ting draught; again relented, and again relapsed. Now it was, that he gave himself up to sin with greediness. Now it was, that he might be seen staggering away from the dram-shop, at an early hour of the day. Whenever he went from home, his poor broken hearted wife trembled to think of his return. His estate was soon all measured out by the gill and the half gill; his family was reduced to beggary; and the boys in the streets hooted at him as he reeled along.

And now, yonder comes that loathsome, self-degraded monster. Behold his bloated face, his eyes swollen and red, and every feature distorted. See him at length feeling for the door of his own house, stumbling over the threshold and entering more like a brute than like a

man.

If your heart can endure it, follow him into the house. Behold his children fleeing and shuddering, as if pursued by a wild beast. Conceive, if you can, what his poor heart-broken wife must suffer, as she sinks down in her chair, and remains speechless. And is this the man, who vowed to love and cherish her in sickness and in health? In this the husband who was once so kind, the father whose children used to run out to meet him, and welcome his return? O how changed! And by what means? What evil spirit is this, that now possesses and is dragging him away to the pit? It is intemperance. Reader! once he was as free from its influence as thou art. But he was snared and taken, when he little thought of it; and so mayest thou

be. We have seen what he was; we know what he is. He has fallen by little and little. Soon he will die, and while we lament his dreadful exit, let us remember, that he does not perish alone. Thousands of husbands and fathers, in the United States, are now travelling the same road; and, except they repent and reform, of which there is almost no hope, will ere long meet the same doom!

Finally; I have seen the gradual progress of intemperance in the wife and the mother. She was a woman of engaging manners and a sweet disposition, beautiful, prudent, sensible and serious. The heart of her husband safely trusted in her. He fondly promised himself, that she would do him good and not evil, all the days of her life. She stretched out her hand to the poor; yea, she reached forth her hands to the needy. She opened her mouth with wisdom, and in her tongue was the law of kind

ness.

Her children arose up and called her blessed; her husband also, and he praised her. Happy, happy days, and golden prospects!

But, in an unguarded hour, strong drink seduced her. By slow degrees, at first, she became attached to the insidious poison. A change in her general deportment was observable, but the cause was not known. Her husband was first compelled to suspect, (what he would have given all his substance to disprove,) that she was becoming intemperate. But how should he mention to her, what he could not think of without torture? Her children were convinced, that something was

wrong, and her friends began to feel anxious.

Had she stopped here, every suspicion would have vanished, and she would, if possible, have been loved more than ever. But she never once thought that her feet stood on slippery places, and the arch deceiver did not choose to resign the influence, which had been so slowly gained. She yielded to every new temptation, till the habit of drinking was in a great measure confirmed. Her husband suggested to her his fears, in the most tender and delicate terms, and she seemed to be affected. Neither resolutions, nor promises were wanting; but they were not long regarded. Though her husband did every thing in his power, to conceal her guilt and shame, it was impossible. All who loved and esteemed her were grieved and astonished. Her disposition was soon ruined, and her intellect impaired. Intoxication followed excess, and, while under the influence of liquor, to torment her husband, was her greatest delight. He could have faced the enemies of his country with calmness, in the field of death. He could have firmly extended his right arm to the knife of the surgeon; but he could not support the thought that his beloved wife was become a drunkard.

In the mean time, however, the habit to which she had yielded gained strength. Her house and her little ones were neglected. Every thing that she could get was expended for liquor. The whole order of the family was subverted. Her health was undermined. It seemed as if she must speedily close her mel

DIED not long since, at the almshouse of one of our large towns, a man who had been brought to that place from a high standing in society, by an excessive use of ardent spirits. He was a person of fine appearance, had been considerably known in his own county as a public man, had sustained the office of colonel in the militia, and formerly possessed a comfortable estate. In consequence o drinking, he gradually lost his respectability in society, became involved in debt, was consigned to prison, and died at a poor-house. Let those, who are travelling the same road, consider well where it terminates.

A mechanic, of reputable character and good credit, a few years since got into the habit of intemperate dinking. His affairs soon became unprosperous: his business was gradually broken up; and before long he was obliged to go out to work as a

journeyman, and in that capacity actually served one of his former apprentices. He went on from bad to worse, till lately he enlisted as a marine in the service of the United States; and soon came to the end of his earthly course by a fever, to which his intemperance peculiarly exposed him. Mechanics have been known to allow the rum-bottle to make its daily appearance within their precincts, and have thus made drunkards of their journeymen and apprentices with nearly as much regularity as they make a hat, or a pair of shoes. If heads of families are bent upon accomplishing the destruction of those under their care, it is humbly submitted to their consideration, whether some less expensive and more expeditious method might not be resorted to, than that of poisoning by ardent spirits. Many kinds of death are much less excruciating than the lingering combustion experienced by a confirmed sot. Besides, many kinds of death can be inflicted without involving the sufferer in the dreadful guilt of being his own executioner.

Some persons may have fallen into habits of intemperance inadvertently, though very foolishly. This ought not to be the case hereafter. The public sensibili ty is alive on the subject. Much is said, and much is written. A general alarm prevails. Now is the time to make all classes of people see the danger to which they are exposed. Now is the time to lift up a loud voice against this tremendous evil, and to take care, that if any choose hereafter to rush into the gulf of intem

perance, they shall do it with their eyes open.

