etite for
strong drink. But he was led to see his danger and to flee from it,
largely through the influence of his beloved companion, a faithful
Christian, who rests from her labor, and her works do follow her.
Breaking his bonds by the power of God, he became not only a
temperance man, but a Christian, and in his great joy and gratitude
for his own salvation was filled with a desire to warn and rescue
others, whose feet were treading the same slippery paths. He then
began holding Gospel Temperance Meetings, as he had opportunity in
many places mostly within the County of Brome. This county has long
held an honored position as being one of the leading temperance
counties in the Dominion of Canada, because during many years no
license to sell intoxicating liquor as a beverage has been granted
within its borders, and a temperance law known as the Scott Act had
been in force for eight years previous to 1893, when the second
attempt was made by the liquor party to obtain its repeal. Like the
serpent in the Garden of Eden, the liquor sellers of the present day
are remarkable for their subtility, and many are the innocent victims
entangled in the meshes of the net woven by their deceptive tongues;
therefore, it need not seem strange that they should display great
power and influence, even in a so-called temperance community. In the
spring of 1893, the liquor party in Brome, having decided that they
had been troubled by an anti-license act quite long enough, sent out
their agents to various parts of the county with innocent looking
papers to which they wished to obtain signatures. They called upon all
the known supporters of their party, and also upon that doubtful class
of persons which sometimes proves to be among their best helpers,
although counted as temperance people. To this doubtful class they
carefully explained that the petition they bore did not ask for the
repeal of the Scott Act, but only requested that an election be held
for the purpose of bringing the matter before the people, and
determining their minds upon the subject. Therefore, they were told
the signing of this petition was in no way equivalent to voting
against the Scott Act, nor would they be bound to vote against that
Act if an election was brought about. Many names were appended to the
petition, the desired election took place, and very hard did the
liquor men work to obtain a result that should favor their cause.

However, not all the faithful work