Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1849-1856, 1851-10-02
WHAT Is TITO BE DRUNK I

NO. III.
From the very pit Of my soul, ! wish
that MIR. Webster was cold water man.
! wish he was President Ola grand, ma
tional, total abstinence soci 'ty-but we
could not elect him. if we tried and he
would not accept the Office, il elected
The influence Of his example would be
immense. But we are not likely TO
have the benefit of that example, AT
H present and now, ! appeal 10 those
millions Of temperance men," to whom
Mr.. Horace Mann hrs appealed, and |
ask lhcm-what we shall do about II
Mr. Webster has never touched us,
with his omnlpotent spear, in any ten
der point between the joints of the har-
ness he has never piqued our proies-
sional pride, by questioning the sound
ness and suiiiciency of oIr legal opin-
ions-we have nothing TO remember
against him, in the shape Of personal
/ offence we have no revenge 10 crafty
we bear no malice in our hearts, to-
wards this great statesman-we stand
\ therefore upon neutral ground, when
we appeal to those "milions Of temper
| ance men;' and not upon the same
ground, at all, with Mr.. Horace Mann,
who occupies the ground, and assumes
/ the air, and employs the manner and
language ola belligerant, and Is moved
i by IA spirit Of resentment, the springs
whereof are perfectly ineligible to an
II obscrvant community.
make this appeal, in The spirit per-
feet neutrality-suspicious. lear, favor, or
hope of reward. have nothing TO ask
nothing to hope, from Mr.. Webster
excepting "A share, for myself for my
\ chiIdren-and Tor thcirs-of all those
/ incalculabIe benefits, which he has al
ready achieved, and which ! humbly
/ trust, by the Providence of God. he Is
destined to achieve, for our common
country.
make this appeal. as a cold rater
man. If the cause of total abstinence Is
, dear to Mr.. Horace Mann il is not less
| dear 10 me. appeal then, calmly, not
"Mariin Luther. cushion" as ! uncfeT-
] stdnd i-but common sense fashion, To
/ the "miHiOns Of mDerdnce men through
] out The country" | ask them, II they
| are quite ready to pin their faith, upon
/ the political sleeve of malevolent wit"
ness, whose motives are manlcst-or, II
they do not think it the wiser course,
upon the whole, to look-as slernly as
they please-but steadily and comPo-
sedly-upon the iacts-and draw legiil-
mate conclusions, agreeably to old and
well established lies ?
IN the first place, Mr.. Webster has
/ never pretended to be a cold water man,
or a total abstinence man. He has vlo-
lated no pledge. The first temperance
society, Of which lave any knowledge,
in this country, was the society OF Mo-
reau and Northumberland in the State
OF New York. That society was found
ed, in 1903. The Massachusetts Ten
perance Society began to exist in 1912.
/ AT that time. MIR. Webster was about
nine and twenty years ofage. The alb
seLce OF wine, gin, and brandy, from the
sldeboard Of The opulent, and OF the less
expensive, but equally fiery, beverages,
from the buliets or closets OF the hum
bier classes, was universally accounted
a mark of great illiberality. The Mas
sachusetts Temperance Society con,em.
paled total abstinence from nothing,
not even from any description OF distill-
ed alchohol. It's days were then the
days Of small things lis aspirations
were sufficiently humble. Its aim was
simply temperate cdiicem- TO moderate
the use Of distilled liquor. Notwith-
standing the record was before the
world, that BalshaZZar, and Lot and
Noah. and the Christians OF Coflnth,
around the very table Of their Lord,
were made drunk with wine notwlth-
standing the curse of drunkenness, de.
nounced upon all Jerusalem, from God,
by the prophet Jeremiah, was prehgur-
ed TO lis inhabitants, by the type of bot
Ties G.ied WiM pine-the idea, that wine
would make men drunk, seems not TO
have occurred to the projectors Of tenn
perance societies. in the olden time
Thus, they directed their energies
against drunkenness, produced by DIS
mled alcohol alone Indicating precise
ly the same measure OF wisdom and lore
cast. that would characterize the pro-
ceedirgs Of leg sia,ive body, that
should enact a law, against murder,
committed. by the administration OF ar
scnic, and leaving the crime uniorbld-
den when committed, by any other
means.
Mr.. Webster. doubtless, became ac-
cusiomcd to the use of wine, and prob
ably, Of o;her stimulating beverages, IN
early life, as tens of thousands OF highly
respectable gentlemen have done, long
before the existence of temperance So
cielies. DIR. Holyokc took us much al
chohol, as he hougM good for h'm, TO
the very last of his one hundred years.
So did Mr.. John Quincy Adams and
his venerable tither. before him, 10 the
end OF their days. These gentlemen
were olthe olden time. The quantity
taken by them was probably small, and
taken systematically and few things
would be more absurd, than for men,
who are utterly unable to initiate their
example, in this derilous particular
For the same amount Of restraining
grace, which those great men possessed,
falls TO The lot of "A very small number.
Now, Mr.. Webster does the very same
thing-that is, he taxes as much alco-
hol, as he thinks good for him. But MIR.
Horace Mann declares, that Mr.. Web
stcr takes too much. How shall tbs
question be decided Clearly, Mr..
Mann's sell-complacency will not mis-
lead him to compare his ability 10 do
any thing, wherein the brain is concern
ed, with Mr.. Webster's ability to do the
very same thing. IL is quite possible,
that the quantity Of alchohol which Mr..