Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1869-06-04
Vices of Genius.

So UhSu COuiS NV
rary performance ; , to be completed by a
ce" n time an s@9 nat very day, without
taA.ug leave of embcr Of the family,
he ran off at full speed down the avenue to
Ellary, and was soon hidden, not in the groves
Of the valley, but in some obscure den where
drinking among low companions, his magniG-
cent mind was soon brought to tho level of
the vilcst of tho vile. When his sprcc was
over, he would return to the society of decent
mon.
Dc Quincy was such a slave to the use Of
opium that his daily allowance was of moro
Importance than eating. An ounce of laud-
auum a day Frustrated animal life during the
forenoon. 1t was no sight to find
him asleep on The rug before the fire in his
own room, his head on u book and his arms
crossed on his breast. When this topper from
the opium had passed away, he was ready for
company until about daylight. In order to
show him off his friends had to arrange their
supper parties SO that sitting until three or
four in the afternoon he might be brought to
that point at which in charm of power and
conversation he was SO truly wonderful.
Burns was not less q drunkard than Cole
ridge. 1t was the weakness Of Lamb. And
who can rcr cmbcr the last days of Poe, with
out an irloprcssib!o regret? lie was on his
way to marry a confiding woman, stopped in
Baltimore, and was found by gentleman who
knew him ma state of beastly intoxication,
unconscious as a log, and died that night in
the rawlings of dclirium trcmcns.
Douglass Jerrold was a dcyotcc Of gin so,
also, was Byron. Steele, the brilliant, author
of the "Christian Hero" was a bcastly
drunkard. Men wrote of him that no would
dress himself, kiss his wife and children, tell
them a lie about pressing engagements, heel
it over to a groggcry called the "Storo," and
have a revcl with his bottle companions.
Rollin says of Alexander the Great that
the true position which brought him to lis
end was wine.
The Empress Elizabeth of Russia was com.
plctcly brutifcd by strong liquor. She was
often in such a state of bacchic ectasy during
the day that she could not be dressed in the
morning, and her attendants would loosely at,
tach her robes, which a few clips of the scis.
sors would discngagc in the evening.
Let every man, especially in public life
who desires to avoid n drunkard's death, re
member that he is on the crumbling verge
OF such an infamy, whom he begins to fee,
that in order to prepare himsclf-the doctor
for consultation, tho lawyer for u cause, tho
clergyman for a sermon, the politician for Q
spccch-hc must take a pint of opium and
the self same moment of that discovery le,
him put his foot down, raise his hands, swea,
that, by the help of God he will never taste
another grain or drop as long as lifo remains
This is the only safety.
UNOFFICIAL DoINas OF ALDERMEN
COLLINS ACCOUNT OF AN INTERVIEW WITH
MAcKEY, II. 1.-The reporter of the tNcws''
was favored, last night, with an interview
with Alderman Collins, we'll known in Coun.
Gil as tho hurlcr of sarcasm and quidditics
without number at the head of the Mackoy
party. Alderman Collins was not in the least
excited, although not long before he had had
a man arrested for calling him n liar, and
threatening to kick him, not to mention an
other triaing difficulty with a brother Alder.
man, during which the pretty talk character
istic of the present Board of Aldermen was
Literally INDUCED in. Alderman Collins,
nevertheless, was as cool as a concentrated Gu
cumber, and related q horrid tale about AL.
dcrman Il. j.. Mackcy and the distribution Of
tho spoiis. He said that II. j. called on him
and told him that, under the present State
constitution, a man could hold half a dozen
v.aices, if hc could get thcni, and the plan was
for every Alderman to have at east one oftho
best city Offices, either in his own aame OF
that of a near friend. This rather staggered
the curious Collins. II. j.. then went on to
say that Collins was to be the City Apotheca-
ry and Flour Inspector. But tho picture
was toe highly colorcd.
Collins, shocked and paincd,. said to II.
J.:"Why, Mr.. Mackey, out of those two uf-
fees, I could make $4,000 or $4,000 a year.
'liven So" quoth Mackey.
Said Collins: "Why if we did that, we
should be looked upon as public thieves"
"Ahl Collins" 9uoth y. j., "You have
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