The Ohio organ, of the temperance reform. (Cincinnati, [Ohio]) 1853-1854, 1853-05-06
Memorials Of Temperance.
By b. HIGGINS.

ages were ale and beer, Sir Walter
Raleigh gave it as his deliberate con.
Viction, that "all the crimes on earth,
do not destroy so many Of the human
race, nor ALLEVIATE so much property
as drunkenness" In the celebated
drama Of Samson Agenistes, dictated
BY Milton, is shown the adherence Of
England's greatest poet, to the use Of
intoxicating drinks. lHg "ea'ai
"OhI madness, to think the use of strong.
est wines,
And strongest drink, our chief support
.ge Of health, ID. lF BH A .0a
When God, with these forbidden, made
choice to rear
His mighty champion, strong beyond COM
pare, .fb e
Whose drink was only from the limpid
9fa brook.I 8aE N8 H.aE
DR.. Samuel Johnson, thoughin early
life an excessive wine drinker, bore
ample testimony to- the necessity of
total abstinence. ~ can be a6stinent,
but not temperate" he was wont to
say, revealing in one sentence the
whole secret Of the temperance re-
formation. A gentleman on one oc-
casion maintaining the necessity of
wine to improve the conversation, DIR.
johnson Immediately replied, "No
sir; before dinner, men meet with
great inequality Of understanding,
and those who are conscious Of their
inferiOrity have the modesty not to
talk; but when they have drunk wine,
every man feels himself comfortable,
and loses that modesty, and grows vo-
ciferous.
Addison, Cowper, and DR.. Young,
all raised their voice against the mon
ster, as they saw him gradually gain
ing ground, and vampire like, suck.
ing the blood Of the English nation.
Butt the man who most boldly and
peSseverihgly battled the enemy in
that aee, was the iudomitable Wesley.
Early impressed with religious senti-
ment, and remarkably abstemious,
even while a student in the proHigate
university Of oxford, his benevolent
heart was panied when he became
public reformer. He saw that the
greatest obstacle to religious reforma-
ton was found in the vice Of intem.
perance. When he became the head
Of a fast increasing sect tOf Christians,
his zeal was most indefatigable in
eradicating the first appearance Of this
vice among his members. Let us
step into his chapel a moment in City
Road, London. He is preaching a
sermon on ''7he Use Of Money" He
is strict economist, and knows how
to make calculations. We hear his
cIearvoice: -
''Neither may we gain by hurting
our neighbor in his body. Therefore
we may not sell anything which tends
to impair health. Such, is eminently
all the liquid fire commonly called
drains; or spirituous liquor" j" -
San who sell in the common way,
to any that will buy are pOisOners
general. They murder His Majesty's
subjects by wholesale, neither doth
their eye pity or spare. They drive
them to hell like sheep; and what is
their gainl is it not the blood Of
menl A curse is inthe midst of them;
the curse Of God cleaves to the stones,
the timbers and the foundation Of
them. The curse of God is in their
gardens their walks, their groves; a
fire that burns to their nethermost
hell. Blood, blood is there, the floor,
the walls, the9rooE, stainedwi blood
sermons" soa DO q e. A
Nor was he content with preaching
against the evil In all los departments,
He instituted a rule IN the discipline
for the government ofthe Methodist
societies, making satire a5SiheRes