Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-12-27
BEECHER ON DRINKING.

questions, which, perhaps, may seen
more blunt than polite; but other
parties concerned can stand it, w,
cam
"Why don't you write an article for IN,
LEDGER about rum and whiskey aud wine
| Are you afraid TO 2? Does Bonner drink
Does Beecher drink ? Does Fanny Ferr
drink? Does everybody in New York ane
Brooklyn drink? If not, you ought not TO b,
afraid TO write on the subject But if drink.
ing habit be generally prevalent, you ought L
be afraid not to sharpen your pencil 10 a very
hne point, and pitch in like Gustave Dor e
ana color up neutral tints like a Biersta1t
Wake 0 wake! my friend, your drowsy
powers
''Providence, r. -
We think all the parties named
will stand the temperance test. But
we scarcely wonder that one should
ask, "Does everybody in New York
and Brooklyn drink ?' For, if one
takes account of the shops and bars
for the sale of liquor, he will be like
ly to imagine that the whole popuIa-
ton must engage in drinking to give
encouragement to such vast multi
tude of drinking places OF one
thing our impetuous friend from
Rhode Island may be sure, that there
Is world too much drinking going
on in New York and Brooklyn, by
night and by day, and that the
stream of liquor, broad and deep.
carries the vast machinery of vice
and crime like another 4Herrimac.
Young men drink because they
think it smart to ape their elders
Clerks drink at lunch because they
see their employers do it. Their
employers do it because, in the Sc
we're competitions of business, they
arc attempting to do twenty-four
hours work in twelve, and become
jaded, and need to fire up their nerves.
They drink when things look dan
gerous, to brace up against despond-
ency, and they drink when things
are prosperous, because the custom
Is to treat for good luck.
There is great deal of drinking
going on between merchant and GUS
toner. Men in Wall street make a
good operation, and step out and
take drink on it. There is a great
deal OF genteel drinking going on in
counting rooms by men who would
not care to be seen drinking in a sa-
loan. There is good deal of wine
drank every day, but good deal
more that is sham wine.
There is much brandy and much
whisky drank, and it is said that the
ring drink, and the common council,
and various members of the courts,
and some of the judges, and good
many clients, especially when they
lose their cases.
macn drinking. New York would
go up to prosperity fifty per cent. if
men would cut down tomorrow one
half OF the amount Of their liquor,
and great deal more than that if
they would Danish the whole.
Drinking is bad for every kind of
honest business. To every one, from
the merchant that draws the check,
to the porter who carries out the
goods, and the drayman who hauls
them, drinking is damage. All are
better without it, all are worse with
it, and, and for the most part, they
will all in candid moment confess
it, and yet they 90 on drinking.
There is brighter side. The la
borers of New York and Brooklyn
are to a greater degree temperate
than ever before. The Father Mat
thew Temperance Societies never
make their grand procession that
one does not see and admire. They
have proved that Irishmen can live
without whisky. The "Sons of Tenn
perance," the "Templars" are made
up OF thousands of laboring men who
arc too wise to drink. The laboring
classes Of New York city are, we sus-
pect, in proportion to their number,
more generally temperate than the
commercial. There are hundreds of
factories where no drinking is allow
ed. Many of the provident associa-
tons refuse all liquor-drinking mem
bers. There is growing impression
among Woodworking men that drink
ing hinders mans getting on in the
world. All this is encouraging. Let
every good citizen encourage the
blessed work Of temperance, and do
it, not by spying out other mems
conduct, nor by consciousness and a
domlnecring spirit, but by kindness,
by fair argument, by patience and
gentleness.
As to the figures employed by our
correspondent, namely, coloring up
neutral tints, and pitching into
fight with sharpened lead pencil,
we suppose we must not be critical,
but set them down to good inten-
lions.