The organ of the temperance reform. (Cincinnati, O. [Ohio]) 1852-1853, 1852-07-16
Corn and Coincidence.

society, and who profess to be governed
by sense of right and wrong avoiding
the one and standing firm by the other.
In respect to theory 50 long as it does
not affect any mans practices in paTticu-
lar, there is most delightful harmony
Of views and feelings among almost all
classes in society.
But when this theory is applied to re-
medy various social evils in the body
polite, then, like Paul on his voyage to
Rome, those who are on the sea Of life,
without chart or compass; that is, without
any fixed and sound principles 10 guide
them, are in danger of "Jalling into q
place 1rhsre tlOO seas meetP and so they
run the ship aground while parts Of her
are broken BY the violence Of the waves,
which the impending storm has raised.
When lay down the following prin-
ciple, very plain one in theory, thai, as
good members Of society, having proper
regard to the good Of rs individual meI
bers men are hun
Al - ,itt5, eVcli % INC tlElitliIilllls 8 lIIiN
Things which are in themselves lawiul;
as will not mislead others, or prejudice
their interests--all say "amen, this is
right" Itis right, and is the essence Of
the law of love to man which should
bind us in our intercourse with each
other.
But when the principle is applied te
cases where self-interests are at. stake
then men, who would, under other cir
cumstances, most cheerfully assent to the
principle in the abstract, begin to throw
themselves back upon what they cal
reSerUed rights, and are ready to quarre
with principle in the concrete, which
when stated in the abstract, they were
very ready to admit.
1t is painfully amusing, at times, to see
your upright, straight forward, and out
spoken moralist in the abstract, turn his
morality in the concrete into all manner
of shapes, until the metamorphose is SO
complete, that you can trace not even the
most distant relationship between the one
and the other.
The course OF human action in con-
nection with the corn question, or the
immortality of selling corn to distilleB, is
a case in point.
There are not wanting men in the COM
munity, who profess to regard this as an
upright, healthy and irreproachable prac-
tice. AT any rate, they are very unwil-
ling to have ii characterised as crooked
pernicious and reprehensible.
And these are men, in many instances
| who assemble their families around th'
j domestic altar, and there pray :-ou
= Father, who art in Heaven, lead us no
0 into temptation-help us to avoid evel
e the appearance of evil; and grant, o Lord
r that thy servant do not-yea, grant 'tha
! no man put stumbling block, on an Of
cdSion 10 fall, in his brothers. ways
They are men, in many instances, oc
cupying high positions in society, an
are justly esteemed Tor their many goo
qualities. Nevertheless" as Nehemia
was compelled to say OF Solomon, afte
enumerating his good qualities, "nevel
theless, even [these] do outlandish [di'
= tillersl cause to sin"
> To such we say, Come now and Ii
" US reason together" Bring forth you
- stEong reasons, to justify the priUcipl
n you profess, and the traffic in which yo
embark when you sell corn to the distiI
y lery. On what grounds do you defen
the practice, and thus maintain con
science void of ofense towards God an
towards man
j We lay down the following PROPOSE
s tion:
d No man has the moral right know
y ingly, 10 afford facilities to his neighbo
e or neighbors, to do that which is wrong
G If he does SO by principle of commo
lar, to say nothing of the moral, he j
; particeps TimiRiS-a participator of tn,
crime.
Take an illustration or two The buye
comes to the druggist TO purchase somt
strychnine, and the seller knows the mar
wants it to poison mis- neighbors water
r Has he any moral or legal right to sci
d his strychnine to the man? Another mar
wants to purchase some hydrocyanic, o.
G prussic acid, and the druggist knows it il
" to poison fine Newfoundland dog be
= longing to his neighbor? As an uprigh
=, man, can he have anything to do in sucE
" trade
. Now, these are very plain cases, bu
Il the principles involved in either, is tn,
T. same as the one involved in the corr
d question. Aud we see no way of escap
|. ing from it, except the seller makes ;
,r clean breast of the whole affair, an,
justifies, if he cannot only himself, bu
the distilleT, rumselleT. drunkard and oil