The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1857-07-18
Temperance and Cupidity.
From the Boston Journal

The readers of" Household Words are IA
miliar with the complaints Of fraud in almo>.
every article of common use III England.
winch can be by any means protahlv aIu!ic-
rated, and an almo,, equally interesting chap
ter might be written on the similar practices
which prevail in this country. These frauds
are not altogether injurious Except to th>
contents of the pockct.) and there is one ca>c
IN which they are proving positively bencli-
clal.and As they become better known will be
an efficient aid to the cause Of temperance.
1t Is supposed that more champagne wine is
drink here than in any other country in the
world Of equal population, but this is a great
mistake. We do not suppose that one imbi-
Der of champagne in Il hundred in the United
States. ever tasted the pure article. or even
an imitation that had any portion of it mixed
with 1t. One thing We are sure of: the ma.
who has really drank champagne once. VIII
always know it when he tastes il again. and
will never be taken in by IT," bc>, imitation
ever made. The champagne of commerce. ui
which 50 many thousands of bottles are Swal-
lowed i'll this country. is for tn most part a
compound of the most inferior wines OF
France. strengthened with alcohol. >wcc.rne i
with honey and favored to suit the market. 4
most NiilainouS and dclctcrouS amal-ama-
ton. Those who use it to any extent. have
no need to shnm j,,,n after caro,,>c: they
will find it quite real. unless they are so har,.
encd by use rs to be able t. bear ANYTHING.
The establishments in France fer the manu-
tacturc Of this, and of other limitations of
wines. tand they initiate cNcrything.) are u.i
the grande,t scale employing a vast amount
of capital and great number of hlnhS The,
form quite an important item in the statistics
of French industry.
There was a time within the memory OF
man. when pure grape brandy could be had
but it has passed away. Possibly it may be
had i'll small quantities still though the
chance is strong against it. The base ofmo,!-
crn brandy is corn and molaSScS. Alcohol
from these materials is exported to France in
vast quantities; there it goes into the brandy
vaults, and comes out whatever is wanted.
Bordeaux, Rochelle, Cognac, and of any vint-
age in the last twenty years that NAV be de-
sired. The brandy topper may rely upon it
molasscS rum. and he may thank his stars il
it is nothing worse
! The honest Dutchman makes pure Schie-
dam, bceauS" he has not vet discovered any
thing cheaper to mix with it but the equally
honest Yankee retailer is not restrained by
any such obstacle. He can buy pure spirit.
made of Strychnine whi>kcv. at third of the
cost, and Of course it is for his benefit, if not
for the health ofhis customers, thot he should
sell them two whiskies to one gin, and-hc
does it.
Until lately, thousands of drinkers have
avoided all these limitations and conglomcra-
tons, by contining themselves to :" old Coum-
bla,' or "old Bourbon liquors of no pre-
tense, but Of unquestioned purity-not so sa-
worry, but perfectly safe. Alas. for them,
since it has been ascertained that a gallon of
"pure old whiskey" contains strvchninc
enough to kill a dog. Whiskey cannot be
sold now without the certificate of some we'll
known chemist that it is free from strvchninc
but after all, what does the chemist know
about any other barrel than the one he has
examined. Whiskey drinkers ftl that there
is no safety even in such certificates.
Thus cupidity has become the ally of temp
erance. Long live the manufacturers of wines,
brandy and whiskey who make them all pois
onoua beyond the shade of doubt. Every
man who swallows their compounds does it
with his eyes open, and after fair warning.
These frauds, being discovered, are no longer
frauds: The victims are not poisoned by 9th
ers-they poison themselves. Men of sense.
who :" read the papers" are fast coming to
the conclusion that their only safety lies in
banishing these limitations of liquor from
their houses, and SO the cause of temperance
is receiving an onward impetus from motive
power not called to its aid by temperance
men.
! R 1t is never too late to mend