which stimulates him for a while, and leaves him weak
and prostrate, is what we need to make good soldiers.
No I not a bit of it. liCt me go into the fight with a cl^^
bead to know what I am about, and a steady hand to
aim straight and hit when I fire.
Half TotaU Tell us how you propose to settle this
question permanently. I confess I am a little shaky
after such arguments, and I am half Inclined to Join you
in your teetotal, prohibition crusade.
Prohibition, Yes, they have tried for half a century to
doctor the license system, and the more they have tried
the worse it is, till now I guess it's so near ** played out "
that nobody expects any good of It. Here is the cure*
I'll guarantee it. If tt does not kill the traffic, nothing
will, but the judgment of God upon us. [Holds up the
hooTcsJ] Prohibition of the traffic — hj authority of God
and man. " Thou shalt not *' — [Turns over tlie leaves ^
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140 THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER.
cfthe Bible] — ** Thoushalt not" thunders the de^alogne.
It makes no compromise, offers no license to destroy.
And the Maine Law takes up the command and writes it
In the Statute Book- [Opens the statute hoolc], and the
traffic in Bum as a beverage is ]}rohihited ! t That, yes,
that will cure the rum traffic !
AIL We ^i\\ fight it, and we will kill it.
Total, Yes, we will, God Help us ! It is his cause, and
it will triumph, — the horse and his rider he will over-
throw. We are pledged to fight it, and we will ; and
while we live, let it be with our hands clenched
[Clenches his hands^y and our brows knit, and our deter-
mination fixed [Stamps his foot] In hatred of the rum
traffic in all its forms, — in the parlor as w^U as In the
grog-shop. And when we lie down to die at the last —
th| last — may it be with the consciousness that in this
particular, both to God and man, we have done our duty.
lExeunt.]
The Gin-Fiend.
The Gln-Flend cast his eyes abroad,
And looked o'er all the land.
And numbered his myriad worshippers
With his bird-like, long right hand.
He took his place In the teeming streets.
And watched the people go
Around and about, with a buzz and a shont,
. Forever to and fro.
And It's " Hip I " he said, " hip I hip ! hurrah!
For the multitudes I see,
Who offer themselves In sacrifice,
And die for the love of me I ••
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THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER. 141
There passed a man In the crowded way,
With eyes bloodshot and dim ;
He wore a coat without a sleeve,
And a hat witliout a brim.
His grimy hands with palsy shook.
And fearfiilly he laughed,
Or drivelled and swore, as he clamored for more
Of the burning r "^'son draught.
And it's " Hip I ^ said the Oin-Fieud, " hip I hurrah!
Success to him over his bowl ;
A few short months have 'made him mine, —
Brain, and body, and soul i "
There sat a madman in his cell.
Palm-clenched, with lips compressed, —
God's likeness blotted from his face^
And fUry in his breast.
There sat an idiot close beside
. With a dull and stolid leer;
The apathy of his heavy eye
Warming at times to fear.
And it's " Hip! ** said the Gin-Fiend, *' hipl hurrahl
These twain are wholly mine ;
The one a demon, the other a beast, —
And both for burning wine ! "
There stood a woman on a bridge ;
She was old, but not with years, —
Old with excess, and passion, and pain;
And she wept remorseful tears.
And she gave to her baby her milkless breast,
Then, goaded by its cry,
Made a desperate leap in the river deep.
In the sight of the passers-by.
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142 THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER.
And it's " Hip I ** said the Gin-Fiend, " hip I hurrah!
Let them sink in the friendly tide ;
For the sake of me the creature lived, —
To satisfy me she died."
There watched a mother by her hearth.
Comely, but sad and pale ;
Her infant slept, her lord was .out,
A-quaffing of his ale.
She stayed his coming ; and when he came.
His thoughts were bent on blood ;
He could not brook her taunting look,
And he slew her where she stood.
And it's " Hip ! " said the Gin-Fiend, " hip I hurrali!
He does his duty wejl;
And he pays the tax he owes to me.
And the monarchy of hell."
And every day, in the crowded way,
He takes his fearful stand,
And numbers his myriad worshippers
With his bird-like, long right hand.
And every day his victims feast
Before his flashing eyes ;
And every night, before his sight,
Are offered in sacrifice.
And it's " Hip I " he says, " hip I h!p I hurrah!
For the deep, up-frothing bowl.
Which gives me the victims that I crave, —
Brain, and body, and soul."
CHARLES BCAGKAT»
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THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER. 143
The Insulted Pig.
