ask them if they do not give additional advantages
to teetotalers, because they have discovered by experi-
ence that these non-drinkers live longest on the aver-
age I Then, if they have made this discovery, surely
they will not hesitate to come forward and sign the
pledge I
21. Last of all, but not least, we appeal to the minis'
ter of the Oospel, His is a philanthropic calling of the
very highest order. As he desires to save his fellow-
man from the wrath to come, he must approve of every'
method which will conduce to that end, however hum-
ble. They, then, above all others, who are engaged in
the best of good works, should lend t^eir weighty influ-
ence to us, and show their belief in cur principles by
signing the pledge.
[The Chairman advances again.]
You have heard what all my friends have to say; If
the cap fits any here, I hope they will put it on ; and we
beg them to come forward and add their names to tl)at
of our present society. Come, then; we earnestly and
affectionately invite you to join us at once.
Digitized by VjOOQ IC
THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER. 205
Thirty Measons for Drinking^
SoMB drink because they're hungry,
And some because they're dry;
Some drink to keep them in good health.
And some that they may die.
Some drink because they are too hot,
And some because they're cold ;
Some drink to strengthen them when yoangf
And some when they are old.
Some drink to keep them wide awake.
And some to make them sleep ;
Some drink because they merry are,
And some because they weep. •».
Some drink when they do money gain,
And some because of loss;
Some drtnk when they are pleased,
And others when they're cross.
Some drink when they are hard at work»
And some when they do play ;
Some think It right to drink at night,
While others drink by day.
Some drink for sake of company,
While others drink more sly;