Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1853-01-19
Settling the Question.

The author Is the editor of q certain hardshell
paper printed in the State of New York, and
the work has been extensively circulated in
some of the counties in this State. Mr.. Boo
by must be a very dear lover of Yankee rum
or bald-face whiskey. judging from the man
ner in which he eulogizes and defends it
against the aspersions of the cold water folk.
Indeed, to become a covert to Boobyism,
one must believe. as this rum-quack under
takes to prove, that drunkenness is the most
moral, the most decent and the most delecta-
bic Of all the virtues.
The writer sets out with the proposition
that it IS mans inalieaaJle right 10 get
drunk" 1t is true he does not have the man
Illness to thus boldly assert his position, get
II his language has any meaning, this is the
conclusion to which his argument leads. He
%conceals this great monstrosity under the
flmsy tallacy, that a party has the best right
to know what is good and wholesome, and to
use as little or as much of it as he thinks best.
That we may not be charged with misrepre-
sentlng this apologist and defender of drum
kenness, we here give his own language:
" The virtue OF temperance. in eating, drinking.
exercise, and repose, as well rs in every thing else
10 WhIeh We are accustomed, none will question CT
dispute. Excess in any thingis, to a greater or less
extent. Injurious, and the enemy Of the true eniov-
ment of any pleasure, luxury. or blessing. Whatey-
er pleasure or enjoyment may be produced by mod-
crate use or indul gencc in any drink. diet, or prac-
tlce, lntemrerafce or excess viii convert into banc
ana misery. This is neither more nor less true rel
ative to spirituous or other beverages. than IS to- n
thing else. The same drink or diet which. wren
moderately INDUCED in, will be pleasurablc to the
taste ard beneficial to health. viii. If immoderately
taken, cioy and become loatiis0IDe. and, like the
beautiful apples OF Sodom, turn TO ashes upon the
lips. while, st the sam time, instead Of promoting
bealth, i will generate disease and pain. The same
amount o. either. however. which would be moderate
ana neaitfitai to one person, would be excessive and
hHrtful to another. Of different constitution ard tenn
~perameLt. Indeed, that which is palatab,ea and nour-
lshlng to one person. may be absolutely insipid and
injurious to another. DrUgS or medicines. for in
stance, the administration Of which would speedily
restore o patient. suffering under the scYcrcst mala-
dy, to sound health if taken by another, iaboring
under q different though less dangerous disease.
would soon ccnsign bim TO an Untimely crave
From these reflections it Is evident that every orc
who has reached the years Of maturity. mnst choose
for himself sach diet and drink as he may desire, or
deem best adapted to his welfare and harpiress.-
For tins purpose he is endowed by his Creator with
reason to guide, and certain tastes or instincts to
direct him the free exercise Of which is among lis
" natural inalienahle right" with Which his fellow
men or government have no right-to NEEDLE. and
with which none but tyrants, or conceited and mis-
guided fanatics, would desire to interfere
Bear in mind, this pretends 10 be an argu-
mont against the right to prohibit the sale d
alcoholic p%oisons, ana yet he does not touch
the pointat issue 1T oil. oprohibitory Law,
that we have ever heard Of, has any clause
prohibiting a ma from drinking as much as
he pl Eases, when and where he en- get il, al
homo and abroad. NJ one knows this better
than Parson Beebe, and yet he %wilfully mis-.
represents the facts in the case-for he car
find no such clause in even the much abused
Maine Law. It only restricts the safe Of L.
quor, as other poisons are restricted by Law.
But, to quote from q writer in the National
Temperance Magazine, assuming for the
moment, that the law actually said to a ma,
You shall drink no poison is the drunkard
III a position ~toanswer, he has natural rights.
and is entitled to the exercise of his ipdo.
mant? Is it not notorious that the passion
for drink is created by indulgence, and that
the man who drinks is deprived Of his iudo.
naent, or rather has his Judgment 50 pcrvcr.
ted, that he is convinced wrong is right?-
And is it not equally notorious that he has
lost all selfcontrol, ali consciousness Of recti
tude' and the very power to think? Is he
not helpless, brutalizcd, degraded ii his own
estimation, to the extent that be cares not
what he does? How often does this occur
even TO temperate men! Are not al men in
fact temperate, until their tastes become dc.
PRAYED from habit? Temperance is tho ma.
taral condition, intenparanco the pervcrsion
OF thls condition. And until man is utterly
depraved, IS such & thing known as a man
making himself deliberately drunk? We
venture to say there is not. il man gets
drunk insenslbly and without his conscious
ness Of the fact. lie never gets drunk by
design. lie has 10 passion to drink until he
first tastes it. lie has no passion, IN fact, OK.
copt the one stimulated by It's use.
But this was wasting time. The gentle.
man scorns 10 abide by so half and half 2
theory. After the fashion Of these he adyo.
Gates, he becomes bolder as he proceeds. lie
was cautious and timid at starting. By de.
grees, caution and timidity disappear. His
confidence becomes reckIessness. He pro.
ceeds, by statistical dextcrity, to prove that
prohibition increases the evil ofintemperance
He quotes from English acts and Irish
acts OF parliament, and deduces from them
this pleasant conclusion, that people drank
most when drink was hardest to be procured.
Having satisfied himself, that to facilitate
the opening Of rumshops, and making alcohol
plenty, cheap, and accessible, is the surest
way to universal temperance and the eradi.
cation Of drunkenness, he jumps to the con.
| clusion that drunkenness is no evil at all. and
that society would be benefited seriously BY
its universal prevalence. We bespeak atten-
ton to the following extract:
"erimes of a very scTious nature are seldom com
mltted by men while intoxicated. Indeed. a drum
Ken man Is almost utterly unable to commit the
worst and most frequent OF crimes. such as murder.
highway robbery, forgery, burglary, arson. larceny.
rape, swInGiIng, DC. The Offences committed Lv