The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1865-04-07
One Root Of Drunkenness.
BY REV. THEO. L. CUYLER.

BY REV. TIIEO. L. CTYLER.
Ten years ago, slavery seemed 10 he
deeply rooted for a century; intemperance
and the liquor traffic apparently ''trelnb-
led TO their fall" To-day slavery is in
its death-throes; but drunkenness and the
Neutrality-suspicious. have gained a new lease
of existence. One Upas reels under the
AK of Liberty: the other Upas strikes lis
diabolical roots deeper every hour.
+ Drunkenness has several roots: and one
of them is acquiring a prodigious hold
among the most respectable classes in the
community. To get some idea of the ex-
tent of this new danger. one has but 10 run
his eve over the public Journals. land see the
portentous advertisement of popular ton
les" and ''BitterS,' and sInvigorators"
To each of these is attached formidable
list of recommendations and the scribeS
who prepare them for the press do not
hesitate about garniShing the list with a
copious supply OF ''Revs," and M Ds."
Nearly all these boaSted invigorators have
their basis in alcohol. One of them
widely placarded on dead walls-is only a
bedeviled Santa Cruz Rum: another Is
Holland Gin under a thin disguise. These
alcoholic compounds are popular. Many
! q man who would blush 10 be seen taking
his dram at the Tar. or even ordering Il
demljohn Of liquor from Il grocer, does
not scruple 10 throw off his morning
draught of ''the ardent when the bottle
bears the alluring label Of Tonic Invig-
orator" Even Il pledged abstainer may
become an habitual drinker of alcoholic
stimulant-all the while telling his troub-
led conscience, ''Oh it is only Il meli-
cine
A large proportion of these alcoholic
beverages-nOw hawked under the seduc-
tive names of tonics and health restorers
are roundly condemned 10y judicious
physicians aS devices of the devil. We
may be thought rather radical. but after
twenty Years OF observation We have learn
ed to fight shy of alcoioLc maiicne. A
wise physician will occasionally Use
brandy or other alcoholic drink to save
life: but We hold. too. that his wisdom
will dictate to him nra to Use ii when
any other remedy will answer the purpose.
How does he know but that he NAV he
unconsciously feeding an appetite that
may vet enslave his patience! One of
the most eminent civilians in our land
whom strong drink has DESTROYED. fell in
10 fatal intemperance under Il medical
prescription. After severe illness. he
was recommended 10 uSe Port-wine as 4
duly tonic. His new ally became his
conqueror. Though he WAS never known
TO reel III his GAIT. or 10 halblc in hi>
I speech. he WAS Vet a confirmed slave IL
the drink which slowly consumed hi
vitalS and laid him ut last in the grave OF
the suicide. Lord Macaulay has indicat-
ell the secret of the Younger Pitts en-
Slavemcnt 10 the bottle by telling us that
Port-wine was administered TO him freely
in early youth as Il m.dirne.
In this country of ours. alcoholic medi-
cineS are vastly more perilouS, from the
notorious fact that our popular liquors are
adulterated freely with the most deictcri-
Gus drugs. The tratiickcrs in >trong-drink>
: can only realize their enormous profits by
the most un>,'rupulous u>e of such ingre-
dients as logwood. ratanv-root. and vitriol
A> if alcohol itself Were not Il sufficient
ly subtle poison. these dealers in d.uth b.
measures do not Scruple 10 mingle other
roiSonS in the circean cup. \ skllltul
physician tells us thai he never vet found
4 single pint of Port wine in New Iorik,
} that would bear analysis In fact. there
, Is more Port-wine brought to Amrcl
alone than Is exported from the harbcr ol
Oporto in Portugal every year. The adul,
. ter,tion of our ordinary alcoholic drink,
. Is notorious Add 10 this the influence OF
, climate in America. and the national ten
dency to excess in everything, and you
NAV understand why the bottle fills NOR,
graves in proportion 10 It's Use than in any
, other country Oh the globe. To-day there
is an alarming danger that we drift back
TO the prevailing drunkenness of fifty
years ago; and one oi' the pregnant root,
of the peril is found in the medicinal Us,
of strong drink.
Earnestly do we caution those who un-
dertake to be their own doctors, and max,
out their own prescriptions. When WI
see man measuring out his habitual glass
: of Bourbon or Port, or some other alco
= holic medicine, we see, in Imagination, th'
devil, with tape in hand, already takin:
that mans measure for a toper'> grave
Self-doctoring with alcoholics is like
gambling; is 4 man ready to stop wheI
he is half way down the precipice, Tn,
teaspoonful insensibly grows TO table
spoon; the wine-g glass increases to the tum
bier. and the tumbler TO the demijohn
n To keep up the normal effect of the slim
y ulant, its quantity must be increased, an'
+ the slipper of to-day becomes the tipple
. of tomorrow, with the bIood-shot ey,
already looking out for his drunkard'
i grave
= We may be pronounced ultra bu
5 we take the firm ground that alcohol ha
= killed an hundred where it has cured one
e and it should be let alone, except in rar
= and extraordinary emergencies. BY al
Il cohol we mean erry drink that ustoneates
@ The healthiest are those who touch ii th
f least. Glorious old Lyman Beecher, ant
. Professor Silliman. at three-score and ten