CormsTrottf arc.
AN EXCURSION UNDER GROUND.
BY REV. EDWARD PAYSON HAMMOND
(CONCLUDED.)
And now we seem to be approaching
a city, for as we venture, like old Dioge
nes, to peep out of our tub, behold what
seems to be a long street, lighted by gas
on either side. A nearer view changes
the city to the appearance of a Thames
tunnel, stretching away into the bowels
of the earth. Our mad train seemed to
have spent its rage, and here with trem
bling joy we stopped. The dusky figures
in attendance were ready to disengage
us from our cramped position.
We were then invited to the parlor, a
small room excavated from the solid
rock, where we found cold water to re
fresh us, and comfortable seats. Here
also were a thermometer and barometer ;
the latter serving as a detector of the
hydrogen gas, which has proved, in
many sad instances, a fell destroyer of
the poor miners. The process of dis
covering the presence of this explosive
gas, is very simple. The weight of flat
land air is known to 'be equal to 294,-
inches of mercury. And as pure hydro
gen is lighter than common air, the pre
sence of this gas diminishes the weight
of the air, and this causes the mercury
to fall in the tubes. As soon as the al
teration is noticed, men are started in all
directions to find the lurking enemy.
The keen senses of these hunters soon
discover his hiding place. No armed
force with lighted torches is to do battle
against this inexorable foe, for such
would fall before him as though swept
down by a Rodman gun. But here, as
is often the case, it is found that a soft
winning breath of air is more potent
than an armed force—a fact which
statesmen and generals thirsting for war
and personal glory find it hard to learn.
And so these miners, taught wisdom by
the experience of others, use this means
to expel the invader. A current of air,
which is continually sweeping through
the long galleries, is, by means of doors,
turned from its course and brought to
bear directly upon the poor man's dead
liest foe. He suddenly finds himself
unable to withstand the attack, and flies
to the upper regions, or as Young might
have expressed it had he been doomed
to write his " Night Thoughts" in such
a sub-mundance place,
" This mortal foe then quickly took his flight
From out his subterranean abode,
Up to the sublunary world above.'
But we must leave thoughts like these
and take up our little dim Davy's safety
lamps, and proceed on our exploration.
But first, we follow the example of our
guides, and throw off part of our thick
woolen garments, for we ar to visit
warmer climes. Bridget who, half an
hour ago, was shivering with the cold,
is now exposing her bare arms. Sure,
_ldle has no reason to be proud of such
black sooty things.
We now proceed on foot along a nar
row way ) which reminds one not a little
of the dark, dismal catacombs. We do
not indeed, as there, behold on either
side the mouldering or rather mouldered
dust of men who trod the tesselated
pavements of imperial Rome, but we
see the enshrined forms of vegetable life
dating so far back, that we shall not ven
ture to say -how many hundreds of
thousands of years, ready at the magic
touch of heat to throw aside its sable
garb of mourning, and deck itself in gor
geous array of shining robes ; the joy
and delight of all beholders.
What marvellous changes has the
earth undergone ! This subterranean
level where now we stao was once the
.surface of the earth. This vast store
house of the richest fuel, stretching away
many miles in every direction, has been
- transformed from a luxuriant growth of
- vegetation, which once waived beneath
the open canopy of heaven; but now the
sand of the ocean mingled with the cal
careous animal deposits, have entombed
all that life and beauty 1800 feet below
the sunlight of heaven ; and the peace
ful river flows over it, rolling its waters
to the sea. Thoughts like these filled
our minds as we threaded our way
through the narrow passages which, hori
zontally more confined, caused us often
to stoop. There, instead of the large
horses, we found the small Shetland
ponies, driven by boys. I noticed a
number of scars on one of these boys ;
he told me his pony sometime before had
run away with him .and nearly killed
him. This made us the more thankful
that our iron horse had not succeeded in
dashing us in pieces as he seemed so
strongly inclined to do. After walking
a mile or so, we found ourselves among
the picks. Here we seated ourselves, in
a heated temperature of 86 degrees. And
now the sharp picks, wielded by skillful
hands and brawny arms, plunge into the
bed of coal, each stroke bringing 'down
large masses, which broke in small pieces
as they fell. A few strokes at the bot
tom of• the seam caused the whole in
cumbent mass to come tumbling down
before us. And these hewers put forth
Such exertions that the perspiration
streamed down their uncovered sooty
skins, giving them the appearance of
striped hydra-like figures. Each of us
took the pick and brought down a small
specimen of the coal. Upon ours we
found a beautiful impression of a large
serrated leaf.
