Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1849-1856, 1854-07-05
WHOLE NO 1880.

HOIi u Scfuou uc-
livered in 1882 by that acute reasoner and
eminent divine, President Walker. who
was then pastor of church in Charlestown,
is peculiarly applicable at the present time
Intemperance in thought, feeling and action,
too often incapacilates man for Judging
of the consequences of the course he is
Pursuing
81 START then, with the proposition that
man may become intoxicated without re-
sorting TO intoxicating drinks. A man may
become habuually Incorporate, though liv-
ing on bread and water. There is drunken
aess of the mind.
Many of our expressions in common use
proceed on this supposition. We say of
man that he is drunk with passion or that
he is intoxicated with excess of Joy; or
that he has read exciting books, or visited
exciting scenes, until he has become in
tOXicated. These are not mere figures OF
speech; the statements are to be understood
literally. The persons spoken of are drunk,
are intoxicated. lntoxcaton, ,even physi-
cal intoxication, does not necessarily imply
that a man has lost the command over his
limbs. lntoxcaiion, properly so called, isa
disease OF the brain, an undue excitement,
fever Of the brain and one which may
be produced as well by moral as by physi-
cal causes.
There is, repeat it, a drunkenness Of the
mind.
II is strictly correct 10 say oil a man that
be Is intoxicated, if from any cause he is i'll
capable of thinking and acting soberly.
Again, man may not only become in
toxicatod, but habitually incorporate, as re-
spects his feelings, his affections and zeal.
Whenever man allows a particular pas
sion, or zeal for a particular object, habi-
tuaIly to exceed the bounds Of reason and
moderation, he became habiiually intemper-
ate. All excess is intempcrance. There
is a certain measure OF proportion which.
the affections and desires should preserve
towards one another, and towards the whole
character land whenever this measure or
proportion is destroyed by excess in any
part, the excess is intemperance. How
many there are, therefore, OF whom il may
be said, though as regards eating and drink
inc they live most abstemiously, that they
are habitually intemperatc! How many
there are little dreaming Cf being classed
with drunkards, whJ mt at be set down,
nevertheless, as habitually Incorporate.
They are habtually incorporate from ex-
cess OF avarce, from excess of ambition, or
from excess of vanity; from local excite
ment, from party spirit, or from unbridea
enthusi.sm.
Instances of this sort occur. freq uentIy in
the progress of great commercial specula-
-, h,tl 81 n -.
tmea Of high political excitement, or in the
parc occasoned by some impending ca
lamily. Whoever keeps himself cool at
such seasons may easily see that the heads
of almost the entire community are turned
BY excess, by intemperance of passion and
that on the all-absorbing subject, at least,
they have become in some sense incapable
Of thinking and acting soberly.
This will be admitted by all, perhaps, in
regard TO those feelings and affections
which are called bad but some may hesi-
tate TO admit it in regard TO those feelings
and affections which are called good. We
cannot have too much, it will be said, of u
good thing ; and this, perhaps, is true but
it seems to be forgotten, in the argument,
that good thing carried to an excess ceas-
es to be good thing and becomes a bad
thing. The question, therefore, is. not
whether we shall have little or much of n
good thing, but whether we shah have
any ofa bad thing or, rather, the question
is, whether, ifa feeling or affection origi-
nally good becomes excessive and of course
bad, it will not have the effect TO destroy
the balance ofour minds.
II is matter OF history that the best feel
ings and affections, the moral aud religious
affections, when carried TO excess, have
broken out into every possible form of ex-
travagance, and made men incapable for the
time of everytbinclik sobricty Of thought
and conduct. Now will any one say that
all this was consistent with temperance,
with moral Temperance, with that temper
ance which the Apostle enlons as essential
to Christian character?
The disciples themselves were for COM
mauding fire to come down from heaven
and consume Samaritan village which
had shut its gates against their MASTER
But their Master, instead Of appaudng
their incorporate zeal or sanctioning IT, or
connvng at it, turned and rebukod them,
and said, ye know not what manner OF
spirit ye are Of
We must take care and not betray our
own want of the spirit OF Christianity in
our attempts TO inculcatc Christianity on
others"