Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1856-07-16
ORIGINAL PAPERS,
For the Spirit Of the Age.
Is the Moderate Drinker Temperance
Man?

4hdA
Let us reason and see. And first, what
ismcant by Temperance BY temperance
Eve think is not meant a moderate use of
any thing and every thing, whether right
or wrong-good or bad. No. A well
man who would take little poison, or
little medicine every day, you would not
consider really temperance man, and
therein worthy ofpraise. Would you plead
liberty to do little wrong, little more
indulgence in sin, .and SO still be temper
ate Do you say, you may sin but do not
be Incorporate in it. Sin moderately
Can this be Temperance We think not.
.Derance, we think, Is a moderate use
Of Ehdt Is good and useful. II IS feeding
Ee soul and body lcih food Convenient for
them. L" Remove far from me vanity and
lies give me neither poverty nor riches.
Feed me with food convenient for me. -
But we are not to get and use every thing
that is good for food nor are we to use
that which is convenient in too small or
too large a quantity; but use moderation
therein, and pray, " Give us this day our
daily bread ;" our daily quantity or allow
anco Of bread, not only for the body, but
also for the soul.
But Temperance requires man not only
TO be moderate in eating, but also in drink
ing. Man must have something to drink
as well as something to eat. IT'S said
some birds do not drink, but man, like
most animals, must have something to
drink, else he will soon die 1t seems that
something is as necessary and more fire.
qucntly required than something to cat
But in order to be temperate, we must not
drink anything and everything that may
come in our way or that we may desire
A healthy man would not be considered
temperate who drank little laudanum
every day. Wcmust only take that which
is necessary and useful to us and in or
der to be temperate, we must only take
it in suitable and proper quantities as we
need tive must be moderate in drinking
as well as in eating of the good things of
this life
What then shall we say in regard to Ii
quor or intoxicating drinks Are we to
consider them among the good gifts Of God,
Of which we may freely partake, and in
the use Of which we must be moderate p
Is liquor as necessary aud useful to heal
thy man as food and water a-a = We
thinl, not and such is the opinion of
many great learned and honest men. Ii
duor Git is thought) even in its smallest
quantity, does not do a sound man any
good, but that it does him harm-being
considered really poison to a we'll man.
And even in small quantities, instead Of
aiding the constitution, it only weaken'
and deranges it. 1t acts just like medi
cine does with we'll man. And in fac
liduor WIS first used as a medicine
tcaspoon full was called dram, dose
which helped nature or the sytem to exer
itself in trying to throw off the disease
1t did not really communicate any strengt
to the system but it only acted like a spu
does TO a horse-it served to stimulate tn
system to greater exertion, after which th
system became languid If the lquC
gave any real additional strength or nou
ishment to the system, the system shoul
have retained its renewed strength an
vigor 4 spur may seem to strengthe
the horse, and so liquor may seem
strengthen the man, but it is not really tt
case. 1t is mocker and deceives th
man.
The man when he takes his dram, omar
teaspoons full,) expects to be revived al
animated, (aud 50 he is, he is not there
decciyed,) but soon he becomes langu
and needs to be revived again. Natu
has oyer-excrtcd herself. BY this stea
being thrown on, the system has be-
made to run too fast, and when the stea
is blown off, the system becomes langui
runs slower, and slower than usual. Hen
the man feels that he must take some me
liquor, and so perhaps he does. But
order to enjoy the same animation a
caa-rlulncss he had before, he must ia
l@s.o liqnor than he did before-he III
ia.roase the quantity, take little mo
lie must do so, because the system
been injured by the former quantity.
know how it is when we take little mC
icine it may assist nature to work,
soon again we think we ought to take so
more medicine. But if we wait awh
the system will begin to act. 1" Natl
assisted, will wait to be assisted" Sc
after taking the first dram, instead of
king another, we should wait awhile,
by aud bye the system Gas if terrified a
palsied) will begin to awake and act aga
aud our gloominess will pass away. III
it appears that liquor does not do v
man any real or permanent good-no m
or further than as a medicine or pois
But still you may think earnestly ;
honestly that some men are benefited
it, or at least it does not do them harm
Well, this may be true but if SO, t
are exceptions, and yet perhaps not t,
exceptions, for we may be mistaken iu
gard to them. The liquor may be CO
tclacted by something else in the syst
One poison counteracts and destroys an
er in the system. We know if m;
bitten by snake he is poisoned; but
him liquor, another poison, and one pC
will kill the other. And that this
is seen from the fact, that the man
take more liquor than usual, befor
can be made drunk-the poison OF
snake being overcome and neutralized.
common table salt (the elixir of Ii
good and useful, but it is made of two
stances, each of which by itself is p'
Thus it is of many other things.
what may prove good and wholesome
sick man may be poison to well