Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1858-02-04
fro BE CONTINUED.
For the Yorkville Enquirer.
A FEW REASONS FOR SUPPORTING THE
DRY TICKET.

Are YOU nm honest man? Then let us reason
together in candor and sincerity. "WLLt is TRUTH
was asked by one of old in n spirit of skeptclsm.
In the dim regions of speculative philosophy, or
the far.of realms of imagination, doubt and inde-
cision-even error-are perhaps excusable. But
in the matter. of. fact realities of life-pnlpable
exemplifcations of the principles of moral and
practical truths-iti is only the prejudced illiber-
nj. and blind partisan or the slave of some fa-
vorite sin, who waaves around himself web of
delusion and falsehood. There is no question in
ethical philosophy, which falls within the sphere
of everyday life, that is not susceptible of e1-
plicit solution. Ask man who meets in secret
conclave nightly to celebrate the orgies Of Bac-
chus, and to reassert his domination. why it is
wrong to get drunk, or to encourage drunkenness,
and he instantly denies the premises, and, with
mock heroic air. declares that man ''has q right
to do ms he pleases." Ask the same individual
why man should not lie, and in all probability
you will hear an cncomium on truth. He will
give proof upon proof of the intrinsic value Of
falsehood would induce universal mistrust; that
disruption of all social ties would follow that
the harmony of domestic life, so beautiful in theo-
ry, if sometimes discordant in practice, would be
tangled and marred; that reason after reason
could be given, if necessary, to establish the wis
dom and the justness of, and the moral obligation
to the divine njunction-"thou shalt not lie." 1t
never occurs to him that reasoning equally simple
and incontroveribe would apply to, and enforce,
the virtue of sobriety. What produces more con-
tention between man and man? What oftener
bghts the maiden's dream of domestic felicity
and sows discord and hate between man and wife ?
What makes man mistrust his neighber go soon
rs seeing him the victim of incorporate habits!
What sin so inevitably produces all other sins as
ntemperance And what virtue must so neces-
sarily underle all other virtues rs temperance?
The abstract principle of sobriety is just as OBJ
lgatory in a moral sense as that of truth, and
the practical illustrations drawn from the daily
manifestations Of real life, are, if possible, more
cogent and unmistakabc. Having established
this, let us inquire into the moral rcqusiton which
every one is under to promote the cause of tenn
perance and good order. Or, to come more I'M
mediately to the point, let us inquire why every
h,nest man must feel under obligations to encour-
age, and put in operation, all the appliances,
which human wisdom has been able to invent to
make men SOBER orderly, temperate and moral.
If n man considers that he is bound t. speak the
truth because it is abstracty and practically a
moral virtue and if from this general and compre-
hcnsive premis, he must necessarily infer that he
is to encourag. others to speak the truth, both by
his example, On by placing no temptation in their
way to ensnare them into n falsehood, then by
anological induction must it follow that the same
inlividual-if he admits that temperance is q
moral virtue-mustinfer binding obligation rest
ing upon him to use every legitimate means to
promote this virtue. If he does not think sobriety
q virtue he should certainly be able to give reason
for his belief-we do not mean m opinion hut rea.
,on-which if not unanswerahle shall at least have
an air of plnusibility about it. But this is some
thing no sane person will attempt However by
their actions they may seem to justify inebriety.
they have not the hardihood openly to advocate
what they practice They know their actions, to
q certain degree. are beyond the control of
others, but their logic they are we'll aware. would
quickly be refuted and hurled back in their face.