Oli> Billy Bump, while on a lark,
Was in a gutter laid ;
Near by, a swine, with visage dark,
His humble couch had made.
Some one passed by, and with a groan
This peaceftil pair espied ;
He glanced, and, with a solemn tone,
This ditty forth he sighed : —
^ How fitly matched ! each calm and fret
"With heavy breathing sleeps ;
And each to know, you need but see
What compscny ho keej>s I "
The man slept on, his giddy brain
Of sober thought bereft ; ^
But still the slur produced a pain, ^
The hog got up and left.
€hUd^8 Beply.
Oh I ask me not to take the cup;
Within it lurks a foe ;
If I should drink its contents up,
Twould surely bring me woe.
Hence, when I'm asked by friends to drinks
The lure I will forego :
111 pause,*and of the pledge ^"^ think,
Then firmly answer, NC
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144 THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER.
The lAtUe BhUosopher and the Pretended
Smoker*
By tioo chUdren, — Harriet (xnd Alfrbd.
[The boy comes on with a short pipe in his month.]
Harriet. Why! if this Isn't Alfred! Dear me I Who
would have thought it? How pleased I am to mee*
with you once more !
Alfred, Not more pleased than your humble servant, I
assure yci. I shall put this down as a red-letter day in
my life*s calendar. I hope there is a glorious future be-
fore us.
Har, I hope so with all my heart ; but you know as
well as I do that the ficst thing is to lay a foundation for
that glorious future you speak of.
Alf, Perhaps you will explain yourself a little ; you
know I like your explanations.
Har, You know that great results in life are flre<luentl7
produced by little causes.
Alf, Bravo ! that's philosophy safe enough ! You make
me feel quite proud of being in your company. What
little things do you refer to?
Har. Why, for instance, that little pipe of yours,— it
is a small thing, but such things have been the ruin of
many.
Alf, Well, it shan't be my ruin, — I'll see to that. Fof
your sake I will cast it away forever.
[ife throws it awayJ]
Har, No ; not for my sake. Give it up on principle.
Alf. So I will, my Httle philosopher ; for your sake on
principle, — twenty thousand principles if you like ; but It
must be for your sake, after all.
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THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER. 145
Har* Will you allow me to appeal to youf enlightened
Jadgment?
Alf, To be sure. I shall be proud to hear you. Ap-
peal away.
Bar, Do you think that it is becoming of you, a
rational creature, to stick a piece of baked clay in your
mouth, and suck it by the hour together, just as a child
sucks sugar candy? And besides, if God meant your
mouth to be a fire-flue he would have made a chimney
somewhere in the top of your head to carry off the
smoke. There has been some talk of passing a law to
compel manufacturers to consume their smoke. I should
like to add an appendage to a bill of that sort, compi-
ling all smokers of tobacco to consume theirs also, for
certainly it is becoming an intolerable nuisance.
Alf. Anything else, miss ?
Bar. If it were not for its offensiveness, I'm sure it
would be quite amusing to see ra^n puffing and blowing
their smoke into the air. Some will sit for hours, as
though they came into this world for the purpose of
watching it& fantastic curlings and windings ; pretty crecU"
ureSf it must be as good as a doll 1
Mf. But surely you don't object to a cigar, — that is
very genteel, you know.
Bar, Well, to see a young man coming up the street
with a cigar in his mouth, I should translate into lan<
guage : —
'< What a fine fellow I am ! see how Jean do it. I am
«ot one of your low-bred ones who are obliged to smoke
apipe. Please to take notice this is a cigar; a pipe of
tobacco would cost but a cent or tu)Of but this cigar cost
ten cents, /belong to the superior class. Though I am
only a mechanic, I wish every one to know I am a
gentleman, hotwithstanding."
10
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146 . THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER.
Alf. Yon little philosopher I You seem to put a voice
into everything. Indeed, you seem to impart some-
thing of your talkative nature to them. I beg pardon, I
hope no offence, but it seems so philosophic, you know, —
a talking pipe and a talking cigar.
Har, When I meet a hoij smoker in the street, I have
his character before me at once as plainly as though the
smoke formed the letters while the pipe pronounced the
words.
Alf. Yes ; I suppose, just as a pjirenologist tells our
tendencies by the bumps on our craniums, you tell them
by the pipe and cigar. The only difference I presume is,
that one is p^ren-ology and the other is pipc-ology. I
shall put this down as a new science. Well, suppose you
see a young spark coming up the street with a short pipe
in his mouth, Tthat would be your scientific deductions
respecting him?
