Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1849-1856, 1851-09-25
WHAT Is 1T TO BE DRUNK 7
40. l.


fine n majority Of all manAind. Ii is pre-
cisely 80 with the various definitions OF
drunkenness. Jeremy Tailor says, in
his Holy Living, "Erery going of from
our natural and common temper, and our
usual severity Of beharionr is a degree
of drunkenness" Few O! US, under this
comprehensive definition, can honestly
aver that we have not been occasionally
drunk, in the course Of our lives. For
the production OF drunkenness, under
this construction, neither the opIum
nor the betel, or the pinang Of the Ash
atics nor the chlca OF the Mcxicans.
nor alcohol in any OF its vilIainOus mod.
ifications throughout the world, are ne
cessary in any type or quantity.
lie who striveth Tor the mastery, must
he temperate in all things. A total alb.
slinence politician should especially re-
member that he institutes II most unior-
tunatc comparison for himself, when he
charges his opponent with .ntOxication.
in the common sense Of that word, and
by his own Incorporate use Of language,
and ungentlemanly petulance, and furl-
Gus vituperation, clearly proves himself
TO be altogether the drunkest oi the two
and his adversary Tar less intoxicated
wiM alcohol. than he himself, Wiihout it
But do not forget that the old def
milton of drunkenness, when | was a
boy--and that was very long ago-was
a different affair from the present. In
old times, and in very gcntlemanly
meridian withal, a man was scarcely
thought the worse for liquor, until he
had be EN- withdrawn, three or lour times,
at least from the gutter. In those days.
which tried mems souls. and womrn's
too, clcrgymen thought they could
preach little better ifthey took little
rum. and the congregation thought they
could hear, mark, learn aud inwardly
digest, little better. il they did the very
same thing. II was in those days that
the Rev. DR.. Woods Of Andover, wrote
to the Rev. DR.. Edwards that he could
count up forty clergymen Of intempcrate
habits, and that he had seen two aged
clergymen, at an ordination, literally
"drunk." The late venerable DIR. Pierce,
of Brookline, once tcld me that at a
meeting in 1912, for the organization Of
the Massachusetts, Temperance Secle-
ty, n clergyman, who was also men'-
her OF the Senate, attended the meeting,
spoke earnestly in favor Of temperance,
and was VIGOROUSLY tipsy at the time.
When the friends OF temperance
adopted the new nomenclature, info.ri-
Gated was substituted for CHEERFUL
drunkenness for hiiarity. In other words
it was not the usage or fashion, in those
earlier days, to speak Of men as drunk
ards. or necessarily intoxicated, who
drank their wine, gin, rum, or brandy,
unless to degree which incapaeitatcd
them for the Just and able performance
of their professional duties.
The world has changed in this res
pect. Without examining the sutiic-
iency of the cause some Of our temper
ance folks are altogether too apt to in
fer the effect. know several most eX-
cellent men, who make use OF wine, ana
even brandy. | am very sorry Tor y,
for am total abstinence man. l am,
and for many years have been, consis-
tently, opposed 10 the employment OF
alcohol, with the exception of its use in
the mechanic arts, as medicine, and
80 far as il may minglc with the fruit
OF the vine "enough for sign" as Mat
thew Henry says, in the Eucharistal
rite. wish that every man thought
and practised, as l. in common with 9th
cr total abstinence friends, have thought
and practlsed for many years, that 10 to
say, from the very first adoption oil the
total abstinence system. Nevertheless,
| should think myself employed in a
very absurd and upchrlstan work, II
should call my neighbors drunkdrds be
cause they differed from me in opinion,
and made use Of wine and brandy and
at the same time, conducted their affairs
with consummate prudence and great
ability.
The higher their station in society,
the more desirable, OF course, must it be
10 avail OF their example and influence,
i'm behalf of the temperance cause. !
should scarcely suppose that the most
iudicious mode OF interesting and eDga-
ring their sympathes would be to com
mence by calling them drunkdrds, es-
pecialy il! they presented, upon all occa-
siols, pre-eminent examples OF wisdom
und ,orccast--abiities OF the very high
cst order steadily and continually en-.
Moved for the good Of their country
nni such perfect, unbroken conssten-
cv in their speeches and writings, such
order, such method, such clear, uncloud-
ed reasoning, rs excited the as,onlsh-
mcnt, and secured the respect Of man
kind.
1, is no, easy to imagine case Of
more palpablc short.sightedncss, than
for a man processing any sympathy with
The temperance cause, TO bring "such
EXAMPLES of the effects OF intoxication
before an attentive community. II such,
indeed, be the effect OF drunk, nness, who
would not exclaim with Huncamunca,
in the farce, IN is our royal pleasure to
be drunk"
I,lsmy purpose TO make practical
nppIicatlon of these observations. SIM
,Is simif gautiet. II wonld be strange,
if anything, proceeding from the bung
n the spi, Net Of Horace Mann, should
inil 10 find mn easy passage into the Gso-
phapuS of Garrison. On the pages oi
ihe Libcrator | Rave seen u letter
from Horace Mann, selected from the
Commonwealth newspaper. desire 10
draw the public attention to this extra
ordnaty letter, so TAR only as u refers
,o the Secretary Of State.
OLp Tinr.