On our way back we noticed the sta
bles. In them were one hZindred and
ten horses, condemned to this life of
drudgery under ground, never more to
see the sunlight. The sight of these
poor creatures, many of them already
blind from so long absence from the light,
could not but awake our compassion.
On some of them I discovered sad
wounds and scars, showing the need of
the visual organs of the owl to help
them to find their way in these murky
recesses. But plenty of provender and
soft beds seemed to make them contented
and in good condition.
After suffering not a little from the
heat and bad air in the remote branches,
we were glad to get back into the pas
sages through which, by the force of
steam, were driven copious draughts of
fresh air. On reaching the inclined
plane we were invited again to encage
ourselves in the Diegenean machine, and
the train, at a signal from the conductor,
sprang away up the hill. Our minds
were in a more composed condition, and
we were in a state to hear more • and
fear less than during the descent. We
were indeed glad to learn that there was
no possibility of the train breaking away
as we had previously feared, for the mo
ment the conductor discovers any ten
dency of such a kind, he pulls a rope
which lets fall an unusual kind of brake
which immediately checks all further
progress. Had we known that before,
we would have had a far more agreeable
ride downward.
We also found that, by an ingenious
contrivance, our descent down the per
pendicular shaft was far less dangerous
than we had supposed. Posts of wood
are fixed on opposite sides of the shaft,
which serve as guides, along which the
apparatus for lifting the coal smoothly
glides. Now to prevent, death, which
was formerly so frequent cases of the
rope breaking, there is at the top of the
cage an apparatus of iron clasps, so
arranged that the moment the rope
breaks they seize upon these upright
posts. By means of these strong., iron
clasps the whole cage with its contents,
weighing upwards of two and a half tons,
is held fast till succour is afforded. Of
the ten hundred deaths annually, which
for the last twelve years have been
averaged to occur, nearly one-ninth of
all have been occasioned by the break
ing of the rope, and the - consequent pre
cipitation of the cage and all its con
tents to the bottom.
Throughout we found that the most
safe and cautious plans had been adopted
in regard to all the arrangements. When
the cage has nothing on it but coal, it
goes up and down with the utmost
rapidity. It plunges to the bottom.like
an avalanche; but the pulling of a small
bell indicates to the engineer when a
living cargo is on board, and then much
more caution is used. It was a matter
of curiosity to us to know low the
horses were ever taken down, and we
learned there was'another shaft through
which ascended, with great rapidity, all
the smoke, gas, and heated air. This
shaft is much longer, and also descends at
once to the level of, 1800 feet, thus super
seding the necessity of an inclined plain.
It is by this shaft the doomed horses
are committed to their doleful prison.
The sinking of the smaller shafts be
gan in 1826, and was carried on for ten
years, at an expense of $500,000. Stratas
of magnesian limestone, sandstone, and
then beds of coal were drilled through
before reaching the great seam. During
the first few hundred feet, springs of
water occasioned much trouble One
poured in water at the rate If - 300
galleons per minute ; but an engine of
200 horse power soon drank it up.
There is no trouble from that source now,
there seem to be no streams of water
at so great a depth. And although this
vast mine is within half a mile of the
ocean, and so might awaken expecta
tions that some of its mighty waters
would contrive to force an entrance,
such an event has never yet occurred.
In that murky cavern of industry 1000
men are employed, and send daily to
the surface 1000 tons of coal to be sent
all over the world.
At the office we were shown by Mr.
, who had accompanied us most
kindly in our three hours' dark journey,
a map of the mine with all its ramifica
tions. By that we saw that numerous
pillars of coal are left to support the
superincumbent masses. Among other
curiosities we were invited to look into
a glass, covered on one side with quick
silver. There we beheld four individuals
of color. On closer inspeOtion we found
the features of the portraits before us to
resemble our own, but black. As we
looked we could congratulate ourselves
that our color was less than " skin deep,"
and that an abundant, .supply, or rather
application, of water would soon allow
us to see ourselves in - our native com
plexion again.
It was an excursion long to be remem
bered. Strange as it may seem in
scenes so contrary, the, sights we saw
that day in the dark bosom of the earth,
awoke feelings of the sublime that made
my frame quiver, emotions akin to what
I had experienced a few weeks before,
when, standing high up among the Ber
nese Alps, I gazed upon the shining
glaciers glistening in the sunlight and
snow-capped peaks piercing the sky full
14,000 feet above the level of the line
of the sea.
