Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1868-04-22
Why Men Like to Drink,

means poison. Whoever says man is in
toIicated says he is poisoned. And it is
true. Give part of glass OF ordinary
spirits to child three or four years old, and
the child is in twenty minutes in congestion
lit, and probably dies. 1t operates precisely
like stryehnine, arsenic. or any other deadly
drug. Commence by giving a child Thin
bleful at time, and gradually increase the
amount, and you may indurate him SO that
be viii swallow rs much at time as would
kill him at first. You may begin with any
ether poison, and do the same thing. Our
physical framework is constructed with ref
crence to this, to enable it to stand large
amount Of any deadly substance. There is
nothing peculiar about this action of alcohol
There is nothing in this but the universal
law that poisons all destroy the susceptible
ty Of the human frame.
Why does man like to drink liquor?
Not because it has a good taste, but because
1t exhilarates his nervous system. The man
takes his first glass of liquor. 1t goes to
his stomach. Now. there is not a single
human stomach, nor that Of any animal ev-
sr created on this earth, that ever did or can
digest a drop of alcohol. The moment it
falls into the stomach every vital organ rec
ognises the presence of a deadly enemy. 1t
is precisely as if a lion were thrown into
cage of tigers, and every tiger were to rec
ognize the lion as his deadly enemy. The
stomach cannot digest it, and it cannot re-
main. All the organs assist in throwing 1t
off, and that great struggle Of every vital
organ to rid the stomach of this poison is
the very thing which the perverted senses
recognize as exhiiaration! If man, stand
ing on the moon, could have a telescope of
sufficient power to enable him to view objects
on the earth, and could have looked upon
US during the late civil war, and have seen.
dimly through the glass, the movements of
immense bodies of men, he would have said:
This nation has an immense population
there is tremendous outpouring of the
people; this nation is in state of extraor-
binary prosperity" Precisely so the mans
sensorial, the point where the nerves of
sense concentrate, recognizes in this desper-
ate effort Of the vital organs to get rid of an
enemy, sense of strength and exhilaration
in place of the languor and feebleness he
felt Just before But in little while, when
nature has, by ell her efforts, disposed of
this poison, the man sinks down to his for
mer condition, and great deal below it.
Nature has made her superior struggle; she
has got rid of the poison; but she has tired
herself in the effort; The next time Nature
makes the same struggle, but she has not
tnt sdtne strength. 1Hc sCCouO kIooS oooo
not make the man feel so good. The more
a man drinks, the more he has to drink to
attain certain condition. He has to take
more aad more. Nature turns constantly to
rid herself of it, but by and by becomes
tired out and gives it up. There are men
who are not very perceptibly affected by
liquor 1t does not make them drunk. 1t
does not hurt them, they soy. But 1t does
hurt them 7 never knew man who drank
agood DEAL without becoming intoxicated,
whom liquor does not kill fast. And for
physiological reasons. If man will take
poison, it is better to get rid OF 1t than to
keep it in the system. Drunkenness is one
Of God S Infinite mercies, sent to help poor,
mistaken, human beings to get rid OF the
Consequences of their iniquity.
What we should do depends largely upon
what We are able to do. It is not easy to fly
In the face of public opinion. Laws will,
after all, he mainly reflection OF the moral
condition of the people. They will always
bea little better, but not much better. Ii
you should say that no one in the country
should do bad thing, it would be useless,
because human nature. in the Development
towhich we have reached, would not sustain
such "a law Public sentiment is advancing,
L does not allow men to make parade OF
Vices which we're once tolerated. The time
Will come when men will not be licensed ato
sell alcoholic liquors, when grog shops will
where gambling houses are now, out OF
An old ladv of Randolnh countv sMissou-