Temperance Meeting

ISENHART, BLAKEMAN, BROWN, KENDIG

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 5/24/2007 at 17:21:11

Temperance meeting-
A large audience assembled in the Presbyterian church last Friday evening expecting to hear a temperance address from Rev. Isenhart of Fulton; in this they were disappointed, but short addresses were made by Rev. Messrs. Blakeman, Brown and Kendig. Mr. Blakeman directed his remarks pricipally to the moderate drinkers showing them what danger they were in of becoming confirmed drunkards, and that their only safety was in total abstinence. Mr. Brown spoke of the manner in which the drunkard should be treated, and what efforts should be made to reform and bring him back to sobriety; this he thought should be done by moral suasion. He thought the drunkard maker, the rum seller, should be treated with the blister of legal suasion, that the blisters should be put on so as to stick - that they should be punished to the full extent of the law, both by fines and imprisonment until liquor selling would become unprofitable; this he thought was the only way to deal with these customers. Mr. Kendig thought there was a necessity for temperance meetings and temperance efforts; and on his motion a second meeting was called for Tuesday evening of next week in the Methodist Church, when arrangements will be made to have a speaker if possible. On motion of Mr. Blakeman, a committee was appointed to report at the next meeting any statistics of intemperance in the city which would be of interest, and which might form the ground work of action on the part of temperance men. At the next meeting steps will be taken to form a prominent Temperance Society, and we hope it will be largely attended. (Weekly Maquoketa Excelsior, December 4, 1860.)