Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1852-11-10
Com m alton.
TOR THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE.
For Students.

ron THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE.
For Students.
Human society has a motive to oppose the use
OF Intoxicating liquors, drawn from their injuri,
Gus effects upon Genius, which we do not remem-
Der to have seen sufficiently pressed Yes, it is
a distressing truth, that though the great Anarch
Alcohol in his terrific march over the world,
tramples into the mud and into the grave the
poor, the lowly and the dull, yet it is evident
that he loves a shining mark, that he takes a
peculiar delight in aiming his fatal dart at the
gifted son of genius-at that phase, that Chef
dGUUTe of humanity, in which It's e4celieReies
are found to co-exist with the fewest alloys of
its %infirmities; hence, we do not account for the
admitted want of genius in the world at pres
ent, by using the insufficient explanation of the
equGhizjng tendency of the doctrines of the age,
nor yet from the non-existence of great politi-
cal commissions, in throes of which genius is sup
posed to have its birth, as the Titans of MythoI-
ogy are sometimes said to have been born ofthe
conflict of the powers Of nature. Yes, alcohol
has done it-alcohol has killed our noble youth
alcohol has put out more of that divine light
Of mind which it has pleased God to send into
and for the world, through the medium of man,
than all other causes of its destruction uow oper-
atingl Yes, alcohol is the worst of murderers,
it has extinguished the powers of the mind. It
is anti-progressive, for it has resisted the civil
Zlng and advancing influence of the reformation
of printing, of the Mariners compass, of steam !,
and of every other valuable invention and hu-
man enterprise. It has set the race back for
ages-it takes no step forcard, but every one
dackoaTds, siaeeoards or dolOnoUardS, 1t is the
great NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., subverter.
But it is chiefly as the destroyer of Genius
that we purposed to consider alcohol; and here
| If occIIpS -. tIG tn vnrD0Yty that thnco onlIariapo
who debate the question Of the relative superb
GRITTY Of the anclents and the moderns, and infer
that there was a much larger number of geniuses
among the former, have the humiliating conclu
sion accounted for, in the fact that Intoxicating
drinks were almost unknown among them, anC
alcohol not at all.
But We set out with The predicate that irtox
1cating liquors are i'll a peculiar sense the foe o
genius. In pursuing this idea, we suppose tina
one-third of the children born into world never
reach maturity and if we put down one half 0
this one third as cut off before reaching matu
rlty 10y an Incorporate use of ardent spirits, W,
suppose that we shall be fully sustained by the
statements of judges, physicians, overseers of tn
poor houses, superintendent of Penitentiaries
Lunatic Asylums, and other rece1tacles Of hu
man crimes and Wretehedness. The c~ontempla
ton OF the bare numbers cut off by intoxicatin;
drinks IS alarming enough, but the number!
AANN'IICAHAC~B > - III
the only or the worst feature OF its ravages.-
1t loves a shining mark, it prefers the intellect
1 al, the beautiful, the eloquent, the amiable, o
2 rather, perhaps a more logical statement is, tina
the very tneness o. the feelings and nature
the dellcacy and perfection Of the organization
of such (that is fine intellects) more peculiarl
f dispose them to meet the advances and tempt;
. lions of this ablest ally Of Satan, and at I'll
/ same time make them less able to grapple wit
! him.
The view Of this havoc of the destroyer anon
the children of genius, has forced upon rs tt
. sorrowtQl truth, that the world has never vet ha
i! the greatest man that might have resulted
been made of the children born into the world
Yes, the world has seen its proper child al
fair to look upon, but never yeti its proper ma
d and why not! Shall we not say because sue
d the fair, the gentle, the eloquent and the De
d feet, have been sacrificed to Moloch for has n
this ancient demon re-ap2eared in the form
d alcohot, and Go not the youth nor pass throus
( the valley of Hinnom, Gehenna, or liquid fire,
% be sacrificed at his altar /?
But least this preference of alcohol for geniu
or rather of genius for alcohol, should be denie
= let us see if it can not be accounted for phv
ologically, thus: Our benevolent and omniscie
ie Creator designing this world, not for geripst
but for mediocre mortals, men Of mode at
n average intellects, in the constitution of If, seel
" hof = GbhpACo ANliCt 4 lie III lDOId1 Il
y physical idiosyncracies of the latter than t
former, that Is to the vast majority, rather tn
the NAL minority, for genius is the excepti
le and not the rule. In coincidence with this IA
we observe that the trials. turmoiis. tolls a.
IT. contre-temps OF life, CRATE more harshly up
- the delicate nerves, fbres and sensoriums of
/ children of genius than upon those of the stur
- sons of toll. Precisely analogous are the diff
> ent effects of . jar or a blow upon the coal
strings of a base yiol, and the delicate chord;
u the harp or other fine strung instrument CT N
'e sic. But an objector may say, that he adm
the greater misery or disturbance caused to
sensitive and g::ffed, than to the mediocre mil
he by the warfare of the world, and yet deny
h conclusion that they are more prone to try
quench it in the cIrcean wine cup the ansV
m is obvious, that this resort naturally follows
- impulse, an effort of nature to escape the pl
- ent pain of a disappointment or bafiement,
diminishing the vitality of the suffering ner
~ and organs of sensation; and this intoxieat
II spirits do, for they are q narcotic-but all
" reaction, the remorse, :" who can define it -
de We think that three cautions or warnings NAY
y, logically inferred from the truths contained in
last paragraph, IL that children of genius shout
In watched and guarded with more care than those
are not, both because they are more prone to g
!" stray, and their preservation would result in gre
re- benefit to society. Every one guards his caske
on proportion to the preciousness of the jewel wit
on ~ Let not the possessor of a plain understand
envy the genius, for genius is 8 fearful gift.