Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1860-03-07
For the Spirit of the Age.
Il Drink It Moderately"

There are many sensible and well-mean-
ing men all over the country, who look
upon drunkenness with utter adherence.
They pity the men who drink to intoxica-
ton and often seem astonished, that men
endowed with reason and faculties little
lower than angels, should SO degrade them
selves. u drink it moderately" says one,
sand if all others would do the same, that
which was intended for blessing, would
,uoh hSVe heen made such curse" In
this way it is not unfrequently assumed
that moderate dram-drinking is no harm,
but rather blessing. Now let us exam
inc; and if the reverse does not appear
true, it will be because men wiU not see the
truth.
The father sets an example of moderate
drinking before his children. They, as
matter Of course, try to follow that exam
pie. But some of them, and perhaps all,
are not so fortunate in the government of
their appetites and dispositions as he was !;
soon that almost ungovernable propensity
runs off with them and they are thus made
common SOts. Such are obviously the ef-
fects produced by trying to ape moderate
drinking father. Any one can see
that it is so, by little reflection on the
past and present. While on the other
hand, if the example had been that of
"beastly intoxication," the boys would have
become disgusted with it; and Stunned it
as they would the viper's den. Let exami-
nation be made, as to the example set be-
fore those who have fallen, and who are
now falling, victims to this fiend of hell,
and it will be found that in nine cases out
of ten, the effects of moderate drinking
have been worse than those produced by
the most abandoned Sot.
The reason of this is clear. One 'comes
as awolf in sleeps clothing" as an angel of
light, while the other stands out in its Da-
tive blackness. One allures; the other
repels. One comes as a great blessing,
thus assuming,
"The livery of heaven to serve the devil in )"
{ while the other comes with a deformity
and horror, before which midnight dark
ness should blush, and hell itself turn pale
Error is never SO apt to be received as when
mixed with truth-poison is never so dan
gerous as when mingled with something
: palatable.
But then, all are not moderate dram.
, drinkers, who say 81 drink it moderately
Many who thas regard tbensa-l'-c-, are--r>,-
garded by others as drunkards. 1t is well
known, that a drunkard is hard to be made
} believe that he is such; even after it be-
comes notorious to all around him and
n when he is told of it, he scarcely believe.
' it. The truth is, moderate dram-drinkel
e is just as properly drunkard as pig is q
!, hog-the size makes the difference and
one is about as apt to grow up to maturit,
as the other. Then if 1 drank at all,
would, as the expression is-"go the whole
hog :" SO that others might not be induced
T to try to follow my example; and SO as t.
get the full beLeit of the "aUorm," if an
there is. 1t is my firm conviction that tn
! best way to promote sobriety in the futur
is to establish "tetotalism," entirely abstain
. and next to that is "tetotalism," on the oth
y , er side-entre drunkenness. And further
1 that the most dangerous man to society, s
, ! far, at least, as promoting the interest {
l. the "still-worm" is concerned, is the ma
9 who says and acts out the doctrine taugh
c in the expression, 81 drink it moderately
TITUS.
Reaufort N c. 1889