New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-08-09
THE WoF-BF-JoYFU DROP.

THE WOE-BE-JOYFUL DROP.
The deep psychological question beneath the
Prohibtory Liquor Law ia, whether the sham
happiness due to alcoholic potations is not
worth all the real misery that flows from the
came source. II involves an immense balance
of profit and loss-especially loss-if it is to be
decided in that way. The misery is boundless,
palpable, overwhelming. Statistical science
syeats and pants under the load. That side Of
the balance, though never complete, has been
made over and over 70 foot up swfully. " But,
cav the advocates of the happiness view Of
the question, allowing all your figures, what
them You must wait till we have put
"our side into dollars aud cents. 1t Is not
"exsctly easy to assess, in the money unit,
'the animal spirits, wit, strength, fortiiude,
"heroism. grandeur Of feeling and joy-sOme-
times entirely unspeakable-:hat come from
the yinous stimulant properly applied. But
there must be some equitable common
measure; aud when that is found, with
"proper restrictions against the abuses Of
"alcoholic drinks there will turn out balance
in their favor"
We meet this argument, as it has been long
ago met by the sober and sane msjorites who
have brought prohibitoIy laws into existence,
by proving that the happiness derived from al
cohol under the most prudent administration is
of no value at all. 1t is emphatically sham
and just so fer as sham has possession, the gen.
uine article cannot enter.
Old Judge Leathe ,brain, who took his morn
ing bitteIs and brandy and water at dinner, regu-
larry for forty-nne years, and then died respect
ably, having never been known the worse for
liquor, except perhaps that his puns were rather
worse in the afternoon, doubtless derived from
his grog the same sort of happiness as did
Young Hiehhat, when be was sent, first TO the
House OfCOrrectiOn and last 70 the Penisentiary
for life-all from the abuse sf liquor"
Leatherbrain was tough and tenacious of pro-
prieiy. Highhat was naturally excitable and
progressive. With unequal doses you could put
the two on precisely the same level, in point of
grandeur Of feeling, or what is sometimes called
enjoyment of life. The difference then was, that
Leatherbrain, knowing he vas as high as he
could be carried, stopped drinking; while High
fiat, knowing nothing of the .ort, did nothing
but drink more if the occasion tempted. Take
the beatifc streams at their fountains, and they
flowed on for while with precisely the same
hsppifyiDg effect, Hlghhats being scarcely one
third as voluminous ss Lestherbrains; but the
latter ran into nothing worse than OOzy swamPs
or slluyial deposits, whence it eysporated i'm
perceptibly-while the former, soon swelled
with torrents, encountered cascsdes, and went
wholly to thunder in final cataract. Now,
what We assert as psychological verify is,
that the scamp Higbhat got the same sort of
hsppiness, while he got any, from his liquor as
the venerable Judge Leatherbriin did. The
little sip, which just dispelled his blues, the con-
sequence OF previous sips, and made him think
himself little higher and little less fat than
lie really was, did the very same work upon his
inner man which the Judge accomplished by
the stifest infusion of cOgns:. If We can find
nothing but sham happiness in the one case,
then there was nothing else in the other.
Now, whether you consider Highhats whole
dril King life, or sny one day of it in which be
had free access to liquor, you will find that the
happiness Of the first psrs faded and shaded
away into tie misery of the last part By such
imperceptible gradations thas no mortal or i'm
mortal could exactly determine where the hap
piBess left OF or the misery began. There was
10 seam. Thy were undistinguishsbly welded
together. Happiness that thus melts away
into misery must, We take il, be of spu-
rious sort. Ii is 10 uncommon thing to find the
genuine article mixed up with misery, but lot
undistiDg uishaby-st lees 30 in the relation Of
cause AID effect. In Highfat's experience,
with certainty perfectly memorable, the more
exalted the happiness the more AFFECT the misery
that ensues.
Again, genuine human happiness is said TO
make deeper impression upon the memory
than does anything which is painful or misera-
bic. With Highfat it was always the reverse.
In Lis sobertst moments the joys Of his alcohol
had faded away like phsntasms, aud h distinct
ly recolecttd only the pain, extending even 20
the present time, with which be walked from
miserable dream. He sgain rushed after IN.
drink, simply 70 get ri OF IA, pan. To Lightly