Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1871-11-10
Drinking.

Since my early childhood, the subject Of diss
has come before my mind, either from seeing
some one under the influence of INVESTIGATION,
or from being present when the subject was
under discussion. The thing most wonder
Mt, in connection with The subject, is Tie fact
that though all agree that 1t is perfectly ter
rible to behold this horror aud its effects, none
seem inclined to take up the pen, and dig away
as if they were trying to eradicate the vile and
loalhsome peslilencc that it IL from our midst,
until the public mind is thoroughly awakened
to the importance that due consideration Of
this matter is 10 socety--our fathers, our sons,
and our brothers. Is it not perfectly awful to
think of the number of daencits that tie devil
has upon the face OF our bright and beautiful
land in the shape Of grog-shops and groceries,
whose whole support is the sale Of hen fire by
She pint or drink 2 And how perfectly the in
dividuals who keep these dreadful places verify
the old saying, that the devil take6 care Of
his own" for how often VIC see characters who
begin this trade, of purchasing souls for satan,
with the smallest imaginable stoek-in-tradc
perhaps five gallon runet Of heen edge, half
dozen common glhsscs, pack Of cards, and
box Of cigars (wliose shape alone entities them
to the name soon branch out, buy houses.
horses and buggies, md indulge in III DE luz
nry and exceeding delight that common abi
btion aims at and in apace SO brief thaG
it would seem TO have been effected by the gent,
Of the magical lamp" These things honest
ploddng industry cannot attain, and, there
fore, the rumselcr ii u terrible drawback and
stumbling block for the mechanic, in two ways
first by selling them the sIngs which poison the
heart, making them q source of sorrow ana
sadness TO their wives and childrcn and Sec
ondy, by alluring them from their honest la
Dor, by the thought that their toll cannot ac-
complish so much brightness n seems TO sur
round him, whom they should consider tho
degirs ann. There IL not tile least use what
ever in APPEALING to the good sense and virtue
Of PERSONS addicted TO drinking 10 abstain from
the bellward course Of destruction to themselves
arid precious families, because no matter how
much sense and virne they may have In other
respects upon this they are beyond all humnii
persuasion, and the only way in the wide, wide
world 10 reach their disease, is TO cut or tho
supply Of malaria, by recovering the ground
from whence il came, MS we would plJw through
and fill up sagnant pool near Our house,
which wac dealing fever amongst our darling
children. This is, undoubtedly, the acceptable
theory TO all, but how is IL ever to be put into
practice, When our very laws, made for the
protection Of virtue, actually afford protection
TO the greatest drawback to virtue 10 The
known world, by enabling persons to purchase
a license 10 sell intoxicating liquors in small
1uantities2 This license is positive dlsgtacc
TO the country, for II Is papably not the pnr-
pose Of the law to restrain crime but simply
to preserve it rs n source Of heavy tescrut
If the laws Of our land made il peniicntiafy
net for any person 10 sell uadef 4 gallon e
wbiskey, gin, brandy, OF rum, except for pur-
poses strictly medicinal, IL would have the
effect 10 cause large class Of persons to bene-
fit society with their lnbors on the farm and on
the sea, and in other pursuits and this would
be infinitely better and trner TO the purposes Of
our creation, think, than their present work
Of dealing out death AMI destruction to their
fellow creatures. II. W.