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“ (E o l u m i n f t , (fo l u m f c t a , to (ffilerg Q t v i m ”— P «. D w i g h t . VOL. I .— NO. 11. H U D S O N , J U L Y 7, 1842. P R I C E 3 C E N T S . The Columbia Washingtonian.' Devoted exclusively to the Temperance cause. Is published every T hursday morning, by the Ex ecutive CoiniBitteeef'the Columbia Oounty Washing ton Temperance Society, under the immediate super vision of a Sub-comminee, composed of the following oiuned gentlemen.: J amjcs M’G j f f e r t , J ohn S. G ou l d , W a r r e n R o c k w e l l , C a r l o G r e e n , and J . R. S. V an V l e e t . T erm s .— O ne d o llar p e r annum payable in advance. A. limited number of Advertisements, of an appro ved character, will be inserted at the usual rates. Address J . R; S. V an V l e e t , Hudson, Columbia County, N. Y., postage paid. COMMENCEMENT OF THE W A S H I N G T O N I A N M O V E M E N T . The following particulars of .the com mencement of the Washingtonian movement are given in the report ofthe Maryland State Temperance Society. They will be read with deep interest. Six individuals who were in the habit of associating together, were seated as usual, on Friday evening, the second of Ajiril, 1840, in Chase's tavern in Liberty street, Balti more; where they used to meet almost every evening for the purpose' of enjoying mutu ally all the benefits which the conveniences of the establishment, and each other’s society could possibly aSbrd. These were Wtn. K. Mitchell, tailor, John F. Hoss, carpenter, David Anderson, blacUsmith, George Steers, wheelwright, James M’Curley, coach maker, and Archibald Campbell, silverplater. A clergyman, who was preaching in the city at that time, had published that, on lhat even ing, he would deliver a discourse upon the ■subject of temperance—upon this lecture the conversation ol'our six heroes presently turned — whereupon it was determined that four of .them should go and bear it and report accor dingly. Aftei the sermon they returned and discoursed upon its meriis for some time; when one of the company remarked that ■“ after all temperance was a good thing.’’ “ O h,”’ said the host, “ they’re all a parcel of hypocrites.” “Oh yes,” replied McCurlev, ■“ I ’ll 'be hound for you its your interest to cry them down any how.” \ I ’ll tell you what', boys,” said Steers, “lets form a so ciety, and make Bill Mitchell President;” “ agreed,” cried they. The idea seemed to take wonderfully, Snd the more tney lauglied and talked over it, the more they'were pleased with it. After parting that night, ■they did nol all meet again until Sunday; when they took a general stroll, and between ■walking and treating they managed to ar* range the whole matter to their entire satis faction. It was agreed that one of them should draw up a pledge, and that the whole parly should sign il the next day—accord ingly on Monday morning W m . K. Mitchell wrote the following pledge. “ We, whose names are annexed, desirous of forming a society for our mutual benefit, and to guard against a pernicious practice, which is injurious to our health, standing and families, do pledge ourselves as gentlemen, that we wilt not drink any spirituous or mall liquors, wine or eider.” They went with it about 9 o’clock to. An* Person’s house. H e found David still in bed sick from his Sunday adventure. He arose, however, dressed himself, and after hearing the pledge read, went down to his shop with a friend for a pen and ink ; and itiete did himself the honor of being the first man that signed the Washington pledge. Afterobtain- tng the names of the remaining four, our worthy President finished this noble achieve ment by adding his own. On the evening of that day they met at the residence of one of their number and duly formed themselves into a society, by assigning to each the fol lowing offices.—President, W . K. Mitchell; Vice President, A-chibnld Campbell; Se cretary, John F. Hoss; Treasurer, James M’Curley; standingcotnmitee, George Steets’ and David Anderson. Having thus sum raarily provided themselves with offices, they next turned theit attention trf obtaining members, and to devising means lo defray the expenses of their meeting; so it was agreed tbal each man should bring a\ man, and every one should pay 25 cents apon joining and 12 1-2 cts. monthly thereafter. The next debate was upon what name thev should give to their society. A variety were proposed, among rest that of Jofiers'on, when it was agreed that tbe president and secretary. Capt. Hoss. should be appointed to draw op a qonsiiution and select a name; which they dttl, and gave toil the name ofthe Washington Temperance Society. At their second meeting they had twoflfew members —after this Ihey met fur some time, every week at their old rendevousin Liberty street ; but the landlord's wife complaining of their company being no particulat advantage to ihe.