Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1859-07-13
For the Shirt of the Ace.

Mr.. EDIToR:-When ! penned the para of
graph (Which was appended to a private bu- sa
siness letter. that appeared in your issue of
MAY 25th, I had not the remotest idea of it re
being published, much less of it provoking a W
controversy. Whether or not you t%ranscen- cI
ded the editorial ~prerogative in inserting it ~
permission, | will leave with your :.
self to determine. Your reply which was 81
characterized By mmisasS S6v and courtesy, ! did b.
some of it's positioISs But in your issue of :.
June Goth, an anonymous correspondent has :
taken up the subject, and as he threatens to
''trot us through" | think justice demands Y
that | say a few words in reply. !
[ would here premise, that, although [ .
have not identified myself with the Sons of a
Temperance, | am no dram drinker,' never r
was and never expect to be-never was in !
toxicated, and hope by the blessing of God I /
never will be. | am in favor of temperance, 9
and would gladly see the demon of intemper- t
ance driven from our land. readily admit O
that a Society founded on total abstinence {
principles should prohibit all intoxicating l
drinks as a beverage. But should blackberry I
| wine and sweet cider be classified with in |
toxicating liquors? | think not. | know
but little about chemical analysis, but judg-
ing from common observation and experience,
| do not believe that either contain any alco-
holic properties. When the contrary is
proved beyond a doubt, [ will cheerfully
abandon the position. What would black
berry wine be without the requisite amount
of sugar and spices? Evidently nothing but
vinegar, the sugar merely preventing an en-
cess of acetose fermentation. Housewives say
it will not make good vinegar without the adj
dition of a little spirits. That these drinks
have the tendency of exciting a thirst for al
coholic liquors is simply preposterous; that
they will arouse the 'taccursed appetite of
other days" or awaken the olddevil within"
| think altogether improbable. If a cup of
coffee or a glass of sour buttermilk would
have the same effect, then | admit that they
might. If they had this effect on your cor
respondent, | think it attributable to the in
PRODUCTION of some foreign ingredient con-
tanning alcoholic properties. That this is not
their legitimate effect, is proved by the fact
that in wine growing countries where only
wine is used, (and that much stronger than
either of the above named drugs,) drunken
ness is of rare occurrence. This is corrobo-
rated by the unimpeachable testimony of a
late American Traveller in Spain and Portu-
gal. He says that in all his travels, although
the inhabitants used wine freely at their
meals, &C., he saw but a single case of intox-
~ication, and in that instance the habit was
COl1UIdCISd III lily IO. LfCI SlIlCC NlN 1dlA
III tnrv saruon of FEssa. it hos boon the dispo-
sition of man to attach the blame and saddle
the responsibility on something else than his
own perverse and sinful heart. But if these
drinks are prohibited, consistency requires
that pickles, coffee, tobacco, &C., be also pro-
hibited. In fact we incline to the opinion
that tobacco should rank beside Alcohol for
nothing but a depraved and an unnatural ap-
petite for stimulus would induce man to use
one of the vilest, foulest weeds in creation,
from which every animal and every human
being not habituated to it's use, instinctively
turns with loathing and disgust!
You intimate, Mr.. Editor, that my senti
ments are far behind the temperance senti
ments of the age. Be it so. If they are or
the side of truth and moderation, that is Blu
a small consideration. Yourself and cores
pondent seem to think there is no such thing
as carrying temperance too far. | think diff
ferently. Human nature is prone to extremes
and men have carried temperance as we'll az
abolitionism and other topics of reform quite
too far. When mems minds become absorb
ed with one subject to the exclusion of others
!, of equal importance, so that they speak ant
think of nothing else they become to a Ger
tain extent, insane on the subject, q dom
just now remember the technical name b,
: which it is known to Metaphysicians,) an
; they are apt to exalt It to an undue promi
4 hence, and 60 unwarrantable lengths in it
advocacy. To hear some of the temperate
: speakers of the day (others of course, as a
should, keep within the bounds of sober res
} son and common sense one would infer tina
: nothing was requisite to make earth an ely
7 SUM, to depopulate hell and fill heaven, bu
. the suppression of intemperance. am ia
Il from believing that the devil and his emiss'
{ ries would be vanquished were intemperanC
suppressed. Neither do [ believe that inten
= perance is the only evil that should engae
G the attention of the Christian or Philanthr
d pist. There were men in other days WI
u denounced the blessed Saviour as a Winch
: Der, because, forsooth, he conformed to tt
IL oriental custom in using wine as a table drin
6 such have their counterpart in the ultra r
3 formers and extremists of the present day.
{ Paurs example is certainly worthy of EN-
- lation, and had youf correspondent alwa
r. been governed by it he would not have fall
u so low in the scale of moral excellence.
d As regards the ''good Deacon" we wou
A. simply remark, that Notwithstanding his re
rehensible practice, he might have more he
II Venly grace in his '4ittle s0ul," than most
y his denunciators. Your correspondent
this, as in his execrations on liquor selle
II discovers a rancour of disposition certain
10 not very enyiable. This, however, should
ne looked over, as it is probably attributable
ne his quondam habits.
And now, Mr.. Editor, I am done with Il
= subject. [ do not expect to recur to- 1t aga
~ and regret the necessity for doing so now.
Your correspondent, who it seems, us I
done with the subject yet" is at peri
es liberty to hammer away at it as long as
70 pleases- If his first is indicative of his c.
at bre, he will not do much execution.
M Lay on Macduf." R. II. Il
80 Pineyille, N. c..
on I'VE give our Correspondent a respect
On hearing. Nearly every point in his Comm
iu- %nication betrays a want of acquaintance W
en- e the subjects discussed, that the merest I.
me in temperance literature could expose. ]
hyperbole of universal sobriety in wine dru
em ing countries, is simply amusing; and wi
NC We have time, we will show that his 'unl
ing peachable testimony" alluded to, has b
he successfully impeached and entirely oy
thrown by contrary facts, given also by tr
'eu elers. But we have not time to look up
III documents in time for this issue. En-. A