The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1856-03-12
HliGrrllul(ll.
TEEToTALLERs VERSUS PARTA.
KERS.

IEEI0IALLERS VERSUS PARTA-
KERS.
In the last number of Blackwood's
Magazine, is an interesting article on
drinking and Smoking" There is truth
in the following extract:
1--WE like sober man-who does not.
put we arc not prepared TO admit in all
cases the Incompatible moral eminence OF
the class called tcetollc,s. One section
only Of them can we admire-those who,
in the belief that the cause is a good one,
sacrifice their inclinations for the sake Of
giving us the benefit of his example. For
the type ola far more numerous class
for the man who, having been terrific
drunkard, takes the vow to save himself
from pcrdition, we have no respect. lie
takes the measure of his elevation from
the depths ofhs own previous degradation
instead Of the natural level OF humanity :;
and, thus convinced Of his own moral
majesty, tottcrS along at tcctotal process
sions under the weight of stupendous
banner, TO the braying and banging of
brass bands. But still, through all the
moral majesty OF the sight, we SEQ the re-
fuse of the las; tit OF delirium in the mo-
tion Of lat, legs 4; and the uneasy twinkle
of his eye suggests that the old love is not
entirely deserted, and may soon again Ec
pressed to his lips. We cannot view him
as any better thtn n man morally diseas-
cd, who is administering TO Himself a VIC
lent remedy, fortunately not needed by his
moderate brethren.
But there is another member Of the Tee
total class-the man who constitution,ly
disiikes liquid s!lmnlantS-wh is mad.
sick with glass Of champagne, and dis
covers and offensive odor in the bouIuct
OF his friends best Bordeaux. Shall we
not give our need of admiration to his
happy constitution No. There is a
defect in it, which his wife, or his partner
in business, or his servant, or some one or
other, has known bpt two well. we can
not say we entirely approve o. the speech
of worthy Aberdoaian matron, who,
when her companions were complaining
bitterly o. the vices Of their respective hus.
bands, represented her own rs fist a guecd,
discreet, co"tht, canny, weel principlcd,
drucIcn body, wi nae il! habits about him
ava But the man who has no taste for
s.imuants in his constitution may have
something worse, and the natural tectetalcr
generally has It. Some of them we have
known men Of dire mcrosi,y of temper
suIlcn, inprac,ic&Lle, and relentless. 9th
ers of then, again, we have known the
victims OF continual excitement, as if they
81
were afflicted with sort OF chronic intoxi-
cation. Pride vanity, and such like moral
stimuIants, provide them with selfcon-
tanned gin-pa!ace, furnishing them with
tho temptations to many q fantastic folly.
supreme among this class was Charles
MI. Of Sweden, one Of tho few men the
world has seen who, with no cruelty of
character, or other glarins vice, yet in
mere self indul gence, and the pursuit of n
whim or hobby, kept the world in dispcsce,
dcsolated whole nations, ~ sacrificed
thousands Of valuable lives. 1t is remark.
able, on the other haad-though not, of
course, matter to he made precedent
that his illustrious rival, Peter the Great
-Ae who, perhaps, did more for civiliza-
ton than any other single man, was hard
drinker. Rousseau was another type OF a
natural tccto;aIlcr. The mention Of his
name is quite sufficient to eoniure up suf.
ticicnt array Of Compensatory defects Of
character to make up for the absence Of
the common appetite. Such anomalies
are often seen on smaller scale. Your
ex cited friend, who is like the very cffcr-
vescence Of champagne, ever fixing, spur.
ting, and threatening to discharge his cork,
getting into unaccountable scrapes every
day. and nuisance to his friends from his
eccentricity aud ons-iicndc,iuoss is
a teetotaIler; whereaa YoI,r solemn friend
there, a very practical man, cautious to
excess in his walk, anl sound and solemn.
in his advice, takes his steady, stiff tumb-
ler--perhaps too stiff; in fact, he is getting
into c1nivocal habits.
II we take nations, or other large bodies
of men, we see more conspicuously that
tho appetite for st,n,ulanis il AN element
in the best developed races Of men. The
Italian and the Langucdocian arc each
more sober than the Briton; but will any
one dare to say that he stands on the same
level rs man! The most energetic and
enterprising of our working men are, at
the same time, often those who are the
greatest dovotces of the bottle. So here
again we are brought back to our old po-
sition, that a certain likiag for s,imulants
is an element in the character Of a fully de-
ycloped man; that We cannot ampntate
IT from his characte~, rs somo enthusiasts