Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1860-01-13
temperance.
HENRY WARD BEECHER ON TEN
PERANCE.

course delivered BY this eminent man on the
goth of November, at Brooklyn, N. Y;
81 think that temporarily there is a reac-
tionary state in the public mind with reference
TO temperance. | think that to a certain ex-
tent there is going back in this cause.
do not think the great cause itself, with the
last thirty years Of discussion, has lost ground,
but think that, as in filling any great tank,
the waters rush in in such a way that, as they
rise up on parts Of the surface there are oscil-
lations, so in the progress Of any great cause
there are reactionary influences which pro-
duce oscillations, as it were, in the depart
ments Of that cause And il seems to me that
we are at time in which the young are drink
ing again. il not as much as before the tempe
rance movement was started, yet great deal
moro than they were ten OF fifteen years ago.
This is at least, the result Of my own observ-
alton. And on this whole subject have this
to aay--thst Of all the evils among us, drink
ing is the most dangerous and if any man
thinks it is not, it is probably more danger
Gus in his case than in that of other persons.
The men that are timid, and cautious, and
stingy. and cold withal. are usually the men
who do not like to drink, and who are least
in danger of becoming drunkards but the
men that are genial, and generous, aud conf
dent, and hopeful. and that love to see things
glitter by the bead of the wine-cup, arc the
men who like to drink, and who are in danger
Of becoming drunkards.
And this is pre-eminenty a sin for it is
sin which seems, in its beginnings, TO be fair
enough, and one which pleads long precedent,
pleads secret example and permission, pleads
custom in the highest and most respectable
crcles--pleads everything except fact and ex-
pediency. The beginnings Of il are iestal,
eonvivial, beautiful, even but, if there be one
thing of which it may be said, The ends
thereof are the ways Of death, this is it.
speak as a pastor--I speak as a ctizen-l
speak simply as a man. have seen so mucn
Of this evil, do see so much Of it. / see that
it is so easy to let it alone before meddliug
with it, aud so hard aiterward, and | feel
bound to warn YOU against, it again and again.
And | am speaking what | do thoroughly be-
lieve, when say that unless a man has occa-
sion to use various alcoholic stimulants for
real bona fde medical purposes, he had better
let them entirely alone; because the begin
nings Of this habit seem right, and the ends
thereof are death.
One thing is certain-you do not need to
drink. 1t does not do you any good II is
expensive and dangerous. The more you do
it, the more you want to do it, aud therefore
the more dangerous it becomes in your case.
| am not wholly faithless with regard to the
reformation of men who are addicted TO drink
ing but think that except by means of in
stitutons, it is almost impossible to reform
them. Instituted help, long confinement,
and regimen, may eradicate the taint from
them.
One word more under this head. There is
a habit Of recommending the substitution Of
milder beverages in the place Of the stronger
ones. Now, men may talk as much as they
please about lager beer. and native American
wine. and about those who drink being satis-
fed with those. but what is il that makes men
drink in this country Do they drink be-
cause they love the taste OF liquor; Do they
do it a general rule for any other rule than
this-that they have two weeks work TO do
in one. and they want double strength You
drink because you have got TO do ten hours
work in day, and you have strength TO do
only eight; you drink because YOU have got
TO do fifteen hours work in a day, and you
have strength to do only twelve; you drink
because you have got to do eighteen hours
work in day. and you have strength to do
only sixteen You want steam, aud there
fore you drink that which will make steam
The Frenchman and the Italian may drink for
the tongue, but you drink for the Rerue
Talk about people in foreign countries where
the habit OF drinking is universal being peace.
ful! They are a thousand times more quar-
relsome than we are The people in those
countries where there is beer-drinking in fam
lilies, are the most quarrelsome people in the
world. They may not get drunk, but you
will find in them the preliminary tendencies
to drunkenness. They drink enough to make
them irritable, perpetually. We drink, not
to CRAFTY the palate, but for a business pur-
pose. That being the case. we may begin
with the milder beverage, Just as we begin our
fires with pine shavings, not only because we
eau light them easily, but also because we
want them to set on fire something solder.
And wine is stepstone to brandy. Beer is
stepstone the other way. 1t does not lead up
TO brandy, but it leads down to drHnk--and
beastly drunk
! would speak with discrimination. | would
not make what say void OF influence by any
seeming extrAvagance would leave a mar
gin of toleration, where. under the appropri-
ate directions of physicians who are them
selves temperate, men may, for occasional
states Of alteration in the physical system,
use ardent spirits. But in regard to using
mider beverages for the sake of doing two
men WORK, say, you can begin with these,
but you will not stop with them. When they
have lost their power to stimulate you, you
will want something stronger, and YOU will
go to brandy-and from brandy-if such
thing remains except in legends-you will go
to drugged brandy and spices You will be
a drunkard then, and there is no use OF trae-
ing you further A man that drinks for the
sake Of the drunk, is drunkard, whether he |
reels or not. Thus the beginnings of the
ways of intemperance may seem right, but the
ends thereof are the ways Of death.
wall here repeat what | believe have
sald to you atoretime There is an asylum
being built at Binghamton under the auspices I
OF Dr. Turner, for nebriates There ought
to have been one long ago. / thank God for
the springing up of this one 1t will be the
pioneer of others. We need many such in !
stitutions. am informed that although the
building is not yet completed, and although |
it is guaged TO accommodate only three hun
dred patients, more than twenty-eight hun
dred applications for admissions have already /
been made, and that four hundred of them
were made in behalf OF women
Now such facts as these ought to make men
pause. If any of you are gradually going