Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1856-07-04
Hop Raising--Is it Right?

The law protects a man in the business
,-.iety smiles upon it; moral men, tenn
2srance men, and even professors of re-
igion engage in it, all apparently salts
fed that raising hops is laudable, and
even moral occupation. Still, is it
sight? This can be settled by looking a
little further. Lager Beer, is it right to
make it? The legislature has decided
against its sale. 1t is wrong; it is i'm
moral according to law; it is anthem
perance to sell it. He who is engaged in
the employment is felon, liable to fine,
and in certain cases to imprisonment. If
then it is wrong to sell it, it must be
wrong to make it, and is it not conse-
quently wrong to raise the material from
which it is manufactured, when we know
that is to be the result? The same rule
has been applied to the destruction of dis
tilleries. 1t was felony to sell intoxica-
ting liquor to be used as beverage, and
hence it was wrong to distil it And
where now in New England is there a
distillery to pour out the streams of liquid
fire? Distileries are confined to the
cities, and there exercise their vocation
contrary to law, where they manufacture
spirits to be used as beverage. The
time has been when every county, and
almost every town had its distillery for
the transformation of grain into whiskey.
Now these establishments are obsolete.
Ontlawing the sale morally outlawed the
manufacturing, and Christian men aban-
doned it. Why then, lift be immoral to
use and sell strong beer, or lager beer, is
it not wrong to raise that article which
Is known to be the principal ingredient
in its manufacture-hops?
But, says one, if it is wrong to raise
= hops, ,then it is wrong to raise grain, be-
cause that can be made into alcohol. To
this we reply, grain is as extensively
raised now, or nearly SO, as it was in the
times Of distilleries. There are other
uses to which it can be applied. Indeed,
it is an article of general use; it pre-
serves life. Is it SO with hops? Again,
it is argued that hops are applied to other
uses. They are used as an article of
medicine, to make poultices or give hot
baths, and they are used for culinary pur-
puses. All this is granted; but how
many bales of hops would it take to sup
ply the market for medicinal purposes
1t is safe to say that single hop yard
would supply all New England, if not the
whole United States And as to culinary
purposes, not 4 hop that is raised in Or.
leans county is carried into the county
market for family uses. 1t takes but &
very small quantity at the most for thi.
purpose. A large majority of familie.
have none; and we have known two Of
three vines, running up over somebody.
window, to supply half a village, as large
as lr;Isbhrgl, with hops for culinary pur
poses, and medical purposes, too. Why
there is absolutely fifty times as large
proportion of whiskey, or alcohol, user
for medical and mechanical purposes tina
there is of hops for any other tkan IL
making Of beer, Or some article outlawed
The question is not what use naav b
made Of the article, but what is 1t use,
FOR, and not the incidental or occasional
but the general use, viz; lager BEER
Let every man, then when he plants hi
hop yard, think, =" 1 am going to rails
lager beer" and when he hears of
German riot produced by lager beer, say
Well, perhaps l raised the hops fror
which that intoxicating drink was manu-
featured. Then let him turn again an
ask the question, Raising hops, is
right! Does not principle demand tn.
/ turn my agricultural ability to otht
purposes {" With our small developmer
OF the moral sense it would seem Ii
question is easily answered in the neg
tive-especially when hops are only dIr,
cents per pound!