THE LONDON QUARTERLY REVIEW,
MC CXXXIV, April, 18 6 5, Contents :
Galleries of the Louvre; Classical Learn
inc, in France: the Great Printer Ste
pndt Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton's later
Novels and collected Poems; French Ed
ucation ; Our Ships and Guns, their De
fects and the Remedy; Bishop of Len
don's Fund; Clerical Subscriptions;
Travels in Central Asia; Libel and the
Freedom of the Press; Parliamentary
Reform.
THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN, THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 1865.
In the days of the Long Pailitment,
when the press was flooded wit politi
cal pamphlets, and party spirit, raged
with such intensity, it is a relief V, meet
with a religious pamphleteer like'Ralph
Yenning. We know but little '.f his
history. We are told indeed Unfit he
was educated at Emanuel College,C am
bridge, and that he was a popular
preacher in London, ejected for his 'non
conformity in 1662. We are told also
that a large nuer of his parishioners
were- very poor, and that he collected
each year several hundreds of pounds for
them ; that he had indeed a remarkable
gift in opening the purses of men not
reputed to be liberal, and that aft t er a
toilsome ministry he died March i3th,
16'73. But this is nearly all tha we
know of him except from his writin s.
That he was a man of some dis 'nc
tion in his day is plain- from the ;'act
that in 1654, and again in 1657, he
I ves
called to preach before the Lord Mayor
. 1
and Aldermen of the city of London.
That he was no bigot either for Pre by
tery or a rigid Calvinist, and tha , he
disliked separatists on one side and anti
nomians on the other, is manifest from
his treatise, " The New Command Re
newed; or, Love One Another;" and
that he was one of the quaintest.of the
old Puritans is evident from a glance at
his " 543 orthodox and miscellaneOus
Paradoxes." We may fairly surmiSe,
from a perusal of these, that when stern
Puritanism did not check his humor, he
was an inveterate punster. Even in his
less studied productions he abounds in
antithesis, and he can scarcely present a
clearly defined thought without , first
crystalising it in paradoxical angles.
In his "New Command Renewed,"
we meet with abundant instances of his,
uaint antithesis. "A. cart may brea
ice, but it doth abide ice still ; but th:
sun doth melt it out of itself." "Coul
God be A
tprehended- by our rea
we might ink it reason to think h
were not God." And again, " Men d
now-a-days by opinions as many do b
their clothes. Some will keep to thei
grandfather's Ambit and fashion ; other,
as changeable as the moon, think they
are never in fashion, unless they be ever
changing fashions. Some cannot like a
truth because 'tis not of ancient stand
ing; others like it because it is of yes
terday. Some can reverence none but
gray-haired opinions ; others like none
but youthful and smooth-faced ones." .
In one of his sermons before the Lord
Mayor, he describes the hypocritical
Pharisees. " They speak like angels of
light, but they act like angels of dark
ness. They defy the devil. ~in` wordh,
but deify the ; devil in works." In the
preface to his other sermon;' he says of
it, " it hath more of heart than art (im
agine.,in Vnglishman pronouncing the
words-; Fiore of affection than affecta
tion." He speaks of it as "'homely, yet
I hoi.e wholesome," and adds, "the less
man appears in it, the more God may
appear by it." In setting forth the con
text, " nevertheless I have somewhat
against thee," he 'says, " a man's praise
is ever the less when he is praised with
a nevertheless. To commend with a but
is but to discommend. To say - such a
man was a meek man, was a humble
man, is not a praise, but dispraise.
Praises with exceptions are little better
than disparagements."
In his other writings we meet contin
ually with this same studied antithesis.
" Men do not care
, so much for the
opinions they hold, as for what they
hold by their opinions." His Orthodox
Paradoxes, setting forth what the Chris
tian believes, are all in the same vein.
So also in his " Canaan's Flowings ; or,
Milk and Honey." Many of the sayings
which comprise these are rather quaint
than profound. They betray ingenuity
rather than wit. Among them are not
a few like the following :—"He is not so
much a fool who hath no wit to use, as
he that doth not use the wit he hath."
