An Address Delivered Before the Readfield Temperance Society: At Their First Anniversary, July 4, 1832 (Classic Reprint) - Softcover

Excerpt from An Address Delivered Before the Readfield Temperance Society: At Their First Anniversary, July 4, 1832

Nothing is more obvious, than that intemperance tends to superinduce poverty, ignorance and moral degradation. On this point all must be agreed. In a country where the rulers are such by divine right - where the govern ment is administered by a succession of hereditary nobles, it is a small matter, considered in a national point of view, that her subjects are degraded and abject. But in a free government it is not 'so. Here, every citizen, at regular periods, bears to the omnipotent ballot-box his full portion of the sovereignty. Here the voice of the most humble is heard in all our councils. The direct tendency of poverty, ignorance and moral degradation is to subject this tremendous power of the multitude to the will of the few; and to throw the direction of our public affairs into the hands of artful and designing demagogues. Intemperance is in this way exerting a fearful control in our country, by destroying that balance of influence which is founded on property, as well as that healthful mental equality, which is so essential to a self-ruled people. Indeed, so great are the political evils already effected by this degrading vice, that the true lover of his country can but entertain painful apprehensions for the future fate of this Republic.

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This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from An Address Delivered Before the Readfield Temperance Society: At Their First Anniversary, July 4, 1832

I do not appear before you, this day, at my own solicitation or request. Had I seized my pen to beguile the hours that were hanging heavily on my bands, another subject would have claimed my attention - one on which the mind could have lingered with emotions of pleasure, and which would have presented the fancy with some images beside those of woe. Had the love of display been the predominant feeling of my mind, I would also, in that case, have sought out for the occasion another subject than that which we now propose to discuss. In the drama of life, whatever may he the sentiment of the misanthrope, there is now and then acted a scene of pleasantness. The mind recurs back with feelings of the highest satisfaction, and in the contemplation of them, there springs up in the bosom a feeling of playful delight, whether the imagination rests on the plot of the scene, or the actors by whom it has been presented. Many of the scenes connected with the day we now celebrate are of this description. To others, however, we leave the pleasant task of numbering them over, and of joining their voices in mutual gratulation. We have assumed to ourselves a graver task; and the scenes which we associate with the object of our present assembling together, have no affinity to these. The feeling of romantic gayety, or self-complacent pride, caw here find no place on which to rest. Intemperance is an unwelcome theme.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.