-house, the lady of the president kindly ofTeted them one of her own rooms; where they continued to meet until their numbers had increased so far as to make it necessary for them to seek more extensive accommoda tions. Their next move was to a carpenter’s shop in little Sharp street, where they re mained until some wee'ks afterwards, when they removed to their present quarters. At this time the society hpd enlarged so consid erably lhat it became a question how they could employ their time so as to tnateenJbeir meetings interesting—their worthy president, ever ready with expedients, suggested that each member should rise in bis place and give in his experience; and by way of com mencement, he arose and told what he had passed through in the last 15 years* andthe advantages which he had derived frotn sign- ingthe total abstinence pledge. This was the first of that most excellent plan which the Washington society and all her auxiliaries have adopted, for giving interest and effect. to all their meetings. From this time the society increased very rapidly. It was proposed that they^bould\ hold a public ex perience meeting; and arrangements were made for one to be held on the 19th Novem ber, in the Masonic hall in St. Paul’s street. At,this meeting Mr. Mitchell and others gave in their experience with great effect; a number of signers were obtained, and the attention of the public was attracted to the movements of the society. For the Columbia Washingtonian. . TH E RUM-SELLER’S SOLILOdUY. EA PA R O D Y . To sell, or not to sell ? that is the question. Whether ’tis nobler now for me to suffer The stings and arrows of publie sentiment, Or, drop a trade which makes a sea of woes, And thus by stopping, end them ? To cease—to sell No more:—and by this glorious, humane step To say we end the heart-ache and the thousand shocks) The countless miseries and woes—the human suffering And wretchedness which the unhappy victim o f Intemperance is heir to I—’tis a consummation Devoutly to he wished. To stop—to get no gain, Perchnnce may have to make some sacrifice. Ah'. there’s the rub, For if I stop this dreadful work of death; what toil May come, what labor in exchange for ease, must give Me pause. There’s tlie respect—the love of yellow gold, And ease; thafmukes the inglorious traffic of so- long life. For who would bear the whips and scorns of con science—the curse Of those whose lives and homes I have made desolate, To hear in my purse the clank o f that whieh should Have boughta coat,or spread at least with humble fare The board for him, who chained by habit strong as death Is urged against his K ill to yield up all that mahes A man, a m a n ? Who would forever have Around his bar, or store, a set of hangers-on— Poor, unhappy, wretched, drunken men, who loathe Themselves—who hate and curse the very course, which they Pursue—but still pursue aud curse and hatef Who would Dare to strip front men that which is beautiful And excellent in human character, aod then, Day after day, night after night,behold them gathered round, Clothed iri rags, with bloated face and feverish eyes— No intellect—no judgment—of reason destitute— Resolution none—in fine, a clump of poisoned clay— A mockery of human character—a mere Apology for man T Who would have the company of such 7 They laugh when they are sad, and boast when they Have least—talk much of resolution, praise it much And yet know they are where they oft resolve no more To come. They wish themselves ilway—resolve to go] Get up—reel to the door—then turn around— Go the bar—take one more glass, and sit down again. Vexed at themselves for yielding thus, they sit In sile.nee down till keen remorse has wrought Their passion** up—and then they curse their friends, Themselves they curse,and last and heaviest too Upon their wretched,unoffending, helpless wives A double portion both ofblnme an d curse they heap, Because they want the barest comforts o f this life. Again they think of home, again resolve to go, Get up again und wildly laugh to hide or drive Away their hitter woe—then torn again and yawn And stretch, give one more lunging look upon the sparkling wine, Open tlie door, again look hack,and gaping, drop Tneir'heads as if in doubt, then turn them back und for Their “ stomach’s sake\ take one more g lass! Oh 1 who would bear To hear their horrid, their base and vulgar words— To meet tlie sunken eves of their heart-broken wives, And know he’d dealt due poison out lhat made them so; To bear r proach of temperance men —fo merit well The wrath o f Him, who has pronounced a curse on Those thalpUt the bottle to their neighbor’s lips. O h ! how could I endure all this, when I might throw the burden Off bv taking at once the Temperance Pledge ? But that the sordid love of gain—that love The root of all the evil in the world, puzzles Mv will, and makes tne rather bear these ills, Than sacrifice the paltry gain, and stand With other men a m a n .