Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1869-02-16

for the often infirmities of the body
to gladden. the heavy heart, to lifI
man sometimes above his sorrows
and give him cheerful countenance
| The temperate use of wine is an limo
cent, and may be as friendly to hu.
man life, az the use Of meat. Jesus
at the wedding of Cana, by the ex
ercise of superhuman power, furnish
ed wine to promote the festivities oil
a social occasion. The first miracle
was a miracle eff good nature and
cheerfulness.
But God has given to man no at
tribute OF power, no means of COM
fort, that his fallen nature has not
perverted and made the means OF
his disadvantage. And observation
and experience teach us that the ma
jority of men use stimulating drinks
not in moderation, not for their own
good, but Unexpectedly and to
drunkenness; to becloud the mind and
arouse the fiendish attributes of their
degraded nature. The crimes that
are committed /; the sorrows that
are suffered ; the tears that arc shed;
the wives that are widowed and the
children that are made fatherless, be-
cause men are Incorporate, beggar
enumeration and description. All
men know that even o temperate
use of stimulating drinks tends, at
least, to intenperance, even with
the best of men and gives counte-
nance to immoderate drinking with
those who have not the strength to
resist the temptations Very WELL
says some man, who nightly enjoys
a gentle tipple, if temperate drink
ing is no sin, then | will enjoy it !;
and if another man drinks too much
because he sees me drink enough,
let his sin be upon his own head -
So says not the text / have quoted.
"lf meat make my brother to offend
| will eat no flesh tchile the tcorld
standeth, lest | make my brother to
offend" And to the self-confident,
boasting of his ability to indulge and
AVOID excess, the Great Master says,
"When We think ye stand take heed
lest ye taH."
But the great practical question re.
mains. What means should be en-
ployed 10 rescue men from the sin
and the sorrow of drunkenness p
And this is the important and un-
pleasant part of our subject, because
here good men, eqally concerned in
accomplishing the end, differ widely
as to the means.
The American people are SO &C
customed to the exercise of political
power, that the first thought for corr
recting any evil is to appeal to the
Legislature. Temperarc e men in va
rious parts Of the country, grown
weary of well doing in the humble
walks of individual life, have assum-
ed that could they but control the
exercise of political power, the great
reformation they desire could he sum
marily and effectually accomplished
And for many years less than the
usual effort has been made by APP
pealing to the individual man, while
the effort of reformers has been di-
rected to the passage Of certain laws
which should forbid the sale of liquor,
and thus as it has been assumed, rem,
der intemporance impossible.
In some parts of the country where
what is called the Maine liquor law
has been enforced. effects have been
produced which are desirable in them
selves, and hence it is argued that
such laws have accomplished at least
some good-open drunkenness has
been prevented, pauperism diminish
ed, and the wages of many poor men
have been diverted from the purchase
of whiskey to the purchase Of bread.
But it remains to be determined
whether on the whole, any good has
been accomplished by such laws.
The immediate and visible effects of
any law may appear toIbe very bene
fetal and yet the law itself may not
embody principle to the object in
view. A general reputation of our
national debt would be followed by q
reduction of taxation and rise in the
value of property. Good things in
themselves yet q little reflection
would satisfy US, what the expert
ment would certainly establish, that
in the loss of the public credit we
had sustained an injury which no
mere pecuniary consideration could
adequately compensate.
In determining whether any law
should be enacted, we have to look
beyond the appearance 70 the SUBJ
stance of its results; beyond the im>
mediate to the ultimate effects which
it will produce. A law requiring
every man, woman and child to at
tend Divine service on the Sabbath,
would, if vigorously enforced, fill oui
churches on Sunday but it would
reduce the assembly to the standard
of o caucus. 1t would sOifle genuine
piety by the inundation of unwilling
conformity. The observance of the
Sabbath by large body of the COM
munity from conscientious convic'
tons, would be merged in the un-
profitable observance of Divine wor-
ship by the profane multitude in ODE"
dience to temporal sanctions.
1t is believed by many that similar
results have been produced by legis'
lation upon the subject of temper.
ance. Effects have been produced
which in and of themselves are good
but have evil consequences also re-
suited which more than over balance
that good? BY driving liquor out O.
the streets, and putting it out of tn,
reach of the mob, you have undoubt,
eddy compelled a few to be sober who
would otherwise have been drunk
This is good. But if by SO doing yor
have elevated the responsibility Of
drinking, filed the houses of The
most respectable people with the
choicest wines and the best brandies
then all that has been accomplished
is that you have forced the few to b.
sober and encouraged the many t.
get drunk. The good result is i'm
| Al