Bar. I should at once conclude that the poor youth
was not overstocked with brains. First, X\\2X his mental
powers were very dxcarfish indeed^. Second, that he has a
grovelling disposition, — that he would rather smoke a
pipe than read a book. Thirds that he is consequently
ignorant, and is likely to remain so. Fourth, that he
knows nothing of economy either of time or money. Fifth.
that he is a spendthrift, and thinks nothing of a rainy
day.
Alf. [ Turning to the audience."] So you see, you young
smokers, here is a lecture for us (I beg my own pardon,
though I have thrown mine away /orcrcr). The next time
you walk out with your pipes in your mouths, we shall
see you from the window and shall say, ** Look here^
mother ; here comes a brainlesshoj, or at least one whose
mental powers are dwarfish, — a mental Tom Thumbs
and one preferring ignorance to learning; one who has
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THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER. U7
commenced a system of wastes — a money-waster, health-
waster, and time-waster." And I must say, my little
miss, that this is the loorst waste of all, for ** time is
money,'* and the ghosts of our murdered hours are sure
to rise up and trouble us another day. But you would
not go in against all smokers, — would you ? It is quite
right to launch your anathemas against the hop-a-tee-hoys.
But here comes a man up the street smokiug his pipe.
The poor fellow looks worn out, and that pipe seems
his only consolation. How do you read him ?
Sar, First, that he has lost his freedom, and has be-
come a slave ; and second^ that he has become an idola-
ter. Is it not a fact, Alfred, that whatever a man loves
best becomes his god?
Alf. That is quite philosophic. Certainly in such a
case the pipe is his god; and, every time he lights it, he
offers a burnt offering to his adored deity.
Sar. Yes, and perhaps it cost that poor fellow a
dollar or two a week for tobacco. His poor children
are wanting clothing, perhaps food ; but he must worship
his pipe though his children starve. What he puffed up
into the air last week would nearly have bought Johnny
a pair of shoes, and this week he could have bought two
or three pairs of warm socks for his little cold feet I
But the father is smoking the poor children's shoes and
socks up into the air.
Alf, Just so, Billy Pipeclay blew out of his tobacco-
pipe half his house-rent last year, and when rent day
came he could not pay his rent; and if you ask Sam •
Shabby where his coat is, or the coat he might have had,
he must tell you he blew it out of his tobacco-pipe, and
that it is somewhere in the clouds. But you speak of a
man being a slave and losing his liberty. I don't quite
understand that.
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148 THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER.
Har. Why, don't you know, Alft'ed, tiiat when a de«*
pot conquers a free people, their freedom becomes lost,
they being incorporated in tiie slave dominion of the
despot?
Alf. I understand now — philosophy again I The pipe
is the despot ever striving to invade our free territories.
The father is an old puffer and blower. He has been con-
quered years ago. The young one steals a bit of father's
tobacco, and begins to puff in secret till he turns pale and
sickens. Here I presume the battle begins, — the con-
tending foes are in the field. The hrain says, " Tou
have no business here, — you are an intruder and a despot.
What right have you to set my head aching? The
stomach says, " I'll not suffer your intrusion. I'll soon
topple you over; " and, giving action to the word, away
goes the despot head over heels ! But he rallies his forces,
with the assistance of a few thoughts, such as — What
a man you will be if you submit to my government!
lit for any company ! How you would enjoy yourself of
an evening with your companions over a social glass I
Besides, you will be a man !
Har» No, — a slave !
Alf, The battle is renewed and the brain ceases to
repel the charge; the stomach becomes tolerant; ulti-
mately the conquest is gained and the ipoox hob^a-tee^hoy
is conquered by smoke. The pipe is master of the situ-
ation, and proclaims himself the conqueror, extracting «
willing revenue, weekly laid out at the feet of the des-
pots by thousands whose children are pining for bread.
r confess my iTicon^^ency -— having a pipe in my
mouth. It was nothing but a s^am to bring out your
philosophy, for I consider that the pipe and the glass are
but twin brothers and despots alike, and Satan's greatest
helpers to ruin this fair world of ours. My little miss, I
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THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER. 149
feel the steam is up, and tb^ engine must be off, or I must
blow off the steam somehow.
JSar, Then I will get out of your way.
[^She sits down.l
Alf, I want to know, my young friends, if a foreign
foe was to evade our coasts whether you wouldn't rans«
ter to repel the enemy ? You would, — wouldn't you ?