\ ' H. Spencertown, June, 1842. MASONIC CELEBRATIO N . On Friday, the 24th ult, ihe Masonic fra- tertiiiy of this city celebrated “ St. John’s •day,” in a manner very pleasant and agree able to themselves. At S o’clock, P. M. Mr. E . B. Shaw delivered an address at tbe Lodge, before the sociely and a crowded audience of our most respectable ladies and ggntlemen. The oration was decidedly good, embodying as it did, a code of morals drawn frptn holy writ. It did not reveal the secrets of Masonry, but gave some striking illustrations of tbeir value,. Mr. Shaw is a warfti-bearted temperance advocate, and did not neglect to warn his brethren against the dangers of the cup. His remarks on the subject of temperance were in substance as follows: Brothers—our duty does not end In acts of charity and benevolence, bul we should endeavor to discipline the heart. As Masons we have a duty to discharge, not only to God and to our neighbor, but to ourselves, by avoiding all irregularity and intemperance, whereby our health may become impaired. T h e principles of our order are well calcu lated to shield tis from many of the vices which the vile tendency of our nature would otherwise lead us to embrace, and they draw forth many virtues which might not other wise exist in their full force. Yet such isthe weakness of human nature and so numerous are the vices by which we ate surrounded, that it becomes us lo put on the “ check-line,” and-direct our moral faculties to the choice of good and the rejection of evil. The vice most fatal to the happiness and prosperity of man—the most difficult to conquer when once it has the ascendancy, is Intemperance. I could point you to its work of desolation, and show you homes deserted, hearths desolated—of happiness blasted for ever, and hopes forever crushed beneath the withering tread of this fell desttoyer. Time will not permit me to point out to you even for a moment those scenes of groveling dissi pation, of frantic rim, of desperate revenge, and of brutal abandonment, by which the once kind husband and father is sent home trans formed into an infuriated demon, to his trem- b?i»t£ wife anti famished children, the object alike of terror, of shame and of heart-rending comrnisseration. There is no vice that so thoroughly extirpates from the human busom all. propensity to goodness, and presents man so degraded and lost beyond redemption. Shielded by the strong arm of temperate ha bits, many virtues flourish, yielding the fruits of peace and joy. But the maddening bowl prostrates every barrier which Masonry or Religion may have erected, ard lets in every loathsome and destructive viee. and doubly ruins ruined man. Our Creator has set Reason upon the watch-tower of the ntintl, as the wakeful sentinel to guard the avenues of the soul and repel the inroads of appetite and passion ; but he who takes the intoxicat ing cup, stabs this faithful sentinel, throws open the citadel of the heart, and thus falls an easy prey to the enemips ofhis nature. It is said that Alexander the Great, in a •drunken revel, tnutdered his best friend. W h a t horror must have filled his soul and terrified his imagination wiien reason returned and he saw what he had done? And how does every totem pet ate man mourn over Iiis folly and the crime which he often commits while under the influence of this maddening curse, as he views the awful consequences! View the evil in whatever light you may, whether it be in reducing tlie man of strong mental power to the simplicity of a child, or io changing the harmlestand inoffensive mao into a demon in human shape, or in the physi cal debasement ofthe noblest work of tied, the vice appears loathsomeand detestable. How ever dear to the heart is the object of this vice while living the slave of a depraved appetite, he is to us an object of contempt, and not to us only hut to himself, as he takes a retrospect of his past folly and becomes conscious that he neitlier deset ves the respect, the protection, or the blessing