Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1853-06-22
History Of Alcohol.

1t may be interesting to some of our read
ers to give them a short account Of the dis
covery of the alcoholic principle.-Ne-9ly a
thousand years ago a chemist, the son of Ia
gar, a strange woman in Arabia, in search
ing for the tabled Philosophers stone and du-
ring one Of his chemical experiments acct
dentally obtained from his retort, the alco-
holic principle in an impure state. At first
it was used as a cosmetic by the Arabian la
dies with n powder called Alcohol. The
manufacture of the article was in a short
time improved and during the reign of Will
liam and Mary, m act was passed for the en-
couragement and protection of the d~istillers
Of this article. No sooner was this act pass
ed than the drug came into general use, and
its fruits, i~ntemperance and dissipation, be-
came so prevalent and alarming thatit seemed
the whole Eastern world was absorbed with
the single idea Of getting drunk and getting
sober. 1t is said that the venders put up
signs, informing the p~opulace where they
might get drunk for one penny, and, as IN
extra accommodation, be furnishedwita plen-
ty Of straw to sober on!
During the 10th century ardent spirits
spread like a deadly epidemic all over the
continent Of Europe and soon after the dis
covery Of the Western continent it was in
troduced into the United colonies Of North
America.
Perhaps the first public use made of it
was by the laborers in the Hungarian mines
in the 18th century; in the year 1851, We
are informed by reliable history, it was il
common use among the English s%oldiery.
The European alcohol was made Of grape,
alone, and i it was sent to Spain and Italy Al
n medicinal compound. Soon after the &c
noeso discovered the art of distilling it 'ro1
grain, and after being carefully bottled an(
sealed it was sold under the name of tn,
"Water ofLi6." 1t was not until the 16tl
century that it passed from the shelves 0
the Apothecaries, where it had RENAME,
from the time of its discovery as a powerful
Snddangerous medicine. Irelandkn ew notl
ing Of brandy until about the close of tn
reign of King Henry VII, when it was intro
ducod among the Irish, andits effects becam
so alarming and deadly among the poasantr,
of that Isle that the British government sool
passed an act to prohibit its manufacture.
During the first war in tho American col
Onics it came into general use among tn,
soldiers, under the enormous idea that i
was a sure prophylactic against the ASSAULT
Of disease, and that it made men brave il
war.
We have thus given a brief and imperfec
sketch Of the introduction of ardent spirit
into society rs a beverage. Its true histor,
Is written with the tears and out-pourinJ
blood it has caused, and illustrated with tn,
Abject poverty, the scenes Of revealing, of dis
s~ipation and the thousand murders and sui
eide scenes it has been instrumental in pro
ducing. From the alembic of the Arabian
Chemist tho little stl cam started, and it ha
widcncd its bosom and deepened It's channe
until it's Stygian waters have penetrated ey
CRY land and left it's whitening blight almos
in every household. Like an i~nsatiate NJ
loch it has stolked through the earth, leavin
the impress Of its iron footsteps on the bone.
tho blood and the souls of the human family
and whitening with it's deadly touch tn
worlds best and brightest gloryl y