" Wise men, when they have not oppor
tunities, will make them ; but fools will
not take opportunities when they have
them." "It is better to beg one's bread
with Lazarus on earth, than to beg one's
water with Dives in hell ; better to be
tormented with sores in this world, tikap
to be sorely tormented in the world to
come ; better to go from Dives' door •to
Abraham's bosom, than from Dives' table,
to the devil's dungeon." Sometimes the
punster vies with the philosopher, if even
the wit does not get the better of the
sage. "Many discourse and dispute
more for faction than satisfaction,' and
hence come to many fractures." " God
many times awakens them at a sermon,
who came to sleep at a sermon, so that
(I speak it seriously) God takes them
napping." " Men's preaching is but
voices without power, but God's, power
without voice ; man's, word without work,
God's, work without word ; man doth
but 'speak, God speaks and doth."
It might be expected that one who
-had proved himself so eminent in these
methods of expression should sometimes,
at least, gives us sententious thoughts in
other forms: We find, indeed, many a
paragraph which abounds with homely
illustrations and striking proverbs. " A
small error was soon espied in certain
pictures of Apelles, when a thousand
excellent touches were not observed.
One hour of eclipse causeth the sun to
be more gazed on than a thousand fair
days. Those soldiers who followed
Caesar's triumph published his vices, but
concealed his virtues. But let us say
to one another, as Queen Elizabeth said
A QUAINT OLD PURITAN
RALPH VENNING. ,
BY E. H. GILLETT, D. D
to the Lord Burleigh, Sit down, my
lord, we make much of you, not for
your bad legs, but for your good head.
Let us make much of each other and sit
down together, not because there is
badness in.the feet, but because there is
goodness in the head and heart."
Judging Yenning from his writings,
we infer that he must have been a genial
companion; that he could enjoy as well
as any cavalier of his day a hearty
laugh. He knew how to combine wit
and wisdom, and his eminent charity to
the poor was, we believe, no abnormal
development of a broad humanity. His
works are a mine of jewels, few of them
indeed of the most rare and precious
kind, but still lustrous and often bril
liant, If there are few diamonds, there
is plenty of quartz, topaz, and beryl.
His " Heathen Improved ; or, The Gi
beonites bearing of Wood and drawing
of Water: for the Sanctuary," contains
one hundred and twenty-five anecdotes
from classic -story, ingeniouSly 'spiritual
izecl for Christian edification. Though
evidently no great scholar, his reading;
was extensive, and his affluence of quaint
expression something wonderful. Almost
the only fault we find with him is that
his " milk and honey" are too abundant.
We should prize his' writings the' more
for a fate like that of the sybil's leaves.
MINISTERIAL RELIEF FUND.
MIL EDITOR :—The Annual Report
of the Ministerial Relief Fund, with -the
resolutions of the General Assembly
thereon, will soon be in the hands of the
brethren, who are earnestly requested
to read . and consider the same. Appli
cation for aid from thaund are fast in
creasing, while 'contributions from the
churches come in "slowly. Many new
applicants have made appeals for help
within the last few weeks, to relieve
whom several thousand dollars are now
needed. Among these applicants are
several ministers, whose gages respect
ively are---eighty-four, seventy-nine, two
of them about seventy, and others be
tween fifty-six and sixty-three
_years.
All these disabled fathers have labored
faithfully in the ministry from the days
of early manhood, and continue to retain
high reputations for piety.
Recent appeals for . help have come
also from seven widows of deceased
1 1
et rgymen, who have in the aggregate
si teen orphans, dependent for support
on the daily, labors of these widowed
mo hers.
is in behalf of these new cases that
im ediate contributions are asked from
the hurches, and also from individuals
who have the means and the disposition
to r ieve from embarrassment and suf
ferin some of ;the most worthy poOr to
be and among. the P - eige of God.
Wh . this call for, money is prompted
by tee l
pressure now felt by the treasury
of Old Relief Fund, it should not be
forgotten that applications for aid will
continue to increase, until suitable pro
vision\is made for all our indigent, dis
abled ministers, and also for the needy
widows and orphans of ministers de
ceased. But to accomplish this Chris
tian object `i,t , will be necessary that pas
tors and churches respond favorably,
and at an early date, to the following,
among othcl recommendations of the
General Assdnbly on this subject:—
" .Resolved, , That the attention of
church members be directed to the
straitened circumstances of many of
our faithful ministers, who, having toiled
for many years on small salaries, are
now left in the decline of 'life without
adequate means for the support of them=
selves and families."
