The Camden confederate. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1861-1865, 1864-07-13
Conscripticn Before the Flood with
Incidental Reference to- Eating
and Drinking.

Incidental Reference to- Eating
and Drinking.
Methuselah lived to what would nov
be considered good old age. Few peo-
pie in these latter days can reasonably
hope to attain their nine hundred and
sixty ninth year, though at the rate some
have grown old under the operation of
the conscriptiop law, it has been silly
hinted that they will soon approximate
the intediluvian standard.
But that is not the thing which we
had in OUT mind when we wrote the cap.
ton of this brief article. The fact is,
that something suggested to MS yesterday
the idea cf militia muster in thoseearly
days when counted the stages of their
lives by centuries. Ne seemed to see
some of the cotemporsries of Tubai Cain,
or some colonel or enrolling officer Of rhe
Land of Nod, calling upon the able-bod-
led men, between one hundred and'eighty
and four hundred and fifty, to be and
appear, armed and equipped, as the law
directs, at the usual muster ground near
Tubal Gains blacksmith shop. And we
could fancy the subsequent call for the
reserve, including all the youths, between
one hundred and fifty, one hundred and
eighty, and all the mer, between four
hundred and fifty and five hundred. II
they had substitutes over the conscrlption
age, they probably came from the class
between five and six huudred-hale,
hearty men, little over their prime, but
still equal to good military service.
And the antediluvians were pretty
hard set that much is evident-and II
follows that although they may not have
had CGIF's revol7ers or minnie muskc:s
or rifed cannon, they were not without
means for doing each other harm, nor
wanting in tile disposition to use them.
They also got drunk at militia gather:
ings, no doubt. for about the first thing
Noah did after the food subsided was to
plant vineyard, make wine and get
overcome. fIe had learned that before
he had seen so much water, and his long
swim around in the ark does not seem tC
have made him q convert to the Maine
liquor law.
We can fancy the light.headed boys
from one hundred, upwards, and sympa
thise with the fears of their discreet par
ents when they found these 1Gnocent anc
un>uspoctiNg j~veniles exposed TO the
temptations of the camp, aud acquiring
taste for cilcrr"yal and other potent bev
earges dealt out by the suffers, for O
course they had suffers; and Of course
the suffers had something to sell thai
would make drunk come, although dis
titled spirits for that purpose is modern
invention. That opens up new field Of
reflection. Just to think of our supe
riority over the Greeks, Romans ant
Egyptians, antcdiuvians and afhc'
ancient peoples. Solomon in all bis gto
ry never had miutjulep. The grandest
Eeats of the Roman Empcrors could mol
boast a turkey-the most mcditatlvt
philosopher never soothcd himself with
tobacco. Fancy Plato walking through
the groves of the Academy Sith a psps
in his mouth. Imagine Achilles, who
was no philosopher, getting "hlgh' on
Purycar's best, while Thersites stole
his cock tail, and rallied at it for no
being stronger How that jolly
"wanderiug minstrel" Homer, woulf
lave rcllshcd good Irish whiskey punch
after days wandering during spell O
that inclement weather from which "th'
Isles of Greece are not exempt.
BY the way, during the prevalence o.
this warm weather, such things must give
place to thinner pOtations. We would
therefore, suggest the following as ne'
hard to swallow:
Take sufficient quantity of ice-(i
you can get it j put it in the bottom o.
a glass-tbe largest size of glass is pre-
ierable; fll the glass about three-fourtb'
full of champagne, Gf you can get it,,
then let the balance be elaret, (if:: you
can get it:O-then-why then, try it
that's all. There are worse things, anc
the only serious objection consists in the
difficulty of obtaining the materials.
But we have nearly consumed what
the parliamentarians call the 'mornine
hour" and have no time for wandering
Wilmington Journal.
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