Simeon Francis and Others to James Smith, 24 January 18531
SPRINGFIELD, January 24, 1853.Rev. James Smith, D. D.[Doctor of Divinity]:Sir:—The undersigned having listened with great satisfaction to the discourse, on the subject
of temperance, delivered by you on last evening, and believing, that, if published
and circulated among the people, it would be productive of good; would respectfully
request a copy thereof for publication.2
Very Respectfully,Your friends:
1This document is attributed to the signees, but the original copy with their signatures
has not been located.
2Reverend James Smith delivered an address on temperance at the Springfield First Presbyterian Church on Sunday, January 23, 1853. A state convention on temperance was taking place in
Springfield at the time, and delegates from all parts of Illinois attended.
Smith replied to this request on January 29, 1853, and a copy of his lecture was later published
as a pamphlet.
The Lincoln Log: A Daily Chronology of the Life of Abraham Lincoln, 23 January 1853, http://thelincolnlog.org/Results.aspx?type=CalendarDay&day=1853-01-23; Alexander Davidson and Bernard Stuvé, A Complete History of Illinois from 1673 to 1873 (Springfield: D. L. Phillips, 1877), 606; Rev. James Smith, A Discourse on the Bottle—Its Evils—and the Remedy (St. Louis: University of Missouri-St. Louis, 1853).
Printed Letter, 1 page(s), Rev. James Smith, A Discourse on the Bottle—Its Evils—and the Remedy, delivered in the First Presbyterian Church, Springfield, Illinois, January 23, 1853 (Springfield, IL: Liberator, 1892).