The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1838-04-03


in this world to have anticipated tho tormenls of
the damned who imagine themselves TO DO sur
rounded by demons and imps waiting to tear
them away into eternity. While visions like
these possess the mind, the body IS covered with
perspiration, not in thick drops but IN streams,
as if the individuals were actually possessed; and
when they awake from this irightful waking
dream, they sink into lethargy almost like death
itself To these they added n vast and appalling
list of the most shocking accidents, in which the
wretched drunkards had dis0cated their limbs
hy falls, and had incurred euAarings which one
could hardly believe. will hero mention one
fact, from which others may be Judged OF. The
number of coroners inqueals held i'll Sheffield
alone, g town whose population ia about 100000,
and is not larger than Baltimore, over the dead
bodies of men who had perished from this cause,
announced to thirteen in eleven days. or more
than man per day. This number persisted from
violent deaths, but they were far from being all
who were destroyed by intemperance; many
wretched drunkards died in their beds, and over
them the coroner held no inquiry. II we add all
these to the number, it will be safe inference 10
say that It's many as TWO men per day, out Of every
hundred thousand in England die from the Ell
ferts of incompetence in one shape or another.
Permit me here to add that since my arrival in
this city have heard, on evidence believed TO
be authentic as the result Of recent investigation
in the State of New York, that nearly one hrd
Of the whole adult male population Of Mat State
die chiefly from the effect Of Incorporate habits
fact that of itself is sufficient to the pub
lie attention OF the whole country.
| will next state the result of the examination
of the magistrates and persons connected with
the administration Of justice. The amount Of
crime in England IS earfuiy great; but il we
could but prevail on her population TO abjure
inemperance, there is reason TO believe that crime
would become as rare as it is now frequent.-
fl,,,ir
they continue TO DO depraved, they do not permit
themselves 10 commit crimes against the law
because they calculate the consequences and
are restrained by fear. The Divine Author of
our being has endowed us, in due and Just pro-
portions, with passions TO stimulate and reason
to direct our actions and we reprouch our Maker
when we defy the arrangements of his prOvl
dence when by the use Of Intoxicating drinks
we beat down reason from her seat, and set up
and inname oui passions, thereby destroying tho
balance Of Our nature as it came from the hand
of the Almighty and the AN-Wise. The expert
ence of all nations has proved that is quite
difficult enough to keep down the human pas
sons in duo suhjugation to reason, without In
cysas:ug the difficulty by the use of nloycation.
How great, then, is the crime OF increasing this
difficulty until passion deties control aud rushcs
into the commission OF every cnormity Lhe
course OF the criminal commences often by steal
ing small sums OF money, whereWith to purchase
dtinb Then the power of conscience is dead
emed by deeper and deeper drafts at length rep
utation is gone, property is gone, friends aud
nome are gone and the highway is rgsorJed to,
till the wrechtd vicyim ends his career by rob.
berry and murder. 1t was conviction that the
amount of crime had been largely augmented by
the influence OF intempeTance, which led all the
friends of humanity to entertain with such ready
favor any public movement which looked toward
the Iilninuuon of that crying evil.
yI1tf hl lii
the potco economic effect Of this great vice, i'll
drying up the roots Of the national industry, and
thus throwing a mighty impeachment in the way
of the increase of the national wealth. And
here let none suppose that / regard the acquisi-
ton Of wealth rs the highest object TO be aimed
at or desired. am very far from thinking SO;
but q certain amount of wealth is Indispensable
TO civilization. Without its magic power ma
ton can have no great public roads, no canals,
no newspapers, no public schools and semnaries
of learning, no churches for divine worship.
nation which is poor, must from the very consu-
tuition Of human things, remain in the march OF
civilization s. improvement far behind one which
is rich That nation will attain the highest point
of moral, intellectual, and physical improvements,
which has the largest amount OF wealth, di-
rected into the most proper channels, and placed
under the control Of intelligence and virtue.
The result Of this investigation i'll England
proved that rot less than fifty millions sterilngs
were wasted in that country in the purchase of
Intoxicating drinks This loss is not ak suffered
by the rich, nor by the poor. nor ny the middle
Glasses, but it is distracted from all In ireland,
however, at this day the most miserable country
nnder the sun, owing partly perhaps to miSgov-
crnment by her rulers, but certainly not less 10
selt-government Of her own, it is ascertanad
that ont of seven millions Of inhabitants, two
millions three hundred thousand are puupers,
being one third Of the whole; and when [ say
rau9crs, do not mean persons in poverty mere
", but those in the last degree Of destituton,
Indebtedness and rags. Yet, in this most mis-
cradle country, six millions OF pounds sterling
are spent every year in the purchase ofwhiskoy, |
or in the conversion of nutritious food to poison
Gus drink. Ifthat sum ofmoney were spent in
the purchase of grain, of clothes, and the means
of education, who can conceive or describe the
nhanre that would instantly be produced in the
moral as we'll as physical state of that people
Bur all this amount of good is prevented and de- de:
stroyed, by that fiery flood whose consuming
flames rise like the fires of Mooch, calling down
l,a ,,onraoune IF INDIGNANT heaven upon that I'M