Funds may be sent to Joior C. FARR,
Esq., Treasurer, 324 Chestnut street, or
to Rev. CHARLES BROWN, Secretary,
1334 Chestnut street.
HOW SHALL THE SOUTH BE REGENE
RATED?
The American Sunday-school Union,
invites the attention of all Christians,
philanthropists, and lovers of their coun
try to the following letter from the Rev:'
H. C. Trumbull, senior chaplain in the
Army of ihe James. Prom his long
experience in the Sunday -school work,
and the knowledge gained from his con
nection with the army for the past four
years in the more Southern States, he is
fully qualified to speak authoritatively
upon the subject. The American Sun
day-School Union is ready and willing
to go forward in this great work, but its
present resources are not adequate to so
great a service, and it earnestly appeals
to the Christian "public to supply it with
the funds, for the employment of mis
sionaries, and to furnish the necessary
books to carry on the work successfully.
Contributions for this object may be ad
dressed to L. Knowles, Treasurer, No.
1122 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia.
NEAR RICRAIOND, VA., June 3, 1865.
MritlEAß Sin:—May I ask you what the
American ,Sunday-school Union is doing for
the children of the South ?
Besides hundreds of thousands of young
blacks, just freed and privileged to gather, as
they are glad to, to receive religious instrim
don, there are white children almost without
number, now quite destitute of spiritual care
and teaching. Many a church organization
has been broken up by the war. Many a
wayside edifice has been destroyed by artil
lery, or pulled down to supply material for
soldiers' winter-quarters. Many a Sabbath
school has been scattered, its teachers enter
ing the army, its scholars flying as refugees.
There are wide wastes now where were plea
sant sanctuaries and prospered communities
but a few years since. Even those schools
in large centres which have been continued
the past four years are in sad need of libra
ries, singing and question books, and chil
dren's papers. I visited last Sabbath the
school of one of the wealthiest churches in
Richmond, where the superintendent inform
ed me that of the singing books which the
scholars used there were probably not more
than three copies in all the school.
The American Sunday-school Union can
now do a work in the South that can hardly
be undertaken by any other agency. Long
deserted homes are being reoccupied, children
are returning to their old haunts, and com
munities are resuming the arts of peace.
But sanctuaries will not open themselves,
and many of the more active men of the
church have fallen in war, while there is
poverty among those who remain. There
are more of the little ones than ever before,
but not a few of them are orphans,
and unless
outside help is given, the Sabbath-schools
will not yet be revived or well sustained.
Your missionaries can visit . city and country,
can aid old schols which have never been
suspended, can _reorganize those which were
for a time abandoned, can gather new ones
where none ever existed, although long
needed; and at the same time prosecute the
incidental work of Bible distribution, and
colportage which they perform to such ad
vantage. -
You- should have a missionary in every
county of each Southern State. There is no
obstacle to your work. The people will wel
come those whom you send. Orphans of
war and freed blacks can all he reached by
you. If you do your part, by God's blessing
the songs of children will soon be heard
where so lately sounded, the roar, of battle,
and the throbbings of grateful hearts shall
be in place of the clash of hostile arms.
I believe that in no way can the South. be
more thoroughly regenerated, its moral tone
more surely improved, and all classes in it
better fitted for their new duties and respon
sibilities than by gathering the children and
youth in places of religious teaching, and en
deavoring to train them in ways of loyalty
and faith. I hope -you realize the work
which awaits the operations of your Society,
and that means will be given you commen
surate with your opportunities of usefulness
and your desire to accompli good.
Ye. truly yours,
H. CLAY TRUMBULL,
Chaplain Tenth Conn. Vols.
M. A. WuRTs, Esq., Secretary of Missions,
American. S. S. - Union, Philadelphia.
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH ON IN
TEMPERANCE. •
TESTIMONY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ON THE SIN,
THE EVILS, AND THE REMEDY OF INTEMPER-
The Assembly of 1812 urged upon "all
the ministers of the Presbyterian Church
in the United States to deliver public dis
courses," " on the sin and mischiefs of in
temperate drinking;" " pointedly and sol
emnly to warn their hearers, and especially
members of the church, not only against
actual intemperance, but, against all those
habits and indulgences which may have a
tendency to produce it;" at the same time
enjoining on church sessions to purge the
church of a sin so enormous in its mischief,
and so disgraceful to the Christian name.
