Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-06-14
From the Connecticut Ceurant.
AGAINST DRUNKENNESS.
PART i.

PART T.
IF by an awful visitation Of Divine Pro.
whence, there were spreading over all parts
Of this country, a foul and loathsome lepro.
sy, which poisoned and dis6gursd the DO.
dies Of its victims and affected their minds
with madness or with idiotism it this le-
prosy had seized great part of our useful
lahorers and rendered th:m burden 10 the
community; If the prospects and the hopes
Of a large portion Of our promising young
men had been already blasted and de stroyed
BY it; if it had infected, n ore or less, every
town and every village, and were spre adipr
its ravages, from year to year, wider and
yet wider ii this were the actual condition
of our country, thsre'is no telling how great
would be the alarm. Neither this nor anv
similar calamity, Heaven be praised, has
been brought upon our country by the d.
rect hand OF Providence, which has show.
cred on US blessings without numbrra and in
great abundance. But human folly & wick.
eduess abuse the kindness of Providence
and change its blessings into curses.
Let sober reason judge, whether drunk.
enns s., habitaai Drunkenness, be no. az bad,
nay even worse, than the fatal leprosy |
have described. 1t impairs and corrupts
both BODY and mind, aud brings down the
noble creature man to level with the brute.
IL destroys all moral principle, all senti.
nents OF honor. all feeling OF humanity. It
changes good nature to ehurlishness, akind
husband to an unteellng monster, a tiutiful
son to an unprincipled'vi villain without natu-
raj affections. an industrious thriving man
to an idle vssabond. 1T ,preys upon and 1
dsvours every thing that is estmable and
amiabIe both in disposition and character;
it eats up the substance of lis votaries, and
is an inlet TO all other vices, and to every
evil and calamity almost that can he named.
This de,estabte demon might say in truth,
" NV name is Legion tor we are many"
Many indeed are the evils, the calamities
and The denominations, that follow in the
train ot'drunkenness.
"Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow?
Who hath contentious? Who hath wounds |
without cause Who hath reaness of ryes!"
The drunkard. Whose fields are neglect. |
ed AID overgrown with horns land BRAN.
bles.? Whose house is tumbliag in ruins for |
want of necessary repairs? Whose broken
windows are repaired only with rough |
boards or stuff'd with rags' Whose wives
arc consumed with weeping? Whose babes
are suffering hunger and nakedne IS 49,
The tlrunkard's. Who disturb peoples
repose with their midnight reveIlings and
wells! Who are the persons most com-
monty engaged in qaA'rsls, in'6shtiugs, in
riots. and in all scenes Of confusion and
uproar! Drunkards. Who are lowest Of
all madmen, the most despicAble Of all i'd. |
OTIS! Drunkards. -,
The natural idiot, and the madmah that |
has become 90 BY the act Ut God are oh. |
iee,s no. Of reproach but Of conpassion.-
Blu. the drunkard, who 10 in fact an idiot |
or madman for the time being, 10 70 by
HE own voluntary act; he wafulIy susnch.
e. in himself the lamp Of reason, and with |
his own suicidal hand destroys that noble |
faculty which had distinguished him from |
the heaatsHhnt Perish, .r'' ... r