of society. Every principle of Masonry condemns this vice iu the severest terms—its practice is hos tile lo all her,principles, and utterly prostrates all her benign influences. Amid the hacli- analian revei her gentle admonition is not heard, and having become weary in her effort to reclaim debased man,she turns away with a sigh at beholding the depravity of his na ture. It is worse than follv to attempt to excite a sense of virtue and morality in the soul of him upon whom this demon has fixed his iron grasp, and the effort to reclaim to virtue and honor as fruitless as the attempt to drown the mighty thunder with the music of the lute. How can a man thus degrade himself, and more especially a Mason? A Mason who uses the intoxicating cup habil- tually, shows little respect for the principles he piofesses to love, and proves himself unworthy of our order! After having thus disposed of temperance, he next read the order oo excellent lecture upon the gross impropriety and wickedness of profane swearing. After the ceremonies at the lodge were over, the fraternity repaired to Mr. Hart’s City Hotel, where ihey partook of a cold water dinner, thus squaring their actions b y the rule of propriety. Correspondence of the Columbia Washingtonian. F a l l s V il l a g e , Conn. Jan. 24th, 1842. Dear Sir—At a meeting o fthe Washington Tempetance Society of South Canaan, a resolution was passed to have the celebration of a Temperance S ig n Raising, published in your paper. The day was w e t but notwith standing a goodly numbet turned out to raise the first temperance sign in South Canaan. Mr. Hunt, the landlord, is a Washingtonian, and has pledged himself to keep a strict tem perance house; he merits and will undoubt edly receive the custom of the temperance traveling community. An excellent dinner was provided by Mr. Hunt, and after the re moval of the cloth several toasts were drank, which are herewith transmitted to you. 1. By U, H. Miner. May the sign which we have this day erected, ever hang a s an honorable memento of the cause which it represents. 2. By Doct. Gillert. Our host—T h e en tertainment furnished us to-day does honor to his profession and tite cause oflemperance; may his efforts under his present arrange ments be as successful as the principles upon which it is based, shall be general. ’3. By Gertrge Bailey. Washington and the soldiers ofthe revolution; Pollafff, Wright and the Washingtonians—T h e former freed us from the yoke of Great Britain, the latter from the yoke of King Alcohol. 4. By Cornelius M. Brown. Homesweet home for the Washingtonians—groceries for loafers—temperance taverns for travelers. 5. By Doct. Gillert. The fair sex. Let them remember that temperance houses for the gentlemen, wil! make temperance hus bands for Ihe ladies. 6. A guest. Success to the cause o f T e m perance—from the cold water army let there, be no desertions, but a steady increase by new recruits. 7. A guest. The Tee-total Society— Pure as the fountains ot water gushing from the rock of Nature, with vittue, simplicity and intelligence. Alcohol cannot overturn it. 8. A guest. T h e cause o f temperance with the smiles and approbation of the ladies, will ultimately triumph over its powerful adversary, King Alcohol. 9. The Washington Temperance Society. — Let it stand like a tub on its own bottom, free from politics or (sectarianism.) religion. The utmost harmony prevailed thoughoui and several of those who have not yet signed the pledge said that a temperance celebration went off quite as well as if rum was there. Our society numbers over 6 0 0 ‘true blues’ and no mistake. But one, as yet has return ed to his cups, and it is encouraging to the friends of temperance to see the mighty rev olution that has taken place in this vicinity. Mr. Bishop was the first m a n who s e t the ball in motion in this vicinity; his simple but eloquent’tale told on the consciences of many a poor unfortunate inebriate, and sev eral by following his example have shaken off the iron grasp of alcohol, and enlisted under the banner o f cold water. Your elo quent county agent Mr. Stainsby has done a great amount of good here, and has made an impression upon the minds of the people of this vicinity that will not readily he forgotten. L . J O N E S , Secy. We are happy to learn our friend Mr. Mur ray, of Albany, has held a fevtr meetings among our kind Dutch friends in the Reformed Dutch Church, L i m e street. Squire Collier is a very active friend. May they go o d , wo propose paying tbem a visit. Our good friends in Athens intend shortly holding a Temperance meeting in the Grove.
