Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1851-10-10
Original papRrg.
FOR THE SPIRIT OF THE !.

FOR THE SPIRIT OF THE AGR
: Since writing my former Communicatidk
; have seen the !" Standard" of Sept Gath. fn
which your extract was taken. Ihava read "a
= article carefully, and am persuaded, that be
: writer is under some misrepresentation as reo
the condition of "Frdnce. HaLu Snasa
and with respect also, TO the anhoEesoNenSss
= OF the light Uines IN common uSe." It is ne
i doubt true, that those hight tcines were muei
; less deleterious, than the "tSines" brought ia
! this country; and certainly, less injurious to the
: human system, than ardent spirits.
But, while this may be admitted, and it is SO
; freely. yet, it is equally true, that France "
especially and Italy, Spain, DC" have been,
and are probably now, as Incorporate as any
other portions of the civilized world. Franc"
| say especially. Where will YOU find such a
state of things, as Mr.. Cooper describes the con-
ditlon of Paris to have been, at the time he last
visited it, Where can there be found a city of
equal amount of population with Paris. where
" Ten thousand females " could be arrested in
one gear for intemperance? know of nome
And yet, France" is one ofthose districts where
the people are comparatively free from the bru-
tallzlng habit of intoxication And here. let
1T be distinctly understood, that this 'intoxica-
ton IS produced by the use of acine; this can
not be doubted by any who may have correct
information on this subject.
The tollowingtestimony, will prove beyond
S NN6S i ihAcc.1 IL over
whelmed with intemperanee, by the free ase'
too, of pure wine.'
In my Interview with the King of the French.
he stated expressly that the Drunkenness of
France was occasioned by uine that in one
district of his empire, there was much intern
perance in gin, but he considered tCine he great
er'k took the liberty of asking him if | had
understood him to say that his opinion was. that
wine occasioned most of the evils of intoxica-
ton IN France, and he replied with great en-
phasis the drunkenness of France is on wine ;
and that the only true principle of temperance
was entire abstinence from all that can intoxi-
cate.
Gin an after interview with the Duke of Or
leans, he assured me that he entirely conceded.
in opinion with his father; and would consider
1t a great blessing to the eCOrld and to France.
could other cultivation take the place of the
vine, SO far as its product was used in creating
intoxicating drinks.
Lord Acton. Supreme Judge of Rome, assu-
red me that all or nearly all the crime Of that
city originated in the use of wine."*
The following testimony will show, that the
free and common use Of pure wine is equally
deleterious to the inhabitants of other coun-
tries; and occasions a very great amount OF IN
temperance among the people. Indeed. there
use is actually destructive of life.
"In the region of Syria, we have the author
ity of the Rev. Eli Smith of the deadlv influence
OF even the purest ocine. Of the ine6riating eff
fects, says he, of the wines of the Mediterranean
zoe haze often poaOerfu euadence. On first going
to Malta, at the beginning of the Temperance
reformation, with the impression l had received
here, that there was no danger from the pure
wine of those countries, l fell in with what |
found to be the precaiIing custom, and took a
little wine with my dinner. At length l found
an intimate friend falling into habits of intori-
cation from using the common Massala wine of
Sicily. 1 then gave up my wine and so far as
l know, all my brethren abstain from the habit
ual use OF 1t, as a Temperance measure. In pre-
pairing a tract on temperance, for circulation in
Syria, we have included Wine acith brdndu as one
Of the causes of iutemperance, to be avoided
In the East Indies, the same change is deman-
ded, as European customs have there spread a
wider and more fatal influence in favor of in
toxicating drinks. The Rev. DR.. Scudder of
Madras says: In India, drunkenness prevails
in the higher circles but it is to be seen in its
widest range among the middle classes of Euro
peans, and East Indians. Half of the natives of
this city, we have been told, get drunk daily.
Probably half of the Europeans who die in the
hospitals III Black Town, die of intemperance. "
These testimonies evidently prove, that in
those countries, the pureSt acines produce intoxi-
cation; and that when they are tTeeLg used
(which is the case all over France, &c.) that
drunkenness prevails to an alarming extent
and, that the { deadly influence is such, that a
great number of persons die from their use.t
This state of things, (both in France and else
where aceords with the history of all nations.
who have used wine as a beverage. This is the
more observable, in the condition of ancient na-
tlons before distilled spirits were known. The
most disastrous events that ever occurred to
some of the nations in olden times, were produ-l
eed by the free use of wine. Some of the]
most powerful dynastics that ever existed. were
crumbled into the dust, by the influence of
Io,o1ooonc. II
wine. These are points, that ancient history
will fully sustain.
There are, however, wines used in the East,
which do not have these effects to follow. Such
as Pliny und Columella speak of: uines that had
never fermented, Notwithstanding, some of them
were nearly toco hundred gears DID, These were
perfectly sweet and innocent. Such wines NAV
nOw be obtained all over the East. Indeed, such
are very frequently carried with those who
travel in those countries. Such wines also,
might be had In abundance in this country and
if such were substituted in place of the purest
fermented wines and distilled spirits there can
be no doubt, but that their use, would free
the people comparatively Gfnot entirely from
the brutaliziRg habit of intoxication.'
The writer in the Southern Press admits, that
pure wines, scarcely ever are brought into our
country. He says: Very few Americans, ex-
eept those who have travelled abroad, estimate
properly the moral value of pure light wines
because pure wines very rarely find their way
across the Atlantic This certainly is true
very rarely have they, or will they come to
this country, and many times, when they come
in their purest state as termented tOines, they
are very probably adulterated to a very great
extent, after arriving in this country.
This writer thinks, he has proof sufficient to
sustain the position taken, that wine using
countries are comparatively free from the bru-
talizing habit of intoxieation,' the condition of
'Harana' he thinks is such, as will clearly show
this. There a temperance society," he saws,
. except through American newspapers, was
never heard of. Yet he says, in the popula-
ton of nearly 2O0,O 900 sould it is a rare thing to
hear of a Creole OF a Spaniard who is in the
habit of using distilled spirits. In regard to
wines, however, especially claret and sauterne,
all classes make free use of them at every meal |
Now, all this may be, and doubtless is true
yet, he has not informed us of the condition oil
the Creoles and Spaniards as it respects their
habits of sobriefy. The free use of wine NAV
IL