The Assembly of 1818 took the position,
that " the crime of drunkenness" " maybe
opposed more successfully by prevention
than in any other way." They enjoined,
therefore, " the officers and members of
our Church to abstain even from the com
mon use of ardent spirits."
The Assembly of 1827 pledged "the
I Presbyterian Church in the United States"
to the work of co-operating " with their
Christian brethren of every denomination,
together with every other friend of our
country and of humanity, in one great na
tional effort to accomplish a universal
change in . the habits and customs of our
country, relative to the intemperate use of
intoxicating liquors ;'' and they " recom
mended the presbyteries and congregations
under" their " care to co-operate with the
friends of the American Society for the
Promotion of Temperance," then recently
formed, "in ex.tending its principleg through
out the country "
The Assembly of 1828 were so - deeply
impressed with a sense," of the exceedingly
heinous nature of the sin of intemperance
in the use of ardent spirits, as in direct op
position to the authority and moral govern
ment of God ;" and " of the great guilt
that rests on the Church in this matter,
not merely from so many of her members
participating in it, while others, with
thoughtless insensibility, minister the means
of indulgence to its deluded victims ; but
especially in having greatly failed, as the
light of the world and the salt of the earth,
-by her 'instructions, her examples, her
prayers, and her vigorous efforts every way
to stay the plague ;" that they appointed
" a day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer,
with special reference to this sin." They
commended the Presbyteries for "resolv
ing," most of them, " not only to discon
tinue and discountenance the use of all
kinds of spirituous liquors, but to form as
sociations" for the purpose; and they did
"earnestly entreat all the members of our
Church, by every humane, patriotic, and
Christian feeling, to unite in these or simi
lar measures."
The Assembly of 1529 unanimously re
solved, "that they cordially approve and
rejoice in the formation of temperance so
cieties on the principle of entire abstinence
from the use of ardent spirits." That "es
pecially do they grieve and wonder that
members of our churches, in view of an
evil so desolating, and so awful in its pros
pective bearing on all the interests of our
country, should not only take no part in
the exertions of their brethren and fellow
citizens against intemperance, but, by using
and trafficking in ardent spirits, be actively
engaged in promoting. it." And " that
they earnestly.recommencl" "that all mem
hers of the churches adopt the principle of
entire abstinence from the use of ardent
spirits."
The Assembly of 1830, having repeated
this recommendation in still more emphatic
terms, took occasion also to express their
" very deep regret that any members of the
Church of Christ should, at the present
day, and• undei existing circumstances, feel
themselves at liberty to manufacture, vend,
or use ardent spirits, and thus,, as far as
their influence extends, counteract the ef
forts now making for the promotion of tem
perance." "So many appalling facts,"
they say, "have been presented, so power
ful an impression has been made upon the
public mind, that no member of the Church
can use or vend spirituous liquors without
prejudice to the cause."
The Assembly of 1832 declare, that "it
is now a well-established fact that the com
mon use of strong drink, however moderate,
has been a fatal, soul-destroying barrier
against the influence 4 the Gospel. Con
sequently, wherever total abstinence is prac:
tised, a powerful instrument of resisting the
Holy Spirit is removed,"
The Assembly of 1833 speak of it as
"cause for the bitterest lamentation,"
" that some of the members of our churches,
instead of aiding those who have bound
themselves by solemn pledges to abstain for
ever from this poison of body and soul, con
tinue its use, its sale, and its manufacture."
The Assembly of 1834 " resolved that
the traffic in ardent spirits, to be used as a
drink by any people, is, in our judgment,
morally wrong, and - iought to be viewed as
such by the churches of Jesus Christ uni
versally." "It is earnestly hoped," they
say, "that the time is not far distant when
the light shall shine with such distinctness
on this subject, that no Christian will .be
able, in good conscience, to make, vend, or
use ardent spirits as a drink, and when no
person will apply for admission to the com
munion of the Church who has not himself
become an example of the total abstinence
which we urge and commend."
The Assembly of 1835 affirm, that " pub"-
lic sentiment seems to be settling down
into one almost unanimous position, namely,
that the use of ardent spirits as a common
drink, and the traffic in it, are immoralities
not to be countenanced by the Church of
Christ. Here," they add, "let us take our
stand, and, by divine assistance, endeavor,
as speedily as possible, to purge the Church
from this deadly infection.. Let the broad
banner of Total Abstinence from inebriating
drinks be one, under which the followers
of Jesus shall, by their own personal exam
ples at least, be found to rally."
