Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1869-01-22
From the New York World.
Beecher on Temperance.

There was a very large Assem- blage
I gathered within the walls of Plymouth
] Church last evening, upon which oc-
casion temperance meeting was held
under the auspices of the temperance
society of that church. Captain Dun
/ can presided, and a characteristics dis
course in advocacy of the cause was de-
lvered by. the Rev. Henry Ward
/ Beecher, who, in the course of his re-
marks, expressed himself as follows:
Every circle tends to take its course
I from the grRduatiOns of society sur
rounding 1t, and young men have been
| going abroad until there are more
Americans abroad than any other, and
/ they are careful in every instance to
test the quality of the wines. These re-
turn home with certain notions of wine
| drinking. Representing a respecta BILE
class they do not need temperance in
fuenee. There are those in the commu-
nifty whom we are bound to respect /:
yet, in this matter of wine drinking
they exercise pernieious inauenee.
Then there is another influence by
which the cultivation of this taste for
wine is encouraged. There is CALI
fornia, which is destined at no distant
day to produce more grapes than any
vineyafl in Europe. Those who raise
grapes and manufacture wines are not
likely to listen TO arguments in favor
of temperance. In Italy and Switzer-
land they tell me that drunkenness
does not prevail to any extent; yet, it
is a fact that they paTtal5e SO freely OF
sEirle that they keep their temper mp to
so high a degree that family couten-
TtOns are more numerous there than
elsewhere. He was satisfied that wine
would never be substitute for whisky
in America. 1t acts as kindling wood
does to fire-it will do to begin with.
We do not drink in this country for
mn rTf "a
here goes into the bar-rOom and hastily
gulps down the liquor, and then calls
for water to wash it down. They tell
you they don't like, it, but take it AS a
stimuIant. In Europe thsy enjoy
liquor, and sip with evident pleasure 70
the palate. Mr.. Beeeher then cited an
incident showing the prevailing spirit
of extravaganza of the people of the day
and the pro6igacy of those who spend
their money by thousands on lace
shaWls, and such costly articles of dry
goods, who cannot afford anY aid to the
church or charity when called upon to
do so, They think almost always of
pandering to their animal wants to
the exclusion of the spiritual. On the
subject of stimulants, as prescribed
by physicians, he remarked that he
had been asbonished to find that bar
rels of whisky are kept in a water cure
esta blishment. While many physicians
are alleViating by the administration of
Spirituous liquor the pangs of the body,
they are piIing up everlasting torment
,forth he soul. He believed however, that
"a re formation was now widely acting
and asserting itself among the medical
fraternity. Our climate here is ealeu-
lated to excite and stimulate us, but
when one brings into play artificial
stiTnulants then reaction sets in with
the most baneful effect. Many persons !
have found this out and yet they reject |
the temperance doctrine. The Bible, |
too, has been m niscoHstrued in relation |
to its teachings on this subject. The
Scrip pture stands simply TO facts. 1t
only lays down the lesson thatywe must
not do that which is injurious. God |
has so bountifully built man that he
has within him ali the stimulants that |
are needed, and, as a matter of daily |
and customary use, man does not re- |
quire stimuIants of this kind. Every l
man. must have his stimulant is a pre- /
Yailings belief Notwithstanding He /
called as a witness the men who endure |
the greatest fatigue, that stiInulants |
were not required by them in giving |
them strength. The diet of meat, !
bread, and coffee was more wholesome !
thar any other means of bodily stimu- |
lus. There is more strength in a grain |
of coffee than a whole barrel of liquor. |
There are young men who will tell you |
that they can leave off drinking |
they ever please to2aeA man who |
drinks every day is like one taking a |
tiger for bed-feliow. He can not get |
aaFa4T from the snare. when he would. /
It is The highest type of manhood to say
that Will not partake of it because |
can resist it.. he urged every one to
forego the use of all Intoxicating drinks /
wine, whisky, or any other kind of
spirits-and to set good example to
their neighbors. He respected those
who differed with him upon this subject,
and while he paid due Difference to
these he could wish that they would
yield that which is the least value to
them by afording an example of tenn
pera nee to their weaker fellow !.
creatures. He would ask those pres
ent tho were not in the ranks of tenn
perance now TO throw off the old man
and put on She new. Let them with /
the help Of God renounce the evils of
drink and tobacco, and be clean men,
and go into the new year as such. 4
Nothing would please a father or
mother more than to hear their son say,
Here ana new soul. TLaughter.1 /
[ belong to the clean mems party. / +
have denounced the evil" The speaker
never saw man walking through the
streets with q woman, smoking q, cigar,
hat he could not ram it. down his
throat. Y ct he had heard wives say
hey liked the smell of tobacco. This
could not be true. IF any husband |
wanted to give present to his wife, let
lim give her a clean man for the new
year. Let the retiring year. bear all evil
tvvav with II