It is a melancholy fact, that many persons of liberal education, and elevated employments, have lately become drunkards in this country. A respectable clergyman informed the writer of this paragraph that on attending the annual commencement of his college, in 1811, he met three of his classmates who had evidently become intemperate, and of whose wretched progress he had received no intimation till their bloated faces, and inflamed eyes informed him of it. How distressing must it be to find, on such a happy anniversary, that one's former friends are going the downward road of disgrace, poverty, sin, and misery.

A few months ago, as a stage full of passengers was rapidly descending a hill, the driver suddenly diverted the horses from the road, though he could not stop their pace. The reason of his turning out proved to be his seeing a man stretched in the road directly in his way. It was a very dark evening, and the stage had a lantern. The driver gave all the warning in his power to another stage just behind him; but could not be heard As the second stage had no lantern, the driver saw no reason to leave the middle of the road, and according passed rapidly on. As soon as the horses could be stopped, passengers and others went back to see whether the man was dead or alive. Apprehending that a coroner's inquest would be necessary, a justice of the peace was inquired for, and

lights were procured. On examination the man was thought to be dead; but, on a closer scrutiny, signs of life were discovered, and after removing him to the side of the road, he made out to speak in a broken manner, though utterly ignorant of his late danger. In short, he had

fallen dead drunk into the middle of a great public road, at the entrane of a large town, in a dark evening; and though the horses probably trod on every side of him in a quick step, and the wheels probably grazed him, yet he was only injured in a trifling manner, in one of his feet. The consternation being over, he was placed by the side of a barn till some other place could be procured for him, or he could take care of himself.

themselves.

In reference to this account, the following inquiries suggest If this unhappy man had been killed, would he not have been guilty of suicide? If so, does not the guilt of suicide attach to him now, as really as if he had been actually killed? Does not a large portion of similar guilt attach to the keeper of the tavern or grogshop, where he procured the intoxicating li quor, provided he was known to be a drunkard? If, in consequence of his lying in the road and the attempt to avoid him, the stage had been overset, and any lives had been lost, would they not have been justly charged to his account? Was he not, therefore, guilty of exposing the lives of others, as well as his own? Does not every drunkard live in the practice of sins no less heinous, than that of perpet ually exposing his own life and the lives of others? Is not lord VOL. IX,

chief justice Coke perfectly justified in saying, that a drunkard is voluntarius damon, a voluntary devil? Ought not our laws to punish drunkenness more severely than they do? And ought they not, out of compassion to innocent persons, to be rigidly executed in every instance?

MAGNITUDE OF THE EVIL OF INTEMPERANCE.

WHEN the calculations of the quantity of ardent spirits, consumed in the United States, first appeared in the Panoplist for March last, the alleged quantity was thought by some too enormous to be accurate. When it was considered, however, that official returns were made the basis of the calculations, the re sult could not fairly be denied. Wherever the result was admitted, it was allowed to be both humiliating and alarming.

On perusing the piece referred to, some respectable gentlemen instituted an examination into the quantity consumed in the town where they lived. The result was, that their town con. sumed its full proportion.

It is worthy of remark, that the calculation made from official returns is amply supported by that of Benevolus, in the Panoplist for Oct. 1810, p. 211, made from the consumption in a single town.

It is worthy of remark, also, that it has been repeatedly stated on the floor of Congress, that a tax of 25 cents a gallon on domestic distilled spirits would supersede all the other contemplated war taxes. It is a great pity that spirits should not be taxed heavily, with the design to

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diminish the consumption of them. In England, it is very rare that drunkenness is produced by imported spirits. The reason is, the mass of the people cannot buy liquor at four or five dollars a gallon. 4

It is ascertained, that the late discussions on the subject of intemperance, have aroused to action many very respectable persons. Societies are instituted in many places to suppress the evil. Those, who perceive the danger of bad example, become more and more scrupulous in the use of spirits in their own families; they exert their influence to produce the same resolution among their friends and neighbors; and they perceive very strong encouragements to pursue the course, upon which they have entered.

A. B.

ON RELIGIOUS CONFERENCES.

In a preceding communication, I stated, that religious conferences, like all other blessings, are liable to be abused. In the following observations, it will be my intention to specify some of the evils to which these meetings are exposed, and to describe the most useful manner of conducting them.

Before proceeding further, it is proper to observe, that I do not suppose any of the evils, hereafter enumerated, to have been very extensively experienced in this country. I except, however, from this observation, certain noisy, enthusiastic sectaries, whose extravagance has paved the way for infidelity and profligacy in some districts.

r. Conferences may be per

verted to purposes of ostentation. The class of persons most in danger on this score, is that of new converts. They have directed their attention to the subject of religion with much anxiety. They have usually been agitated with great fear, and cheered with strong hopes. The ardor of their feelings cannot but have an effect on their conversation, and their mode of expression. It is often a high gratification to others to hear them converse. They are, therefore, put forward in religious meetings, and take a larger share in the exercises than they otherwise would do. Of this they are scarcely sensible themselves; and older Christians, pleased to see their number increased and the church replenished, listen with mingled emotions of gratitude and joy. In the first stages of this progress, all are pleased, and no set design appears. But after a while, new converts, as yet comparatively ignorant of the deceitfulness of their own hearts, are in danger of talking and praying, with a secret desire to be admired and praised. Against this evil they ought to be on their guard; and, if they discover it lurking within them, they ought thoroughly to expel it. Conversing on rcligion, in order to obtain the praise of men, even of good men, is no more defensible, than were the prayers which the Pharisees offered at the corners of the streets to obtain public applause on account of their sanctity. Every thing which countenances religious pride, ostentation, or vanity, should meet the decided condemnation of Christians. As the remedy for temptations of