Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/257

 HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

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��This was adopted after considerable discus- sion, in which many expressed their fear that they could not get along with their raisings, rollings and harvestings without liquor. The pledge was signed by Thomas Smith, Sr., Henry INIosar, Lambert Larnee, Joseph Coe, Jedediah Smith, Robert McDermot, Levi Tarr, David New- lin, Thomas Smith, Jr., Samuel Smith, John Con well, Joseph Reed and Alexander McBride. Thus began a crusade in this county which has not yet ended. The pledge was for one year, but at the end of that time it was renewed, and continued gaining in strength until more than five hundred names appeared on its list. This was a society of earnest workers. The}' met on the 1st day of January, j'earlj^, and continued the organization more than thirty years.

This curse of intemperance permeated all classes and conditions of society. Even the children of the earl}' schools, when they barred out their teacher on New Year's Day, as was the custom of the time, frequently demanded a certain amount of whisky, among other things, as the price of admission. The children could hardly be blamed, since both teachers and par- ents, perhaps, as a rule, indulged more or less in strong drink. In this connection. Judge Jacob Brinkerhotf. in his address at the laying of the corner-stone of the new court house, tells an anecdote characteristic of the times.

'• I have told you who was the first tavern- keeper in Mansfield. Now, among his success- ors in that hospitable employment, was a Mr. Moore, whose weakness it was to entertain what were then deemed extravagant notions of the future prosperity and glory of the town of Mansfield.

"The village school was taught or rather kept by an Irish schoolmaster, who, before cross- ing the water, had kissed the blarney-stone, was always ready to make free use of the gift thus derived, and well aware of the ' powerful weak- ness ' of Mr. Moore.

��" In those days to keep a tavern was to sell whisky, carefully measured out at a fippenny- bit a gill, and it happened that the schoolmas- ter's weakness for whisky was quite equal to that of Mr. Moore, for the future of Mansfield. And the cases were not infrequent, that, when the ardent spirit was most ardently desired, the requisite fippenny-bit would be wanting and the blarney would be the only available substi- tute. And so he would begin — 'Ah! Mesther Moore, there are few gintlemen in this wilder- ness counthry that have your sagacity — your gifts of foresight. I tell you what it is, Mesther Moore, Mansfield is predestined to be a great say-port yit some day ! ' No sooner would this prediction be uttered than the heart of Mesther Moore would soften, and then would follow the coaxing question — ' Mesther Moore, couldn't yees trust us for a gell of whisky, this blessed mornin'?'

^' The coveted potation would at once appear, and go where so many of the like had gone before — to cheer the heart and thaw the blood of the ' poor exile of Erin," as he went forth to the arduous labor of dusting, with his hickory rod, the buckskin breeches of boys, who, in those days, were not always ruled by moral suasion alone."

The great days among the pioneers were the Fourth of July and those upon which the militia assembled for muster. These were the holidays, when the people ceased from labor and turned out en masse, and when plenty of fun and whisky were expected. The place of assembling was generally in some clearing, near some " tavern,"' the landlady of which had the reputation of being a good cook. There was plenty of drumming, fifing and noise, and somebody was always found who could readily perform the duties of President of the meeting ; somebody who could read the toasts, and some- body who had been under Harrison or Van Rensselaer as Orderly Sergeant, to act as mar- shal. Plenty of men were ready to read that

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