Bloomsburg democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1867-1869, 1868-08-05
NUMBER "a.
strong Drink.

The history of strong drink is the history
Of ruin, of tears Of blood. 1t is perhaps
the greatest curse that ever scourged the
earth. 1t is one of depravity's worst fruits,
giant demon of destruction. Men talk OF
earthquakes, storms, condagrations, famine,
dcspotism and war; but intemperance, in
the use of intoxicating drinks, has sent
volume of misery and woe into the stream
Of this worlds history, more fearful and
terrific than either Of them. 1t is the
Amazon and Mississippi among the rivers Of
wretchcdness. 1t is the Alexander and Ma
polean among the warriors upon the peace
and good Of man. 1t is like the pale horse
Of Apocalypse, whose rider is Death. and
at whose heels follow hell and destruction,
1t is an evil which is limited to no age, no
continent, no nation, no party, no sex, no
period of life. 1t has taken the poor man
at his toll and the rich man at his desk, the
senator in the halls of state and the draman
on the street, the young man in his tcstivi-
ties and the old man in his rcpose, the
priest at the altar and the layman in the
pew, and plunged them into common ruin.
1t has ragged equally in times Of war and i'll
times of peace, in periods Of depression,
and in periods Of prosperity, in republics
and in monarchics, among the civilized and
among the savagcs. Since the time that
Noah cane out of the ark, and planted
vineyards, and drank Of their wines, We
read in all histories Of its terrible doings,
and never once lose sight of its black and
bloody tracks, States have recorded en-
actments against it, ecclesiastical penalties
have been imposed upon it, societies have
succeeded societies for its determination
but, like him whose name was Legion, no
man has been able to bind it. For these
four thousand years, it has been raging over
the world, destroying some of virtues fair
est flowers and some Of wisdoms irutage.
1t was this that brought the original curse
Of scrvitude upon the defendants OF Ham,
that has eaten away the strength of empires,
wasted the energies of states, blottcd out
the names of families, and crowded hell with
tenants. Egypt, the source Of science
Babylon, the wonder and glory of the world
Greece, the home Of learning and Of lib
erty-Rome with her Caesars, the mistress
Of the carth-each in its turn had lis heart
laceratcd by this dreadful canker worm, and
thus become an easy prey to the destroyer.
1t has drained tears enough to moke a sea,
expended treasure enough to exhaust Col
conda, shed blood enough to redden the
waves of every ocean, and wrung out wall
ing enough to make chorus to the lamen
tations of the under world. Some OF the
mighticst intcllects, some Of the most gen
erous natures, some Of the happiest homes,
some Of the noblest specimens of man, IT
has blightcd and crushed, and buried i'll
squalid wrctchclncss. 1t has supplied
every Jail and pcnitentiary, and almshousc,
and charity hospital in the world with ten
ants. 1t has sent forth bcggars OIL every
street, and flooded every city with beastial-
ity and crime. And it has, perhaps, done
more towards bringing earth and hell to
gethcr, than any one other form Of vice.
Could we but dry up this one moral ulccr,
and sweep away forever all the results OF
this ono form Of SIM We you'd hardly need
such things as prisons, asylums, charity
houses, or police. The children Of haggard
want would sit in the halls Of plenty. The
tears of orphanage and widowhood, and
disappointed hope, would dwindlc in Il
goodly measure Disease would be robbed
of much of its power. The clouds would
vanish from ten thousand afflicted homes.
And peace breathe its fragrance on the
world, almost as if the day Of its redemp-
ton had come.-Dr. j. 4. SctsS.
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