The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1870-08-23
Temperance.
A New VIEW OF THE TEMPERANCE
QUESTION.
BY JAMES COULTER LAYARD, NJ. D.

| hlteT dil tnt tAtrtiOnS tlht HuNc Decl
made in behalf of temperance after all
that has been done by temperance societ-
les, by the Sons of Temperance, by the
Good Templars, and by kindred organic.
ations after all the mighty efforts that
have been put forth by the Christian pub.
lic,and by philanthropists generally; and
after all the prohibitory statutes that
have been enacted, the torrent Of intem-
perance still rushes on with increasing
volume and increasing vehemance, and
there are more intoxicating liquors sold
and drank in the United States to-day
than at any former period Of our history.
Never in the history of humane effort
have the results achieved been so out of
all proportion to the exertions made. And
why this is so has long been a problem
with those engaged in the temperance re-
formation, and has caused a suspicion to
arise in the minds of rejecting men that
there is something radically wrong in
our treatment of the evil
This is true. Our treatment of this
question hitherto has been all wrong-in
fact, mean quackery, sneer empircism.
We have only Topped off some of the
branches of this deadly Upas, without
ever striking at the root of evil.
l propose, therefore, in this article to
treat this question in different way-to
treat it rather as Psychologist than as a
moraist; /; rather as physician than as a
metaphysician TO treat it, in short as II
question of physiology and on a physolo-
gical basis
In order to treat any disease success
fully we must FIRST, if possible, discover
the cause of the malady and cndeavor to
remove that. And in many instances
this is all the treatment that it is requr-
ed.
Public opinion has laid this to the
dramshops. | think it would be more phil
osophical to say that intemperance, or the
desire to indulge in intoxicating drinks,
causes dram-shops to appear, to satisfy
that desire, than that the dram-shops
cause the intemperance. Whenever in
any community demand arises for a
commodity, of whatever kind, there are
always to be found those who, for con-
sideration, are ready to supply that de-
mand. Dram-shops exist simply to sup
ply previously existing demand. They
exist in accordance with well-known
law of political economy-viz the law Of
demand and supply. They are not the
prime cause of intemperancc, though we
admit that they increase the evil. More
liquor is sold and drank, no doubt, owing
to the ready facility which they afford for
obtaining it; just as there is always a
greater consumption of other superhuities
or luxuries, or, in fact, Of anything else
not an absolute necessity of life, where
there are frequent and ready facilities for
obtaining the same. That through their
agency persons, especially young per-
haps, are led into habits of dissipation
and idleness, who otherwise might have
remained sober and industrious, also
admit. Admitting that they are a cause
of the drunkenness that exists in their
immediate vicinity, they are STILL for the
most part, but an exciting cause. The
inherent cause, the chief cause, must be
looked sor further back.
What then are the inherent causes Of
the great amount of intempcrance which
exists among our people? These are
many and various | will mention but
three or four which to my mind are
among the most prominent. note, first
"a predisposition to the use Of alcoholic
stimulants received from the parents, and
transmitted from father to son and from
generation to generation, by hereditary
descent. Peculiarities Of form and iea
ture, as well as moral qualities, it is wei
known, are transmitted from parent to
child. So is the predisposition to certain
diseases-as scrofula, consumption, etc
and in many instances the diseases them
selves are transmitted and why not the
appetite for intoxicating liquors? Other
vices are transmitted why not this one
1t is. Every medical man knows it,
And inebriates Of this class are the mos
difficult to reform just as scroiula and
consumption are more difficult to eradi
cate where the subject has received some
hereditary taint.
| | note, secondly, the effect of our A.
merican life and habits upon the nervou,
system. We live in a fast age-an ag'
of steam and electric telegraphs. w,
exist on the high pressure principle. Ev
erything must be done with Lightning
speed. And in the race for riches, ,unde
the pressure Of active competition, W.
sometimes seem to need some extra stim
ulus to rouse up our tagging energies
and keep up to the notch of efficiency
and available activity. Hence, resort il
had to ardent spirits.
Some there are, too, who think tina
our tickle, changeable climate is n caus'
of this super-sensitiveness of the nervou
system, which creates such craving 70
diffusible stimulants. But to seek il
them a remedy for such condition i
like applying fire to tow.
But all these are merely subordinate
= causes. hold that the chief cause TO
strong drink in our people, and the grea
cause which overtops and overshadows al
others, is to be found in the quantit,
and quality of the food they eat. A
long as the American people consum
such quantities of stimulating and highl
seasoned food as they do they will wan
to imbibe stimulating drinks. Stimulat
/! ing food and stimulating drinks go neces
sarily together. The one is the concon
!. liant of the other. A man who begin
e his dinner with dish of soup, Into whic
he has put some portion of the content
Of nearly every bottle in the castor the
takes fish, covered with Worcestershire
or some other piquant sauce this to b
II followed with cut of roast beef plaster
y ed over with mustard and so on TO III
end, excites thirst in his system whic
). plain cold water will not satisfy. Nc
i that cold water would not be the be,
thing with which to put out the fire h
has kindled within the vital lomain h