Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-10-02
NEW YORK CORRESPONDENCE.
NEw YORK. Sept. 29th, 1858.

he laying OF the corner stone OF the New
York State Inebriate Asylum" was performed
on the 24th inst, in the presence of many thOus-
ands at BinghamPton, n Y. This corner stone
laying affords food for much sober thought
An Asylum for the Inebriate, is well, is the die
tate of humanity, originating in desire TO al
leyiate human suffering, and to dry up the tears
which are ever flowing from the cup of human
affection. But is it not better 10 dry up the
Fountain from which flows the ire-waters of
inebriation Is it not better to raeeiAGts so as
10 PreDeHt the disease, rather than to license
persons to spread the disease, and then, after
the riUs has taken effect, and the poor victim
is broken out, enervated. health and moral
strength, and mental resolution, ,gOne-property
wartice-reputation lost, and his family pau
pered and overwhelmed in trouble, to take him
to an Asylum, 20 reform him; and to perfect a
cure for his madness, and when he is again
''clothed in his right mind to be turned out, TO
be again bitten by the worm of the STILL" in
order to put few shillings of paltry gain in
the pockets of the vender of 'fre-waters :"
What would the people say, to the establish
ment Of an asylum, for the treatment and cure
of HydrophObia, by the authority of the State,
while at the same time, by the same authority,
certain persons in every town, city and village
of the States by paying a small sum, were IL
csnsed to make dogs madl
l do not think an enactment of this kind could
be fOrced,by any means, or by any system of log
rolling, or by the appliance of any party ma
ehinery, through Legislature. And yet, it
would be Just as wise and consistent, as the es-
Enlistment of an "Inebriate Asylum" on the
one hand, and the granting of Licenses, by au-
thority of the State, to individuals to make inc
briates on the other. 1t IS inconsistent, and
yet what is to be done, TO PreUet, rather to cure
intempeTance In the wine countries there is
but very little drunkenness. In Germany there
is but little intemperanee. And here in this
great Wilderness Of Humanity, where people
are gathered from the -four corners of the
earth" bringing the habits, manners and Gus
toms of their father land with them, YOU will
find among the Germans, French, and Span
iards, but little intemperanee, as they drink
wine and lager beer; while among the Irish and
! Americans who drink alcoholic liquors, there is
a heap of drunkenness. The contrast is gneat-
est between the whiskey drinking Irish and the
lager-beer drinking Germans. do not think
that lager-beer gives strength and energy or i'm
parts vIgor or vitality to the system; and vet
il does not brutalize the whole nature of man,
like alcoholic liquors. AS man is an animal
given to drink, and as he has been fond of "a
wee drop" ever since father Noah mingled wine
and strong drink, why not encourage the
cultivation Of the grape all over the land, and
let its pure juice become the beverage, with
pure lager beer, Of the people, aud make it, by
Statuatsry law, an offence, punishable by fine
and Imprisonment, TO alcoholic liquors or
adulterated wines and spurious lager, as a
beverage Whatever will prevent drunkenness
among men should be encouraged.
In the Sixth Ward of this city there are E.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES of InebriatiOn to fill a dozen
Inebriate Asylums with its wretched victims
There are but very Germans in this Ward; but
many fights, rows, and murders. Here "whis-
key Is the dark beverage of hell" In the large
German Wards. where lager-beer is the bever-
age, there are very seldom any fights and riots
Whiskey is full OF ight-lager-beer is quiet
with now and then little effervesenee, and
lock up in a station house until morning. | do
not know that intemPerance in our great cities
can be cured. 1t is sad to see the number of
youths who are falling into its maelstrOm.-
Libraries, Literary Societies, Lyceums, Young
Mems Christian Associations and Unions, may
save some; but there are thousands who have
no intellectual tastes, and no intellectual cul-
ture; have no acquaintance with books and seek
none. Mental and moral power they do not
reckon among the valuables of life. This class !
It IS hard tC teach. They are educated in Sa-
loOns, in Eating Houses and are graduated in |
three cent doggeries; and die in PRISON or poor |
houses, and are buried in Potter fields
We'll and truly does William Pitt Palmer say, |
in an address delivered in StOckbridge, Mass |
last winter, in Contrasting City and Country |
Life" Had man remained in his primitive
stIte Of innocence no such nuisanees as a crow
ded city would have existed on our favored |
planet. As the sinless race increased, Eden
would have enlarged its delightful area to meet
the wants Of the happy couples desirOus of do
nestle establishments of their own; and thus in
process Of time, the whole earth would have
been dotted over with blowers of bliss" But,
the tempter came, and in his track followed fear
aud avarics, and cruelty, and ali the kindred
fashions let loose from their Pandemonium.
The thistle then its arrowy head upreared
And tlshrs thoIn upOn the Iose appeared.
The first murderer 'builded city" "a fu-
yitiye and a vagabond in the earth," and haun-
ed BY conscience ever eehoing the cry of a
'rolher's blood, it is not strange that, yearning
ior the comforting assurance of numbers, Cam
should have been the father of the first city,
1aterfamias of the earliest brood of Antediluvian
Aldermen"