Madison (Conn.) temperance speech, [1849?]
24 pages
A currently unidentified person wrote this temperance speech in Madison, Connecticut, around 1849. The writer included extracts from previous annual reports of the Madison Temperance Society and provided a brief history of the society before writing about the effect of drinking and temperance on society.
The extracts include the number and sex of adult members, as well as the number of juvenile members. The writer noted that a majority of the members were women and that a significant portion of members who pledged against the use of distilled liquors were self-proclaimed Sons and Daughters of Zion.
The writer frequently referenced the Gospel, proclaiming that "no drunkard shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven" (page 20). They tell the story of a man in the prime of his life who, although working hard, could never acquire a "permanent home" for himself and his family because of his expenditures on alcohol. The writer insisted that if those men stopped spending their money on alcoholic beverages, they would be able to afford a home and good clothing for their family within a few years.
The speech concludes with a condemnation of members who violated their pledges, and a suggestion that further steps be taken to ascertain the exact number of society members on account of poor record-keeping.