Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1858-06-30
ORIGINAL PAPERS:
For the Spirit Of the Age.
THE ABSTINENCE REFORMATION.
BY scRurAToR.-No. 8.

THE ABSTINENCE REFORMATION. t
By scRUTAToR.-No. 8.
We will, in the next place, proceed to !
consider that conduct which has been
probable cause of the present degenerate
and deprayed condition Of the race.
The human family have, in all genera
tions, walked after the laws Of the flesh,
and been governed by their appetites and
passions rather than intellectually and mo-
rally. The exercise Of the propensities has
been the chief enjoyment of the race and
that which rendered the greatest amount
Of passiona capacity, has been that for
which man has labored most.
God ordained that, to avoid certain helm
GUS sins, every man Rave his own (one)
wife yet polygamy began to exist as early
as the third generation from Adam, and
intermarriages were the order of the day.
Abraham even married his half sister.
And the Moabites and Amortes were
the fruitful products Of drunkenness and
incest between father and daughters
David, too, committed murder for the sake
of adultery; and Solomon, the aCiSe man,
was guilty of thousand wives and concu-
bines.
Now, If these men-chosen people of
God-were guilty Of such heinous crimes
against their God, themselves, and their
posterity, can any one imagine the mid
night blackness of the conduct of the COM
mon peoples Verify their capacities were
prostratedt to purposes too shockingly abom-
Unable almost to be referred to.
Notwithstanding man once lived to near
thousand years without pain or sickness,
yet, the ultimate effect Of the continuation
Of such conduct was the development of
disease; and, firstly came cutaneous erup-
tions; as leprosy, boils etc., ETC., which
were but the manifestations Of the success
ful efforts Of the system to cast out and get
rid Of impurities by the skin, the great
eliminating emunctory of the body. At a
later day, however, when the bodily ener-
gies became enfeebled by the penalties o.
continued physiological transgressions, and
unable longer to protect themselves, in
ternal connections and affections Of the vi
ceral organs took place and when Chris
came, diseases of the most loathsome anC
hideous characters prevailed, as is evinceC
by the multitudes who thronged him to b
healed.
The excesses and denominations of man
kind, however, did not stop even here, a
the history Of the foremost nations of Eu
rope presents cxemplfcations of depravit
scarcely to be equaled by the Mormons {
Utah. Venus, as is well known, was tn
goddess of the city of Corinth and tn
law Of the Corinthians enjoined that
thousand beautiful females should official
as courtesans before her altar. The ric
from surrounding countries whose God We
their bellies, and whose delight was drunl
enness and reveling, flocked to this cit
for wicked and licentious purposes, as the
now do from the four corners of the cart
to the great Salt Lake for like purposes
and, like the latter, they became bonafC
citizens of the same, and the effect pr
duced, was, they became weak, puny, IN
good for nothing, as | apprehend the fc
lowers Of Joe Smith will in time to com
1t is said that in Rome a worse state
affairs prevailed for many generations ths
inGreece. Females esofrespectabity thoug
nothing of attending festivities in state
compile nudity, nakedness being fashion
hy respectable and decent. The vastne
.. this hellish prostitutional vortex cam
l.ossibly be conceived. Whole natio
have become engulphed by it. The la
Of France even nowsanction thepurposes
and protect prostitutes, the consequence
which is, in the city of Paris one half t
children born are illegitimate.
Through such causes have we receiv
our diseased and corrupt humanity al
as our ancestors double at every reno
upward, we have more than thousa
channels at even the tenth degree throu
which corruption and de6lement have co
down to us. How awfully degenerate Il
lamentably foul, then, must not our systc
be after passing through so many vile g
erations
Now, when we take into considerat
that to give passional capacity and cure
penalties due these transgressions of
laws Of life and health, the race have c
considered it necessary to again violate
laws OF their being by taking poisons,
cannot wonder that our diseases should
so shametully numerous, or that half
race should lie in infamy. 1t is to a
iation OF all the laws of our being that
as race are imbecile and degenerate
hoo enlightened and prOfessedly scien
men-the guardians Of the health Of
people-can look upon the same with
concern, and even themselves perpct
deeds Of greater physiological wicked
than most persons, is what am utterly
able to divine.
Taking, then, cOnsiderate surve
this whole matter, is it not time to en-,
after the means, if means there be, for q
ede mption from this low state of b