The Washingtonian., 1845-08-23

whose regard for order and decency had not
been quite obscured in wine
"Civility aside, and decency to Tophet,"
replied the young man, who did not seem to
relish the reprimanding remark. Here
said he, after short pause, as another bottle
was handed him, sparkling nectar forever,
and cigars for the same period Of time
Landlord fill the flowing bowl
and charge the same to the Club of Seven"
PART SECOND.-THE EFFECT.
IT'S near midnight. The boisterous voices
Of the young men are no longer heard. Sleep
has overcome them, and they lie in various
attitudes, unconscious Of what passes around
them, and unable to act were they conscious.
Nothing but deep and sonorous breathing, and
the steady ticking of a mantle clock, as moment
after moment Of time passes to be numbered
with those years beyond the food" disturbs
the silence. The lights burn dim-and feeble
the light they shed over the scenes of drunken
debauchery. Yonder, yea, all around, lie
broken bottles and remnants Of old cigars;
and everything appears in the utmost disorder.
The good town folks have retired to their
respective homes, and in the image of DEATH
enjoy refreshing sleep. The sky is dark--no
moon looks calmly down-no tWinkling star
glimmering in its high station guides the
traveller; all is dark, all is silent, save the
shrill whistle Of the wind as it whrls around
the houses, and amid the leaaess trees. Half
an hour has passed. What means yon lurid
| glare? that light increases--now the sky seems
but one vast sheet of fame, and the cry of
/" fire e!"-fearful at any time, but more so Oh
a dark night-resounds through the streets.
Higher and higher those flames arise, and
large volumes Of dense smoke ascend A
| crowd gather around, and endeavor, though
in vain, to check the onward progress Of the
devouring element.
* ~a
The night has passed--the day dawns-and
house lies in ruin. But is that all? The
Club is no more. Supplied by the wine, they
became unconscious Of their situation, and
! lighted cigar falling upon some combustbe
material, was the cause of confagration.
Death chose to put an end TO those habits
that parental soliciIude and the sad fate sof
thousands could not overcome. Their remains
could hardly be distinguished from other ruins;
they were, however, at length found, and in
the churchyard of Wightvile, small slab
4 informs the traveller that below lie buried the
4 remains Of seven victims of wine, and imparts
4 this salutary warning, BEWARE OF THE FIRST
4 DROP. l s ss F5a
THE EREsPECTABILITY OF INTEMPERANCE
! This to, some may be strange language
responsibility of intemperance but it is no
more strange than correct. If intemperance
were not respectable, it would soon be extinct
i We speak not Of the responsibility Of drunken
ness. Oh, no. That is loathsome-the attri-
butte Of the loafer--comp panionship Of the swine.
| But after all, what is drunkenness, but simply
i part and parcel of course Of action which
necessarily constitutes whole, call it by what
ever name you please. A company Of gentle
men meet at a dinner; they are Of the highest
order Of society-the elite; perhaps men of
high intellectual power, as well as wealth and
fashion; they drink till the midnight hour,
when, for some, it is well that'no light Of day
shines in upon them. Is not the whole pro-
the company, the place, every thing attached
to it, Of the highest order ? and yet it const-
tuted scene Of intemperance. There was no
disgrace there, but rather honor-a respecta-
| BILE assembly. What constituted the intem-
| perance? The last scene? the shout the
). hurrah the silly speech the lewd song the
i fight? BY no means. ItWas the whole affair,
from the first glass to the end. If not, where
| did temperance and intemperance begin
Where did the responsibility cease and the
| disgrace commence 1t is connected series;
and until the whole is stamped in the public
estimation with the disgrace attached to the
close, there is little hope Of wiping out this
reproach upon our country. But, what dis
graceful to 60 to wine party-to Mr.. BIS
dinner, or Mrs. C.'s soiree-the very tip of
. responsibility! 1t can never be made disrep-
utable to drink moderately" Then, intem-
perance never will cease. But is it SO? We
know it is otherwise. Il is disreputable now,
at many Of our public hotels, for a gentleman
to be seen with his bottle Of brandy or bottle
Of champagne; and we believe the time is
Fastening, when the incipient steps of drunk
enness-the first glass, the genteel wine party,
the Law, the Historical, and New England
dinner, graced with bacchanals-wil have the
same opprobium, if not as deep, as belongs to
those extrayagant indulgencies which, by COM
mon consent, exclude man from respectable
community. And impressed with its import
ance, we shall do all in our, power -and we
hope we shall have the concurrence of all who
wish to see this curse eradicated from our
land in fastening it forward. .--Journai Amer
icdn T. u. ...@ H A#s.'" E&
| A HINT TO CONSISTENT LEGISLATORS.
We do not see why license should not be as
readily granted to our towns for the exclusive
privilege of supplying its customers with ropes,
pistols, bowie knives, dirks, &C., whenever
they have disposition to put an end to their
existence, or to execute summary vengeance
upon those towards whom they may have
l,<~r,l.x, E,r coll,pe At The 49,,