Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1854-11-15
The Love of Law.

@AS
The pre-eminence of man over all the AMI
creation, {says the American Temper
ance Union) is seen in his vast intellectual
powers, but while it is so, there is another
of character which, if it does not so
greatly excel, is no less contributory to mans
and advancement in all that adds to
welI-being. This is the love of law
Every beast of the forest, every bird that floats
in the air, every fish that swims in the deep,
adheres, with a pertinaeity which may well
shame man, to the law of its being. 1t may
be from instinct and not from choice. In
man it must be from choice, as this is the root
of his affection and spring of his actions
Where it predominates, and burns, and CLOVIS,
as it did in the breast of Israels king, when
he exclaimed, 0 how love thy law ] there
the great end of Gods creation is attained;
but where selfshness predominates, and man
breaks through every barrier, and rushes
headlong into every qualification, setting at
naught the good of others and violating every
law of his own physical and moral nature,
there is only the debasement, the riot, the
misery of hell. Seldom has the world wit
messed greater enthusiasm in favor of law,
than is now manifested throughout the coun-
try in behalf {ystem of legislation which
is putting a gfeats 6hain upon the alcoholic
dragon, that it shall go forth to deceive no
more. And it is an enthusiasm and love of
law founded in a greatprinciple. True, there
is s~elf.love in it; for every man loves his own
life and his own protection but there is also
the most expansive benevolence for this law
overshadows as a protector from the worst
of evils the whole family Of man. We say
the worst; for what is there which so afaicts
and scathes all who are reached by its poison
Gus influence, as intemperance? What which
so debases the human nature SO breaks the
hearts offathers, mothers, wives and children
so fills the land with poverty, crime, madness
and premature death so corrupts private
and public morals so sets at defiance the
Sabbath and all the influence of religion and
what which so exposes the land to the judg
ment of heaven and so fits man for exclusion
from all the blessedness of the heavenly king
! dom? And just in proportion to the extern
and depth of these evils, is the love Of tina
law which hedges them up and will fnall,
exterminate them from among men.
In those states where legislation has BEEF
e tested most, it stands now vastly stronger j
II the affections of the people, than it did q
first, because it is seen to be not only iust an
good in all it's acquisitions, but eminent
practicable, and securing, almost by its ow
! internal forces, what was hardly to be locke
for ia the present degenerated state of maj
= Here, under the auspices Of this benevolel
law, as has been we'll remarked, the time
evidently at hand when the importer of i
toxicating liquors will discover some 9th.
lis stream of wealth than that which flows to hi
he from ten thousand fountains of sorrow wht
be the distiller will no longer seek to get his fl
by gold by casting human hearts into fires h;
up ter than those ofhis own caldrons; and VIII,
the wealthy owners of real estate will fe
Try that they are abettors and accomplices in t
on guilt of this inhuman traffic, so long as tn,
MA derive revenue from marts where men e
las change health for disease, reason for insanit
on, innocence for remorse, and happiness a
md length of days for misery and an ~ignominio
of death. In the promise and prospect of t
the healing of millions of wretched hearts, the
is a f~oretaste of divine and eternal joy viii
ex- must enkindle the fervor and combine t
one energies of all men who ask for themselve,