The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1868-02-06
Do ThYseIf No Harm.

MED by some anecdotes of no small in
terest. They are facts which concern
( every man, woman and child. Thi:
will appear, doubtless, to their convic-
tion when they read and ponder this
article. The writer has seen so much
danger, SO much misgiviDg on this sub.
ject, so many families free from ap-
I prehension, prosperous, elegant in APP
psarance, and united in friendship, so
many promising youth and men ofre-
spectacle characters seriously harm
themselves, aud, perhaps, ruined forev-
er, that if the reader thinks this intro
duction to what follows may be more
ideal than literal, let him read the au-
thentic and official statements and facts
attested by reliable witnesses. They
are extracted chiefly from the Philadel-
1 phia Christian Instructor, apaper Of high
value
1t is officially stated that, sup to De
cember 3lst Of the past year, the appli-
cations for admission to the Retorma-
tory Inebriate Asylum Of the State of
Newly ork, at Binghampton, already
approaches very near five thousand
names, from all circles of society, and
some from foreign lands. Nearly two
thousand of these are women from the
upper classes, who, by their position
refinement and culture, reached super
ior social distinction. And yetall these,
by their very application, confess that
they find themselves victims to an ap-
petite which they are pOwerless to re-
sist; confessing that without assistance
they are assured they will sink remedi-
lessly into degradation and premature
grave
Two thousand women, ladies Of the
upper classes! What a startling fact.
We ask, is it possible that ladies of "po-
sition and refinement are so lost to
decency and public respect, not to say
the effect of their example upon their
families and their offspring, should be
subject to a habit which deglades the
lowest wretch in the hovel who shame
lessly reels in the street, lies in the ditch
and exposes himself to the jeers and
ridicule of boys and passers-by, and to
the astonishment and grief Of friends,
be seen intoxicated and die sots OF
druukards? And yet tive thousand ed
ucated wemen, refined ladies', to avoid
this miserable, guilty end, are compelled
to hide their shameful habit in an in
ebriate asylum! We do not blame them
for trying to seek a remedy; we blame
them for dishonoring their sex, for
want of virtue and resolution to shun
the practice of drinking wine with gen.
tlemen at the table, or in weakness and
folly the example Of other ladies'. But.
say they, must we deny the fashionable
glass7 Fashionable. What does fash
ion amount to, if character, honor, con-
science, example, female amiabiity, and
loveliness, and life are at stakel How
many are on the road, this moment, to
the intoxicating wine glass and drunk
ards grave? o ye fathers! mothers.
may you not tremble at such prospects
for yourselves or daughters, and will
you not abstain from the cup before
you, or they, or your sons are ensnared
and enter such a gulf of misery and
woe?
Says another document: "The effects
of intempcrance upon the offspring are
that four ffths of the idiotic children in
a well-conducted asylum for such, were
known to be the children Of parents,
one or both ofwhom INDUCED in liquor
drinking"
"One ofthc most eminent politicians
died sot lately. His son, clergyman,
died soon after of delirium tremens, and
his daughter, the wife of one of theifrst
men in the city NOW dead), was a slave
to the bottle"
DR.. Hull, superintendent ofthe OHIO
Stat Lunatic Asylum, says: ga citizen
married an intelligent lady ofthis State,
who bore him ten children. After the
birth of the first three, the father be-
came intemperate, and during his ca
reer as an inebriate, four children were
born unto him. He then reformed en-
tirely, and had three Others. The first
three were smart and intelligent, and
Lecame useful men and women, SO Of
the last three. OF the four born to him
during his inebriety, two have died in
the lunatic asylum, another is there
and the fourth is an idiot. The dem.
onstration is complete and certain, and
there is no room left for doubt as to the
cause ofidiocy and insanity in these
cases"
In a pamphlet from the temperance
society is contained speech ofthe Hon
Henry Wilson, of Massachusetts, in
which he states: sin this country and
in this age Of light and knowledge. we
have fifty thousand churches and fifty
thousand ministers OF the living God;
we have an army of FIVE hundred thou
sand drunkards; fifty thousand of thiG
number annually drink into druukard'I
grave. An army of half million o.
drunkards in Christian America. How
fearful is the thoughti How appalling
the spectacle!" He now touches upoT
a point which every man, woman anC
child will do we'll to bear in mind
''Men do not often become drunkard
by one stride. Nor do they intend 4
become drunkards. 1t begins with
glass and gradually multiplies."
The Hall Journal Of Health states; ~