CHAPTER
IV
THE TEMPERANCE CAUSE BEFORE
We
pause here for a moment to look back upon the past. Let us place ourselves
back in the Spring of 1840. The Temperance cause had been for some twelve
or fifteen years in successful operation. And though errors have doubtlessly
been committed in the beginning of the reform, experience had taught
wisdom; and "Total Abstinence" had now been for several years
the motto of most of those, who professed to be real temperance men.
The inconsistency and inefficiency of the old pledge had been proved.
Under the new and comprehensive pledge much good had been done, much
evil had been prevented; and even many drunkards had been reformed,
at different times during the progress of the cause. In general however
the exertions of temperance men had been rather preventive, than directly
reforming. Indeed it cannot be denied, that many of the honest friends
of the cause, despaired of reforming those who were confirmed in habits
of intemperance. Their doctrine was: "Let us secure the sober and
the youth of this generation, and when the present race of confirmed
drunkards shall have passed into their graves, we shall have an entire
generation of temperate, cold-water men." This, it is true, was
a cold and hard calculation, but we believe it was an honest one with
many. Nevertheless some few did entertain and argue the possibility
of any and every drunkard's reformation, on the simple and only principle
of entire abstinence. But the great difficulty was, they had no access
to the victim of drink; they understood not how to reach his sympathies,
and bid him be a man.
Far
be it from us to cast any reproach or censure upon the old Temperance
men, or deprive them of one merited laurel. Much, very much had been
done previous to this recent extraordinary revival of the cause. They
have proved by statistics the great and astounding evils of intemperance,
in reference to the pauperism and crime of the country. They were not
only shown that alcoholic drinks were unnecessary, but proved them to
be absolutely poisonous, and of course destructive. The manufacture
and traffic had been greatly diminished in some places, and in others
almost abandoned. In thousands and tens of thousands of families, the
bottle had been banished from the cupboard, and both from the table.
Instead of the universal use of alcoholic drinks by old and young, male
and female, religious and irreligious, hundreds of thousands had signed
the total abstinence pledge; and of course, so far as they were consistent,
these were safe from the possibility of becoming drunkards. Numerous
vessels on our seas, bays and rivers, sailed on strictly Temperance
principles. Thousands of men of business had ceased to give liquor to
those in their employ. Many farmers had gathered in their harvests,
without one drop of alcohol being distributed in the fields. The grog-rations
had been abolished in the army. Many drunkards had been saved. In a
word, much good had been done, and much evil prevented.
In
this reform many of the ablest and best men were engaged. In Maryland,
through the zealous and self-sacrificing labors of a few men, much had
been done. And though others have merited praise, we can not, in giving
a fair history of the past, fail to refer to the zeal and perseverance
of one man, who for years has stood foremost in the front ranks of the
Temperance men of his State. Than this man, the cause has not had a
more devoted, ardent and constant friend. His time, his talents, his
counsel, his purse, his pen, and his voice have all been for years disinterestedly
bestowed upon the welfare of his City and State, in the promotion of
this great reform. He had faith in it, when even his friends hardly
presumed to hope. He weathered the storm sometime almost alone, and
rested in hope of a brighter day. And now he has the satisfaction of
seeing the day, when few men do not admit that he was correct, at least
in his general principles. Many of those, who once ridiculed or hated
him, have come into his general measures, and now regard him in his
true light, as an ardent and devoted philanthropist. No man, at least
in Maryland, can fail to anticipate us in saying, that this man is CHRISTIAN
KEENER.
But
notwithstanding much had been done, much remained to be done. Especially
had the efforts of temperance men been rather directed to prevent than
to cure. They seemed to have no access to those, who most of all needed
aid and counsel - the unfortunate victims of the curse of drunkenness.
Very little systematic effort was made to reclaim them. The fact is,
the poor drunkard was regarded as an object of contempt, of denunciation,
or of ridicule, rather than an object of sympathy. He was looked upon
as a wicked man, rather than as a weak man. When he did form the theme
of the deliberations and speeches of the old Temperance men, it was
often only by way of exciting the ridicule or the indignation of the
audience against him. Instead of being regarded as an unfortunate brother,
the victim of violent passions and appetites, he was too often presented
and regarded as a monster too degraded or two heinous to excite our
sympathies. To these opinions, and to this course there were honorable
exceptions. But it cannot be denied, that the tendency was rather to
drive away the drunkard, than to seek him out and reform him.
Moreover
it is questionable whether the cause was not retarded in its influence
upon the mass of the world, by at least a seeming connection with politics
on the one hand, and the church on the other. We refer to the systematic
efforts made by many Temperance societies, to bring about changes in
the laws, and often by the influence of the polls - and those changes
too intended to affect long established usages and supposed rights.
Again, most of the Temperance societies were identified, in name or
otherwise, with some church or other; Temperance speeches too often
partook of the nature of sermons, or general lectures on morals, which
however much they might influence the conscientious part of the community,
it is not to be expected that the intemperate would be influenced by
such operations. And then again, the same pledge, which was to reform
a man from drunkenness, required him not only to have no connection
with the manufacture or sale of intoxicating liquors, but frequently
also to proscribe those who had this connection, by refusing a business
intercourse with them. Thus prejudices were excited against the Temperance
Reform on all sides, from the drunkard, the dealer and his friends.
Now the author has no design to defend either the manufacture or traffic.
He himself had signed such a pledge as is here spoken of, and still
abides by it; and he is not prepared to say, that he would have all
such societies and pledges abolished. But it can not be a question,
whether with such instrumentalities we are as likely to reach the intemperate
drinker and trafficker, as by a system, the only requisite of which
is to abstain personally.
In
addition to this, there was a general lethargy on the part of the Temperance
societies of this State and elsewhere. A recent number of the "Temperance
Herald," speaking of the period to which we refer, says: "A
short time since, and the cause of Temperance seemed almost naked of
support. Those who had been its warm advocates, by that time had nearly
all departed, and one by one had left it."
These
then were the circumstances, under which this wonderful and glorious
revival of the Temperance cause was ushered upon the world; and now
what, in two years, have been the results!
