Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1859-02-19

" 1t holds the word Of promise to the ear,
And breaks it to the hope"

ut holds the word Of promise to the ear,
And breaks it to the hope"
\ So that if we expect to attain to 8
reasonable measure of longevity W.
shall find it useful as we'll as polite te
avoid the extremes of intemperance.
In the army it has been known tc
destroy more than the sword and hence
it is creditable to our government that
the Quarter Master of our American
army is now abridged of the power te
deal out the unnecessary and useles.
beverage. At the battle of Morengo the
French troops having taken wine eel.
lar from the enemy and indulged freely,
came near being routed "horse, foot
and dragoon." And it is notoriou,
fact that promotions in the army are
often bestowed upon officers who being
taken prisoners and shut up and fed on
bread and water have lived, while their
fellows have died in the camp in the
enjoyment of their regular and daily
quota of beef and brandy.
What then can be said in favor Of a
beverage so useless, so destructive p
Six thousand members of the medical
faculty inform us that it is the efficient
source Of cholera ; that next to marsh
miasma and violent passions, it is the
procuring cause of all terrible diseases,
and that it sends more to the Lunatic
Asylum than all other causes combined.
And before closing my remarks I would
say that it is the enemy Of domestic
peace, the enemy of scientific attain
ments, and the prophetic malefcient
star Of all kinds of misery. Is the
drunkard a kind hearted husband? ? 3
faithful parent? or = pleasant compan-
ion? Is he capable of mental eleva-
ton or Of mora! honesty? And last,
not least, is he happy man? In reply
to these interrogations look at sleepless,
distracted, murdered innocence; see
that wife at the gloomy hour Of mid
night almost bereft Of reason, driven
from her own domestic home, and in
stead Of receiving the fond embrace,
witness the drunken maniac's hand
that hurls her out into the binding
snow storm to endure the winters blast,
| for
Such an one is not truly husband {;
he may be denominated ruffian, a
robber of domestic peace; the domes-
tic burgler, Don Juan, triher with
woman's affections; but he has shame
lesslessly abandoned the straight for
ward duties Of husband, for rum has
made him devil.
And now suppose we call to our aid
little arithmetic and consider the Pc
cuniary influence of alcohol and it's &C.
tual cost to the nation. Will not some
political Journal assist US to some fig
ures? Sure I am that this subject
opens great field for investigations
The old Hunker doctrine that publish.
ers have other fish to fry, other projects
to achieve, and that call is fair in poll
TICS" is only an appeal to inebriate stoi-
cism, and as poor excuse for so much
apathy and indifference. / shall not
render myself chargable with falsehood
when I say that ardent spirit imposes
greater burden of expense on the ma.
ton than the army and navy together,
and that in a pecuniary points of view
it is = greater tax upon the people than
was the stamp act, the Boston port bill
or any other tax ever imposed upon the
American Colonies by the prosecuting
Court of ST. James.
And now for some admissions. Is ar
dent spirits useful as remedy? I re-
plv yes! when stimulents and tonic,
are required there are various occa
sions when spirituous liquors may be
used to advantage in the compounds o.
materia naedica. Pathology will onl,
disclose the time, mode and measure
of their utility. We use alcohol as :
remedy. And having said thus much
let US halt in our tracks before we ar
rive at the break Of the preeipica tha'
has engulfed It's thousands It may be
needed in cases Of disease; still it i!