Wilmington journal., 1870-03-25
Wine VS.. Whisky.
RINGwooD, HALIFAX Co., n. c.,
March IA 1870


; my letter describing my recent trip through
the wine-growing districts of North Caro-
lima. Your paper reached me at this place,
where I am experimenting the putting
out of two or three hundred acres of Soup.
pernong vines for tee brothers Garrett
IF was not fully assured Of the upright
motives of MIR. Kennedy in writing such 8
letter, should regard him as an enemy to
his country, and anything but a friend to
his fellow-men. While my acquaintance
with his character precludes such an idea,
am yet forced to believe that had he Civ
en- this subject more attention, and been
better acquainted with the nature of pure
wine, he would not have written an article
placing it in the class of those beverages
which flood the land with corruption and
drunkenness; and open wide the jaws of
He'll for those who make and who drink
it.
1t Mr.. <. really thinks there is no diff
ference between the effects of pure wine
and ''corn whisky" and will come up to
the wine cellars at this place, or visit me
at Kenansville when shall have returned
home, bringing with him his g corn whis-
ky" think I can convince him of his
error. He certainly is not a competent
Judge on this subject, unless he has proved
the effect of the two substances on him
S0lf Ur rlOseIy observed their influence on
others. An author has properly said ::
''Good wine makes good blood; good blood
causeth good humors; good humors cause
good thoughts; good thoughts bring forth
good works; good works carry man to
Heaven-Ehgo, good wine carrieth man
to Heaven
1t Is certainly source of regret to ne
that any one should entertain and publish
thoughts so entirely at variance with the
observations and experience of those who
have studied the subject of drinking
and compared it with the effects of other
beverages. The testimony is almost uni
versal that the use of good, pure vine is
an accompaniment Of high refinement and
civilization everywhere. AS nations emerge
from barbarism and go upward in the scale
of progress and civilization, they gradually
abandon the use of the more common.
coarser, heavier beverages, and seek to
supply the universal want of the human
system in the liner, lighter and purer
juices of the grape.
It would seem to be sufficient to con
vince any Christian of the propriety of the
use of wine, to remember that Christ
made pure wine the emblem of His blood,
and commanded His followers to drink it
in remembrance of Him. Is it not fair to
presume, that on the solemn occasion of
that last Supper with His disci Piles He
would not have instructed them to use an
article fraught with the danger of corrup-
tiOn to His beloved, and an agent to open
wide the jaws of hell for those whom He
was about to die 20 save ? And in keeping
with His last solemn in ,tructiona was His
first miracle, the conversion Of water into
wine at feast in Cana of Galilee. And
wonderfully good wine it was.
[ cannot think, however, it necessary to
appeal farther to the Book of Books to es-
tablish the fact that whila there is nothing
in the teachings of Christ to condemn it's
use, there is much in His words, not only
to justify bat to encourage the use of pure
wine.
I submit that the excellence of wine as
national beverage is established by the
facts relating to it in other countries. I
France makes 1000, 000,000 gallons wine
annually, and there is less drunkenness
and crime from drunkenness among It's
10000, 600 Inhabitants than among the
1,OOO,OOO inhabitants of whiskey drinking
North Carolina. Austria produces wine
TO the value Of 80,00C 900 gold. The .
Chine Pfals in Bavaria, district not larg-
er than Halifax county, has Al 900 acres
in vines and produces 1000, 900 gallons
wine. The land is worth 81 600 per acre.
These countries are highly civilized and
fI1n 10 oIV
Prussia cultivates all her available land in
grapes, and not being able to make enough
for her people, buys it from her neighbors. .
Hungary is compelled to bury her vines in .
winter to protect them from frost, yet
makes her millions of wine. Russia, as
she progresses in rank end civilization !
among the great powers of the earth, en-
larges in the same ratio her vineyards on !
the Black Sea and the Caspian.
And the United States, following the
universal law, is imparting, yearly, $780, !:
OOO 600 in wine, which she has not yet !
learned to make, and, instead of drinking
pure article, drinks wines which must be
druggod to insure their safe transportation
across the Atlantic. Corn whiskey makes
up the vast deficit for our people. 1t is
encouraging to notice that our Govern
ment appreciates the Importance of wine,
as National beverage, and promotes it's
production by relieving it (when pure)
from tax, while it lays heavy burdens on
corn whiskey.
And I predict that the Temperance Re-
form will yet recognize, as its greatest ally
in abolishing drunkenness, the general use
of pure wines. Many of it's wisest men
already see it and acknowledge it. Ply
sicians will find in it mighty help in
warding off the approaches of disease.
Good men everywhere will encourage 1t.
The cause of education and morality will
welcome the up-springing vineyards Of our
land, and every philanthropic interest of
the nation will be enhanced by the substi
tuition of good, pure wine. for the bever-
ages which now delight the palates of our
people.
North Carolina if I can, by precept and
example, indnce the people of the good
old State to begin cultivating and drinking
pure Scuppernoug Wine When Mr.. K