Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1869-06-11
STRONG DRINK.

The history of strong drink Is the histo-
~ Of ruin, of tears, of blood. Il is per
haps the greatest curse that ever scourged
the earth. It Is one of deprayity's worst
fruts-a giant demon Of destruction. Men
may talk Of earthquakes, storms, conRa-
grations, famine pestilence, despotism and
war but intemperance, in the use of in
,oxicating drinks, has sent volume Of
misery and woe into the stream of thi.
world history, more fearful and terrific
than either Of them. 1t is the Amazon
and Mississippi among the rivers Of
wretchedness. 1t is the Alexander and
Napoleon among the warriors upon the
peace and good Of man. 1t is like the
pale horse Of the 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 ar his desk, the senator in the
halls Of state and the drayman on the
street, the young man in his festivities and
the old man in his repose. the priest at the
alter and the layman in the pew, and
plunged them into common ruin. 1t
has ragged equally in times of war and in
times Of peace. in periods of depression,
and in periods of prosperity, in republics
and in monarchies, among the civilized
and among the savages, Since the time
that Noah came out OF the ark, and plant
ed vineyards, aud drank of their wines,
We read in all histories Of its terrible do
iDgs, and never once lose sight of its black
and bloody tracks. States hare recorded
enactments against it, ecclesiastical penal
ties have been imposed upon it, societies,
have succeeded societies for its extermina.
tion; but, like him whose name was Legion
no man has been able to bind it. For
these four thousand years, it has been ra-
ging over the world, destroying some OF
virtues fairest flowers and some of wis
dom lruitage 1t was this that brought
the original curse of servitude upon the
leeendauts Of Ham, that has eaten away
the strength of empires, wasted the ener
gies Of states, blotted out the names of
families, and crowded he'll with tenants.
Egypt, the source Of science-Babylon
the wonder and glory of the world
Greece, the home Of learning and of liber-
ty-Rome with her Caesars, the mistress
Of the earth each in its turn had its heart
lacerated by this dreadful cankerworm, and
thus become an easy prey to the destroyer.
| 1t has drained tears enough to make a sea,
expended treasure enough to exhaust Col
sonda, shed blood enough to redden the
waves ofevery ocean, and wrung out wailing
enough to make a chorus to the lamenta-
tons of the under world Some of the
mightiest inteilects, some of the most gen
rous natures, some of the happicst homes,
some of the noblest specimens Of man, it
has blighted and crushed, aud buried 10
squalid wretchedness. 1t has supplied
very Jail, and pententiary, and almshouse,
and charity hospital In The world with
tenants 1t has sent forth beggars on every
street, and flooded every city with beast
jality and crime. And it has, perhaps,
done more toward bringing earth and he'll
together than any one other form of vice.
Could we but dry up this one moral ulcer,
aud sweep away forever all the results oil
this one form of sin, we would 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 dis
appointed hope, would dwindle in a goodly
measure. Disease would be robbed of much
Of lis 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 redemption had
come. DR.. j. A. Sciss.