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Show 44 FIRST DAY-EVENING SESSION. consists in leaving, too often to shacking Bonifaces, the discharge of every Chris tian obligation to the stranger!! 5. But !tow could all lite strangers be accomnwdated amongst us, without public-houses ?--lt is not aflirmed that J?llhlic-ho~ses are a~ot in part necessary , but the diflicully of the whole subJeCt conststs more 10 the selfishness of the heart, than in the nature of the case. Since the passage of the law in Massachuse_tts, to break up tippli.ng-shops, the inn-keepers ca!lle to a mutual understandmg not to open thear houses on a Court-week. The judges, lawyers, jurors, witne8ses, plaintiffs, and defendants arrived. In his own door stood each landlord, his arms fOlded in proud independence- stable-yards shut up. "No entrance nor entertainment for man nor beast. The Legislatu re has auempted to interfere wtth our rights. We will sell noth ing, furnish nothing, unless we can do as Wi please." What was to be done ! The citizens of the place rang the townbell, called a meeting, distributed the visitors among them, and in a few hours, all were accommodated-and the grogites began to lind that they had caught a T artar. Now whaL was the result of this experiment ? All were contented. The vicious, not liking virtuous company, returned to their own homes, as soon as they could; and the temptations, obscenities, and vice, usually making a Court-week to be dreaded, were unknown. And thus, we believe, it would be every where, did men love 10 to welcome the coming and to speed the parting guest.'' Publ ic taverns, in e' 'ery age and country, kill the generous feelings of the soul. \Vould the Saviour have been born in a manger, had there been no inns in Bethlehem ? " 'auld we not now frequently hear the man of Go<.l inquiring, according to the Scriptures, who amongst us was worthy, and abitling with us, if taverns were not the representatives of our hospitality ·r \VoulJ holy men come and go, without our knowing it? \Vould they be compelled to inquire for grog-shops, instead of holy families, in which they might tarry, if men professing godliness were to practise it more? In the last judgment thi!!! sentence will be pro~ ounccd :- "I was a stranger and ye took me not in; inasmuch as ye did ll not unto one of these that believe in me, ve did it not to me." \Viii the ncglectors of this duty escape, by pointing i.o licensed taverns, and saying, "Lord, behold the performance of our duty, in providing for your friends a resting-place in the synagogue of satan, because it cost us no time, nor money, anU saved us from much inconvenience and occasional impositions " 'f Excuse as we may, yet there is a defect here that requires attention. \Vhether taverns arc the result of s~lfishness or create it, the neglect of Christiaus, on this s ubject, is roo frequent, and too evident; and the olden days of gospel hospitality will never be restored under the license system. When Christians shall more frequently open their houses to strangers, and admit them to their homes ami their firesides, giving, not grudgingly, but of a free will, much of that vice and intemperance, which now make taverns necesRary, wiU be banished. But, be this as it may, the license system of making drunkards must be done away. No stranger nor traveller can demand the sacrifice of our families, our hopes, our peace, that wine-bibbing travellers may get drunk according to law. The license system mu~t be stoppedbut how? \Vhcn Sawney was found s tealing into a garden, with intentions best known to himself, the owner asked him where he was going. h Going bock agin," was his reply. So good men must go back again to first principles. They enacted the license system, and gave it their influence by accepting the appointment of r etailers. What good man would retail hydrophobia? Yet the death of the drunkard is as certain, his disease as horrid, and his end more awful than the hydrophobist. Never a drunkard died without the ADDRESS OJ.' 1'110i'ITAS P. H UNT. 45 aid of a vender-and never a drunkard died that was not damned. Can any good man lenU his influence to such a work of everlasting death? No, no-Jet every good man set his face flgainst it. Never let his opposition.to it cease, until the traflic is forbi d, and the contraband trade branded w1th that odium which is afllxed to the abominable, yet much less mischievous, crimes of counterfei ting and of sheep-stealing. Let good men do their duty at the POLLS, where they did the mischief, and the work will be done. 7. JiF!wt! rnalr.e temperance a political a.ff"ui,- ?-Why not? ls it not so already '{ Is iL not a part of the policy of the country to license the traffic? It must be changed. Will a wine-drinking, rum-elected L egislature do it? No; never. \Viii a g rog·drinking, rectifying, distilling, retailing set of constituents ever do it? No. Gootl men must do the deed, or it will never be done. 8. But you will weaken the moral force of temperance, by mixing it with politics.-\Vell, if we do, we will improve the politics by the mixtureand that will be something worth gaining. Uut do the grogmen weaken their influence by mixing it with politics? Is not this ~he way they ha\'C governed the land r Do they not work cons tantly by mght and by clay? Do they hesitate any where, any way, on all occasions, to exert their whole influence in elections ?-and do they weaken their cause by it? No. Let us be as wise as they are, and we will soon grow stronger than they are. They will go, in a body, for men who will favor their cause, and they oppose with "tooth and nail" all. who oppose them. Does it weaken their cause? No; nor wiJI it ours. The only way to enable the moral influence of temperance to gain its whole strength, is, to let it be practically felt, carr ied out on all occasions where it can be exercised, and is demanded. This is the great beauty and excellency of moral influence- it is not weakened, bnt strengthened, by practice. \Vhenever good men will cause their influence to be fe lt, they will be respected, r.nd not before. How do matters now stand '! The moral portion of the community is rcgardeU as a craven· hearted set of cowards, who live, and speak, and act, only by the courtesy and charity of their opponents. So long have the wicked frig htened good men with the cry of" Church and State," or sou1e other charge, equally false and absurd-so long have they occupied all political influence, and controlled the des tinies of the cotJntry, entailing upon it disaster, ruin, and disgrace-that they believe, in their hearts, that good men have not the moral courage, nor the right, even to complain of the union of more sin than virtue, more self than patriotism, which they have been making so long, to the dishonor of the very name of anything that is just, or equal, or decent. Under this belief see how they act! The most profligate, gambling, swearing, murdering, unchaste spendthrift may be nomi11ated as a candidate. They care not for us. VVc must vote fo r him , or we will ruin our religious influence, or divide the party. Our wishes on most subjects are dis regard ed, and if opposed by the wicket!, arc neglected and refused. And what is the reason? Because they know that we will either vote for them again, or which is the same thing, keep away from the polls. And, as they believe, so we have acted, But, say they, "J.et us neglect to hear the grogites-lct us not consult them-let us oppose their views and wisl~es-let us abate one jot of their demands, and a day of swift vengeance awaits us. At the ballot-box we hear from them." T hey know it; they feel the moral influence of the tippler-maker, and respect it mo.st profoundly, because the wicked are not slow to vengeance, nor ungrateful to those who serve them best, (until they can get others to serve them beuer.) And so, when good me.n d~termine to vote lOr no man to any office, who is not the enemy of all t1pplmg houses, both small and g reat-when it is known that |