[^Boys call out : Tea I Yes f Yes /]
You say "yes." Even the smoke-dried old lady
crouched in the corner there would throw down the pipe
and shoulder the tongs if it was only to show which
side she was on. Well, tobacco is a foreign foe in league
with traitors to conquer the youth of our country.
Their regiments are Cavendish, Savannah, Bird's-eye,
Century and Shag; and a shaggy lot they are altogether.
The traitorous army is named Gin, Brandy, Rum, Hol-
land, Whiskey, Wine, Beer, Porter, Cider, Perry, and a
host o{ others. We teetotalers have proclaimed war
against the smoking and drinking customs of society.
We want you to rally beneath our standard, to defend
our country agiUnst the snioke and drink despot. We
want you to march and countermarch — to be quick —
double quick; to arms, comrades — load deep — aim
straight-* fire quick —-load again, and at them again, boys.
Ah, that's the way. The enemy would soon flee our
shores, and the teetotal flag would wave on the highest
hills, and the blessings of those who are ready to perish
would be upon your heads and upon your hearts. We
are .here to-night, to appeal to your intellect. Young
men, men of mind, men of understanding, by all that is
valuable and useflil in life, by the cries and tears of
heart-broken mothers and wives, by the cries of half-
starved and naked children, by the drunken wail going
up from the cities, towns, and villages of our land, we
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150 THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER.
entreat you to enlist under the qxAj banner, to join the
only ranks that can entertain the smallest hope of de-
feating the foe. Come ! Comk ! and ten thousand wiTes
and mothers 'will bless you, and the coming generations
will call you their beneDactors and ^liyerers ; and this
thrice-happy land, free from the smoke and drink devil
shall clap her hands and say, '' Thank Qod, -* at last w«
nre free \ **
The AUar of Intemperance^
In wakipg trance, or midnight dream, —
In aa hour that hath no returning, ~-
From Fancy's toount I saw the gleam
Of a horrid altar burning.
Wild and strange was the gloomy hall
Where that fiery altar stood;
Of human bones was the Jagged wall.
Cemented with human blood.
Grim, in the light uncertain and dull.
Did an awfUl fiend like monarch sit ;
His crown was the half of a cloven skull»
His sceptre a brand from the bottomless i^
And thousands came, all haggard and wild»
And bowed at the altar stone ;
And age, and youth, and the infant child»
They brought to that horrid one.
The fire on the altar burned alway.
And ever the smoke of the offerings came;
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THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKEJt. 151
And the foal flend qaaflf^d their blood, and langhed
As they* howled in folding fiame.
Yet on they swept and hundredJs leapt
To the fire-god's open throat,
And the shriek, and wail, and crackling flame.
Blent fierce with demon's note.
A father came Arom his own bright hearth.
To ofi*er an offering there ;
rrwas his beaatiftl son, a child of mirth.
Smiling and rosy fair.
His soft hair floated in golden curls
His snow-white forehead about, •
•And two bright rows of polished pearls
From his parted lips looked out.
The demon father twined his h^nd
In that cherub's wealth of hair.
And dashed his son on the altar-stone,
And left him to perish there.
The flre shrunk back from its shrieking prejTf
And Jiissed with its tongues of flame.
Then, leaping above him as there he lay, ,
Like a howling devil csuaie.
The smoke rolled up like the smoke of hell
From his tresses of golden hair;
The fiend's loud laugh shook the horrid.oellt
Till the blackened bones lay bare.
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152 THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKEB,
And then a haggard, rained son
Came dragging his father's palsied form.
And his shoulder o'er an axe he bore,
Witli his brother's life-blood warm.
The father fell uppn his feeble knees,
And begged for " one hour " " only one t **
But little did care for the old man's prayer.
That parricidal son.
He plunged the axe, with a giant's force,
In the brain of his gray-haired sire,
And lightly he seized the quivering corse,
And gave to the raging fire.
Then backward he turned to his own fireside,
And his nursling infant slew ;
And his young, and frantic, and agonized bride
To the demon's altar drew.
He wreathed her tresses of long, dark hair
His, bloody arm around,
And whirled her light form through the sulphuric air]
The ^mes her death-shriek drowned.
Through the smoking brands the blackened blood
Came oozing down in a sluggish stream.
And simmering there filled all the air
With its dank and noisome steam.
O righteous God ! 'twas an awful sight;
The tortures of hell were outdone ;
Nor mortal's pen could Its terrors write,
As the maddened host swept on.
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THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER. 163
Fast, fast they came, and their yictims hnrled
To the red flame's wild control ;
In horror I gazed, till my fired brain whirled.
And darkness swept o'er my soul.