The Assembly of 1837 say, "it is with
the utmost surprise and pain that we learn,
from the reports of two or three Presbyte
ries, that some of their members, and even
ruling elders, still manufacture and sell ar
dent spirits." "No church can shine as 'a
light in the world while she openly sanc
tions and sustains any practices, which are
so evidently destructive of the best interests
of society."
The Assembly of 1840 " recommended
to all the members of the churches under"
their " care, to be found the fast, Unflinch
ing, and active friends of temperance ; ab
staining from all forms and fashions which
would countenance, to any extent, the sin
of intemperance ; avoiding even the appear
ance of evil; disentangling themselves from
all implication with the traffic and manu
facture; and especially presenting in their
whole lives a standing and unvarying ex
emplification of the only true principle of
. temperance—total abstinence from every
thing that will intoxicate."
The Assembly of 1846 " earnestly recom
mend to the ministers, elders, and commu
nicants within their bounds, to unite with
Of benevolent Christian associations and in
dividuals, in all reasonable efforts to promote
total abstinence from all intoxicating bev
erages."
Passing over the testimonies of the As
semblies of 1853 and 1854, on the iniquity
of the traffic in intoxicating liquors, as less
explicit, we come to the action of the As
sembly of 1855. They declare it to be
their opinion, that " laws prohibiting the
sale of intoxicating drinks can interfere
with the rights of no man; because no man
has a right, of any name or nature, incon
sistent with the public good, or at war with
the welfare of the community; it being a
well-known and universally acknowledged
maxim of law, that no man has a right to
use his own to the injury of his neighbor.' "
In accordance with this opinion, they "ear
nestly recommend to the ministers and
congregations in our connection, and to all
others, to persevere in vigorous efforts
until aws shall be enacted in every State
and Territory of our beloved country, pro
hibiting entirely the traffic which is the
principal cause of the drunkenness, and its
consequent pauperism, crime, taxation, la
mentation, war, and ruin to the bodies and
souls of men, with which the country has
so long been afflicted."
Omitting the testimonies of the Assem
blies of 1860 and 1861, as too general for
special remark, we close this long array
with the action of the Assembly of 1864 :
"Resolved, That this Assembly, lo'oking
with interest and concern upon the condi
tion of the Temperance Cause throughout
our land, reiterate the sentiments and re
commendations of former Assemblies, and
calls upon its ministers and the members of
its churches to renew their efforts in this
direction, and especially to refrain from the
use of cider, beer, and ale as a beverage,
and also from the manufacture and similar
use of domestic wines."
Thus uniformly, for a long series of
years, with growing and deepening convic
tion of the truth of the great principles on
which the Temperance Reformation is
based, the Presbyterian Church in the
United States of America, represented in
General Assembly, has borne "the most de
cided testimony in behalf of these princi
ples. With one mind and one heart, they
affirm the immorality of a traffic which fills
the land with wretchedness, and that, more
than war, or famine, or pestilence, fills the
grave prematurely with miserable victims.
ith one mind and one heart, they testify
against those social customs which tend al
most invariably to the formation of intem
perate habits—against the use, however
moderate, of all intoxicating drinks. With
one mind and one heart, they affirm that
the only safeguard, for the individual and
the community, against the prevalence of
these terrible evils, is found in an inflexible
adherence to the principle of Total Absti
nence from all that can intoxicate; and
this principle they enjoin, by the most sol
emn and awful considerations, on all their
ministers and people.
This Testimony, as herein recited, was
reaffirmed, by the General Assembly of
1865, and ordered to be published in the
Appendix to the Minutes.
OUR YOUNG FOLKS. An Illustrated
Magazine for Boys and Girls, No. 7. July,
1865. Contents : Freddy's New-Year's
Dinner, (with an illustration); The Model
Young Lady, (with an illustration); The
Fish I Didn't Catch, (with an illustration);
How our Great-grandfather was Killed,
(two illustrations) ; A Complaint; Lessons
in Magic, IV., (two illustrations); Farming
for Boys, VI., (with an illustration) ; Our
Dogs, V., (with an illustration) ; The Lit
tle Prisoner, IV. ; Winning his Way, VII.;
Afloat in the Forest, VII., (with an illus
tration); The Night-Moth; Round the
Evening Lamp, (four illustrations).