Whether a sober or a drunken man is the strongest, let the ditch and the mire in which the latter often makes his bed, the swine among which he snores, and the wicked boys who trip up his heels as he staggers home from the dram-shop, testify. They know by experience how weak the drunkard is. But seriously, who are these weak men that join temperance societies? Why, they are our governors, our congress men, our statesmen, our legislators, our judges, our lawyers, our physicians, our divines, our civil and military officers of every name and of every grade, our farmers, our mechanics, our merchants. These are the weak men who join temperance societies. Who would be ashamed to have his name enrolled among the names of such men as these? Every true American will feel an independent pride, a conscious dignity, by being associated with the talent, and learning, and moral worth, and piety of his own country. He who joins a temperance society is a fellow-member with the wisest and best men now on earth.

2. Another brazenfaced objector comes forward, and with all the impudence and assurance of ignorance, boldly declares that "Temperance men injure those who traffic in ardent spirits." Now I must confess, that when I first heard this objection against the cold-water-men, I was wicked enough to think that I could discover under

its mask, a very little squint which resembled its sister that once, in the city of Ephesus, looked sour at the preaching of the gospel, because it was likely to overthrow idolatry, Demetrius

the silversmith discovered, that to make silver shrines for the idol Diana, was very profitable business. But Paul preached that "they which be made with hands are no gods." This Demetrius addressing others engaged in the same lucrative occupation, said, "Ye know that by this craft we have our wealth." They discovered that if the people believed Paul's preaching, their idol-making business and the wealth arising from it, would soon cease together. This preaching against idolatry, they knew would soon prevent them from gulling the people out of their property, for what they had occular demonstration was destroying their souls. The preaching of the Apostles would prevent these money-making men from injuring those around them. They must therefore cry out against these holy men and their message as if they themselves were thereby sustaining an injury. They imagined that to prevent them from injuring others, was doing them an injury. Temperance men strive to persuade their neighbors not to suffer the venders of ardent spirits to injure them. This is the kind of an injury they do to those who traffic in this destructive article. Similar to this was the injury which

Paul's preaching did to the Ephesian silversmiths. This is the kind of an injury that honest men do rogues or thieves when they warn others to be on their guard against them, or when they take

"O," say these

them up and put them in prison. men, "this preaching against the use of ardent spirits in any quantity, except as a medicine, will soon ruin us. It will open the eyes of the community on this subject, and then it will be impossible to make men buy or drink this poison which saps the corner-stone of life. By acting thus, how they do injure us!" But we may ask, how does this course of conduct injure you? How much must we drink? or how much must any one else drink in order to do you justice? Do we injure you by refusing to let you poison our morals and ruin our souls with your rum? Do we injure you, when we refuse to encourage you to traffic in an article every particle of which, when drank by a person in health, is evidently deleterious? If a wooden-nutmeg peddler should make his appearance among us, no one would say he was injured by an individual who should make known to the public the imposition about to be practised upon them. If he should besmear them with a slow poison which would eventually seal up the fountain of life, a brighter shade would not thus be thrown over his conduct. He might say, it is true, that it cost him much labor, and time, and

money, to make so many beautiful wooden-nutmegs. He might complain in a pitiful tone, of what he might call the injury which had been done to him by the man who exposed him. He might appeal to the sympathies of the people. He might say that his ruin was certain if they did not buy his wooden-nutmegs. He might say what he chose in favor of his imitation-nutmegs which he desired to sell. He might positively affirm that few of them would injure no one, But all this cant would be in vain. The people whose eyes were open to the deception could not be gulled. The peddler of stone-cotton, of brick-silk, of basswood-hams, or of cast-iron axes, would be as little encouraged when he charged the person who exposed the baseness of his wares with injuring him. He then who would charge the person that refused to drink ardent spirits himself, and attempted to persuade his neighbor to throw from him the poisoned cup, with injuring the venders of this article, must be himself almost crazy or think others are so. What! charge a man with injuring the venders of ardent spirits, because he persuades others not to suffer themselves to be injured by the trafficers in this ruinous liquid! Such a charge crowns the climax of absurdity. No man hereafter need attempt to rise higher in the scale of folly. Merely to prevent men from suffering others to injure them is doing evil! What

nonsense! But we dismiss the subject. It is too childish for serious contemplation. It is too silly to feel the lash of ridicule.

Those who would throw the veil of deception over all with whom they meet, sometimes charge the managers of the temperance society with deceiving, forging names and the like. These and similar ridiculous accusations, we pass over in silence; because none, no not even the drunkard will. believe them, or can be deceived by them. Their falsity is too barefaced to lead astray the most unwary. Accusations like these made against men of the most sterling integrity and of the most unwavering veracity, must recoil with tremendous force on the head of him who makes them. In the sincerity of our soul we pity such accusers; because we cannot but view them in the light of wilful calumniators. We are compelled to consider them as slanderers of the most unimpeachable characters. Such shameless misrepresentations can never injure the temperance cause.— Those who make them can scarcely be injured, for they have nothing to lose.

V. Of Infidels.

1. "But temperance is priestcraft," bawls the infidel who, in religious matters, never tells the truth if a falsehood will possibly answer his purpose. Ministers of the gospel it must be confess