Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1860-05-02

/
who ceaseth from raising after he ha
kneaded the dough until it be leayened. Il
the day OF our King the princes have mad
him sick with bottles of wine. he stretche,
out his hand with scorners. For they hav,
made ready their heart like an oven. whil
they lie in wait; their baker sleepeth all tn
night, in the morning it burneth as a flamin.
hre. They are all hot as an oven and hay
devoured their judges; all their Kings ar,
fallen, there is none among them that call
eth unto me: Ephraim, he hath mixed him
self among the people; Ephraim is cak
unturned, 65c." Hosea vii-1-10. How
wretched the condition of the people, VIII,
have brought wo and anguish upon them
selves thnano,h - sossres--Sa ciicS y reJenednes
OF Israefs condition in consequence of tn,
use OF termented wine. He views them In
their church relation, and shows that Goo
rad done all for their good that he could dc
consistently with their free moral agency
and yet for all that, they apostatized from
that high position in which he had placed
them. The immediate cause of this was
their lntemperance by the use of wine. II
had wrong ht in them prodigious and de.
structive change, both in their physical and
moral state. Intellectually, they had be-
come forgetful of God and his goodness to
them, and in their physical nature thev had
become debased and feeble and were likely
to tamish and die. In their moral character
they had become exceedingly vile and cor
rupt, regardless of God and his counsels {:
they delighted only in vanity, iniquity and
crime. Now, because of this their condi-
tion' they were exposed to very great NOR
tallty and liableto be ruined and undone
forever.
These views are fully sustained by the
Prophet, thus: "Wo unto them that rise
up early IN the morning, that they may fol-
low low strong drink, that continue until night,
I'LL wine lnfiame them And the harp and
the viol, the tabret and pipe, and wine are
In their feasts bnt thav ree-->a --~t ti,e work
OF The Lord neither consider the operation of
his hands. Therefore my people are gone
into captivity because they have no knowl-
edge and their honorable men are famished
and their multitude dried up with thirst
Therefore hell hath enlarged herself and
opened her mouth without measure, and
their glory, and their multitude, and their
pomp. and he that rejoiceth, shall descend
into it," &c. Isaiah v-l1-25. The whole
of this Chapter from verses l to 25, is de-
scriptive of the deleterious influence of fer
mented wine upon the church and people of
the Jews.
From the view thus briefly given, it is u1-
deniably certain that the use of the purest
fermented wines by the Jews brought them
into most deplorable and wretched condi-
ton. Their wines, however, were, when
compared with such as are now in common
use in wine growing countries, exceedingly y
weak. Now, while we take this into consid-
Grafton, what may we imagine must be the
condition of thcSa countries where the
stren CIV alcoholic wines of the present day
or in common use?
The contrast in the condition of the Jewish
people before they used alcoholic wines, and
after it's common use was introduced, demon
strates beyond all doubt that fermented
wines when brought into common use as a
beverage, will not Danish drunkenness from
any community, but will rather establish tha
as the ordinary state and condition of any
community whenever such q custom may
prevail Had the Jews been an intemper
ate people, when they used wine, oil, honey
| milk, corn and wheat alike, there would b,
very strong ground for doubt as to the
true character of their wine, but inasmuch a
| there is no evidence at all, that they wer
then intempera g, the conclusion is forces
upon us that the wine then in use was in al
unfermented state. And inasmuch as w
know that they were nation exceedingl
Incorporate In their latter days; we kno'
also that the wines which they did then ust
were fermented wines, we have it before U
as moral demonstration that their wretch
ed condition was the necessary result of th
free use of the purest fermented wines
these times, and consequently, it follows as
demonstrated certainty, that so far as tt
Jewish nation is concerned, that they wei
immensely injured by its use.
Much might be said with regard to tt
condition of the Jews, but what has bee
furnished will fully prove the injurious g
fects of the free use of fermented wine.
This subject derives some elucidation fro
the state and condition
II. Of Italy in some portions where viii
is freely used as beverage.
Italy has in some of its districts made CO
siderable quantities of wine. The peop
have suffered considerably by its use. Th
will appear from the facts shall now su
nit. The following letter addressed to
G. Delavan, Esq, dated Florence, Feb
18th, 1885," will be thought sufficient
show the direful effects of the use of the f
mented wines of Italy upon the condition
it's inhabitants.
"The abuse of wine here is much grea
than hasty observer might suppose. T
quantity drank by very large class is doul
that (of any species of liquidl consider
wholesome for man. It produces most
the bad effects of ardent spirits as misus
in our country, and is, perhaps, as bel
more gradual in its operation, more ansidao
| have been assured by competent judI
, that great portion of the violent infamn
! tory complaints so prevalent here have tn
: origin and owe their Development to t
r abuse of wine. The opthalmia, which is
, cruel scourge to the laboring classes, 6
which fills the streets of Florence with bl
f persons, is declared-by medical men,
Q belong rather to the effects of the climate {
b light reflected from the buildings and pa
!, ments on heated and over stimulated {
: TENS than to the unaided action of
l. natural agents. Many of the more think
+ and prudent Italians abstain from the US
+ wine. Several of the most eminent med
: men are notoriously opposed to its use
g declare it poison. Then | assure you
% one.ffth, and sometimes one-fourth of
d earnings of the laborers are expended
y wine, and when / add to this that every
D we're winter destroys hundreds of the al
infants and females for want of proper Il
10 ing and clothing, you may form some
y of its probable influence on their thrift
IS health. l ought, in candor, to mention
lg it is still served by those in the hosp
,p to such as are on full allowance. How
Id the destructive and poisonous infuenc
of wine, as here used, is to be ascribed to
ss grape, and how far it is augm ented and
I'D gravated by poisonous adulteration, it W
rs be difHculs to cay, for though the pure
in of the grape can beffurnished at about
K cent bottle, youwho have studied the M
et know very weH that the retailers choos
ey gain fraction of profit by the additit