The Delaware herald., 1854-06-14
NJ Can Drink or Let it Alone"

81 can drink or let it alone" is a password
by which many young men have entered and
become initiated into the lodge of intemper-
ance, and have ultimately taken all the degrees, |
from the first social glass with friend, when |
the bloom of health was on his check, the eye !
sparkling and bright the step firm and elastic, !
the head clear, and prospects for the future |
bright and fattering; from time when father
looked with feelings of pride upon his son, and
felt that the money he had expended in his
training and education he had been well in
vested, and his name would be handed with
honor to posterity-trom the time, when mo-
ther, who had watched over her darling boy so
many anxious hours and sleepless nights, and
felt so much sollcitude lest some lack of att"n-
tion on her part, should cause sorrow or pain or
his, was never dOubly paid, as she looked upon
him a man, feeling she had staff to lean upon
in her declining years-from the time when
sister, with feelings of pride introduced to her
| friends and acquaintances, "My BrOther,--"
dODn dOUn to the time when that fathers
grey hairs have been brought in sorrow to the
grave-to the time when that mother had wept
oceans of scalding tears over her wayward boy,
and had only been borne up by the hope that
she might yet reclaim him ere he was laid in
" drunkard's grave,"--to the tiHe when the
sister had given up all her entreaties as fruit
less, and shuddered when she heard the name
of "brother and, perchance to the time
: when wife,whom he had, but few years pre-
5 viOusly sworn at the altar to love, cherish and
protect, and who had clung to him through
, every step Of his downward career, witha wite's
: devotion, looked upon her husband and felt that
she was more than WidO,0ed, and her children
/, ,Uorse than orphans. With the excuse, say,
e Chat heads this artcle) of 81 can drink or LEI
it alone," more mon have passed through all
! the degrees of intemperance, have so poorly
d pictured, until they are laid in the churchyard
t and have left in the minds of the community III
which they lived the knowledge, (if not III
scribed on their tomhstones) that they were
n suicides, than any other excuse that was evel
d offered in extenuation of the use of alcoholic
/ drinks Young man know from observation
i and experience, that you cannot "drink or le
v IL alone" If you drink at all, you DiH driill
i as occasion offers, and the occasional "socia
q glass with friend,' ss you accidentally meet
d will result in seeking friend to drink with
and end in drinking as often as it can be obtain
IS ed s4s .,a e
1t The only safe course is, not to :. drink or lie
l. II alone" but to @let it alone" For one,
10 shall do so, and the following are among m,
reasons; M ~
lat know it is injurious to my health, from
r
no person in healthy condition can drink
"a glass of liquor for the first time without feeling
le an effect upon the brain and nervous SYSTEM
IN in fact, without becoming, to a-certain extent
/, drunk. Consequently, anything that throw
le the system out of its natural healthy sctien
u must be injurious. ID. Iknow that it isinSu
q" rious to my character, because no respectahl
a man can be in the constant use of it withou
being sometimes being thrown into, tho CON
ne pany of those far beneath him in morals an
standing in society !" A man is known by III
ca company he keeps" and the nataral tendenc
O. is To lower yourself down until the scales Ar
:, evenly balanced with those who had been ia
"a beneath. know it is injurious to success i
u business pursuits, because not indiYidtIalca
= be found who would employ a person in an
~ important business transactions who is an u
y habit Of using strong drinks; and on .he otie
u- hand, the best Recommendation is TO be know