What terrible flame, — what funeral pjre
Burned thus like the flame of the pit?
O mortal I know 'twas the altar-fire
By the Breath of Intemperance lit I
G. S. BUBLEIQH.
HaU to the Fountain^
All hail to the glass that is filled from the fountain
Which flows pure and sparkling, our thirst to allay;
That glides through the valley, or springs from the
mountain,
While health, peace, and plenty attend on ijs way.
Let us shun the rich draught that would madden oour
senses,
And leave us enfeebled, degraded, and poor;
Enjoy the pure blessing which nature dispenses,
And drink of the cup of excitement no more.
Let us strive l^e poor drunkard from vice to deliver,
And ask him to join in the abstinence plan,
Till all drinking customs are banished forever.
No more to destroy the best interests of man.
May the " cup of cold water" draw down a rich blessing
On all who present it with feelings of love ;
And may we partake of those times of refreshing,
Which comes ftom the life-giving Fountain above.
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154 THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER.
Genuine refonn is the Truth " marching on.** It
springs not from the brain of man, but from the mind of
God. Brightening and gathering strength from the ac-
cumulation of years, its progress becomes grander than
the tramp of armies, because it is the victory of right
over wrong. It is the battle of heaven with hell, in
whose infinite issues the race of man is deeply concerned.
They could not be idle spectators if they would, for
Divine Providence has cast their lot upon this moral
battle-ground, where they must join or face the foe. It
is "sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish."
Nor is reform a " new thing under the sun." It was
born when sin expelled the first pair from Eden. Older
than governments or thrones, constitutions or senates,
it has won countless trophies in spite of them all. Hoary
with years, yet youthful in strength and vigor, the vet-
eran of unnumbered conflicts with wrong, it stands to-
day fresh and powerful as ever for other triumphs.
How sublime its progress I How grand its defence of
the single principle of liberty I Starting far back, with
the song of the stars over a new-made world, how surely
and mightily It has invaded the domains of human bond-
age, snapping chains and fetters asunder, overturning
the thrones of despots, lifting slaves into manhood, and
waking a song of jubilee among the oppressed of almost
every land ! It is the triumph of reform.
In a similar manner the truth of temperance has won
its way, against fearful odds, to a place of power in our
country. The conflict is raging. The foe will not sur-
render the field without a struggle. But the Genius of
Reform, drawing inspiration and hope from the Word of
God, takes the field and accepts the issue. What bo*
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THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER. 155
llevcr In Providence and Revelation doubts that the
PRINCIPLE involved in the contest will be victorious?
How can the kingdoms of this world become the king-
doms of our Lord, unless the barren wastes of intemper-
ance are converted into the garden of God by banishing
the intoxicating bowl? The necessity Is laid upon the
great Author of Reform. His wisdom and power are
pledged to the conquest.
REV. WILLIAM M. THATEB.
Stephen^ 8 I>ream; or 9 The Wrestle wUh
'' Old mck.^^
When a fellow is drunk, he will dream queer things,
For the mind, cut loose from its leading-strings,
Goes wandering round, as its will may law,
From the southern pole to Labrador ;
And oft, as it reels, like a staggering sot,
0*er the dust and rubbish of things forgot.
It will turn up a fact, in its random dashes.
Like a half pistareen kicked out of the ashes.
One time, in the good old days that are gone,
When I used to suck at the stiff blue horn,
And sleep in the ditch with the mud for a bed.
And the patriarch's pillow* laid under my head,
With a rag of sky, not half " tucked up,"
For blanket and coverlet over the top, •—
I dreamed a dream, which. If no one will quarrel,
I'll venture to tell, for the sake of the mbral.
Ben Haih was a grogger, and sold new rum
To every sot i^ho was able to come ;
* Genesis xx?iii. 11.
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156 THE TEMPERANCE SPEAKER.
If they'd money, he*d take it, — if nought but a coat on,
He*d strip it away to the very last button,
Then turn 'em out doors without money or clothing}
For drunkards he held as a very great loathing.
It was there I swallowed my cash one night.
Till head and pockets had grown quite light.
Though the heavier heart sank down like lead,
As he sent me into the gutter to bed.
I lay and thought on a plan to mend,
But was fast asleep ere I came to the end;
And all at once it seemed I stood
In a lonely path, and a far-off wood.
While musing there on my evil ways,
And the sin and folly of all ray days, —
And nights to boot, — behold, there came
A man with eyes that shone like flame,
With a fierce, rough brow, like a rock whose edge
Had been deep scarred by the stone- man's sledge;