The Columbian fountain., 1845-11-18
For the Columbian Fountain.

Union. slifa3 9tiaitH
lat For the Columbian Fountain 1tua3O
DIALOGUE A TEETOTALLER
AND HIS FRIEND, WHO is NOT IA TEE
TOTALLER 5-is aass
50 you have joined the Temperance So
ciety, and henceforth, | must take my ram
bles alone, for know you too well to sup
pose that, having once entered into the com
pact, YOU will forfeit your word, or retract
your promise to abstain from alcoholic drinks.
Does your pledge prohibit the use of t.
uous liquors only, or do you 60 the whole
figure, and eschew wine, cider, beer, ale, and
all fernented liquors ! .,aa..s ae .
G. The pledge ! have subscribed to, pre-
scribes abstinence from all that can intoxi-
cate; you know very well John, how utterly
useless would be the effect and influence Of
pledge which prescribed the use of ardent
spirits only. We both have tried, and am
sure that you are satisfied, as well as myself,
Of the inutility Of abstaining from brandy,
whilst porter, ale, and cider are allowed to
take its place; you have not forgotten our
own resolution to that effect we faithfully
abstained from brandy, and got as drunk as
did ever old Bacchus himself, on ale-bah! |!
the very thought Of it makes me sick.
did think that night John, that my head
would burst; and visions of hoops and
bandages, fitted through my mind, peck and
half bushel measures, confusedly huddled
together, were presented to my distempered
Imagination, as sovereign remedies against
such catastrophe, and eventually awaken
ed to discover that the bandage around my
temples was composed of no harsher mate
rial than a tightly drawn silk handkerchief.
You may smile, but if your situation was
more pleasant than my own, it was not be-
cause your legs were stouter--for / have a
confused recollection Of seeing particular
friend of mine occupying the whole side
walk, and pitching forward by fits and starts
like ship in head wind, and of hearing
him relate next morning, that he found him
self at the Schuylkill, when his destination
was Kensington, on the Delaware--yet we
drank only ale. Pshaw---your own good
sense, your own experience proves TO you
the futilty of partial abstinence. There
is safety only on the teetotal plan.
}. ] believe you are right as to the teeto-
tai pledge; yet ! cannot endure the thought
of binding myself by public promise to
abstain from any thing, which ] consider |
have resolution enough to accomplish with
out any such ceremony. 1T is sort Of
surrender of ones liberty, public confess
sion of ones own imbecility Of mind, an
admission that he is unable to conquer his
appetite, that he has no confidence in him
sell, in short, it is subscribing to his own
infrmity. | can abstain and you know it,
if ! choose, and SO long as this is the case,
shall be my own master, in this as in every
other respect 5at 4oi38scd #ctfgi
c. " You can abstain, and know it." |
know no such thing, and think can show
you, that you cannot abstain; and that your
only safety lies in embracing teetotalism.
As to your boasted resolution--that will
amount to about as much as my own. Have
we not jointly resolved and re-resolved, not
to drink any more. Immaculate resolution
which lasted from Monday morning until
Saturday night; and then what a, glorious
jolli6cation we had; we treated resolution
several times before we got home, kept it up
all the next day, and repented on Monday al
leisure This was the case time and again,
and will continue to be the case, with all
who trust to resolution. This you know to
be the fact in your own case; so ] shall let
that pass, and consider the surrender of lib
erty, to which you have alluded. What is
the liberty you surrender I The precious
liberty Of getting drunk, the privilege Of
spending your money to sustain a rum-pal-
ace, the privilege Of making beast of your
self--and Of showing off your iyirmity in