The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1870-03-23
Drinking.
The Louisville Courier-Journal dis

The Louisville Courler-Journai us
courses as follows:
III this country we need to learn how
to drink. AS people we are as igno-
rant on this beautiful fine art as young
buffaloes; and we mix our business
and our conviviality much as we mix
our liquors, that is in the beastliest
and most uncivilized fashion. What
wonder that we are tnrmented by oc-
casional visits from the animal kingr
dom, and, having reduced ourselves to
the level of the brute creation; are
forced to receive upon very equi'i
and intimate relation such guests as
the monkey, the spider and the snake :
Bar-rooms and stripping bar-room
counters; "fancy drinks" drinking
between meals; yagabondizins about
idle corners: lack of respect both for
the liquor, the company and ourselves;
lack, also, of true geniality, which
sits down and takes its time with It's
draught, and bit of cheese and crack
er beside; drinking before breakfast;
drinking on an empty stomach; drink
ing out of season; drinking decOctions
as strong and fiery as mustard or red
pepper; drinking, in short, in a tho
roughly coarse, vulgar, sensuous, I'M
gentlemonlyy unchristian manner Is
our method of drinking and the cause
of our debaucheries, drunkenness and
deviltry. We pnrn the lining of our
digestive organs. That which we drink
does not instill itself kindly into our
blood, but takes rude holdxetpon our
nerves and inflames and destroys them
In Europe it is understood that the
very quintessence of inebrions misery
the condensation and the curse OF
the wretchedest awaking-the abstract
and brief chronicle of that headaching
and Inconsistencies which come from
the saddest of all debauches-is expe-
rienced by the gentleman who has had
the misfortune to he overcome ant
cut down in his tracks by Champagne
But Champagne is nothing to Whisky
and the trouble with us is that we dd
not sscool off" upon Settler, but upon
cocktails, in the mistaken idea that the
chair of the dog is good for his bite.'
Most of our liquors, too, are impure OF
overchargel with alcohol. The habit
of mixing them adds to the original
imperfection, and augments the stimn-
lation. So, all in all, it is no wonder
that we are the most grace-forsaken
and ungenial drinkers in the world. II
you would teach a man Temperance,
show him the folly OF excess. Genial
ity is indispensable to civilization and
to religion. The American, feeling its
need, has sought for it in the wrong
direction. Tell him he must not seek
it at all, and he will rebel; bnt show
him the right way, put him in it, and
he will float along like gondola. He
has been rowing YEARLY and angrils
through the slough of strong drink
which is the Slough of Despond-s
sewer of bad passions, emptying its
corruptions in the dismal Dead Sea-
There is river of life and light thai
flows through the happiest part of the
world, and it's banks are bordered with
vine leaves, and it's bosom is dotted
with pretty craft. The man who
launches his boat upon that stream
will not have much to fear from the
coming of the tcmpests, albeit there
are points to be weathered and eraggN
prOmontories to be avoided, aud mar
rows and shadows to be got through
and over, as in all streams. But TIL
current is broad and clear the surface
is smooth; the scenery is PICTURESQUE
and varied. Need we say that this i
the Stream of Wine the natural gen
ius of convivial life and the -sturdies
and most irresistible enemy to alcoho
light, simple, wholesome juice G
grape, which exists in greatest album
dance where there is least intoxicatiOn
and is unknown only to those who ar
given over to the brutality of igno
rance and the lust of merely sensuOu
guzzling?