New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-07-16
THE TEMPERANCE QUESTION,


| HIf meat make my brother to offend will
| eat no flesh while the world standeth," sug-
| gested the thought, an appeal to mag
| nanimity, philanthropy and self-denial.
The speaker proposed to consider the duty
| of the higher classes of society in relation
! to the temperance cause.
He desired to make certain concessions;
| First, that wine and liquors have their
| legitimate uses, that they are not neces-
| sarily evils. Not that they are indispensa-
| BILE, but in certain places and for certain
purposes they are beneficial. Had he time
| he could establish the fact there are two
| kinds of wines designated in the Bible, and
| thus relieve certain passages of Scripture
| from doubt and misrepresentation. Second,
we are bound to concede that the man who
drinks wine and liquor moderately is not
| a drunkard, as denominated or denounced
| in the Scripture Scripture drunkenness
| implies ruling passion, a degrading
| slavery. And we are bound to concede
| further that all moderate drunkards do not
become confirmed inebriates The reason
is found in the difference of physical organ
ISM An inhalation of chlOrOfOrm will set
one man fast asleep, a similar inhalation
will set another man wild; the difference
not being in the chloroform, but in the
man. That some men remain moderate
drinkers on account of the popularity OF
their organism is not to be placed to their
cFtult, Jul W INC CICuit VI tuCh CAOooOA'
With these concessions made it may be
asked Were the better classes of society
to discontinue the moderate use OF wines
and liquors, would that diminish the habit
and evils of incompetence, and howl"
First-It would be the expression of ap-
prehension that confirmed inebriety might
follow. 1t would sound the tocsin of alarm.
1t would be the reassertiOn of two facts
that all drunkards were once moderate
drinkers, and that all moderate drinkers
may become confirmed drunkards. 1t would
tend to diminish the profit that has arisen
from the sale of intoxicating liquors. He
supposed it to be a fact that the larger
profits accruing to the business OF wines
and liquors come to the proprietor from
those which are used by the better classes
of society; that the proprietors of our SPLEEN
did saloons and hotel barrooms derive
larger profit from fancy drinks than from
whisky straights. Stop this use by the bet
ter class, and the trade and the manufac-
ture would diminish and the supply of
drunkards coming from the ranks OF moder-
ate drinkers would be cut of. Many men
engage in the wholesale and retail business
of selling liquor not so much from love OF
liquor as from eupidity. and the responsible
lity rests largely upon those who patronize
them.
Third-Such a discontinuance would be
to make drinking fashionable. Fashion is
Fashion is a master and a monster mas
ter in the supremacy of power; monster
in the evils it int1icts upon society. What
and how we eat; our style of dress; the
construction of our dwellings,; our modes
of travel, all are inspired by fashion. 1t is
a truth that fashions must always come
down; they never come up. They pass from
the upper classes of society, and go down
ward to its bottom. Extravaganza in the
rich begets extravaganza in the poor
Many clerk has ended his days in the pen
itentiary from aping the customs of those
above him. What is needed. therefore, is
to render the custom questionable. The
elements which control society are with the
upper classes. Their virtues and vices flow
through it. Revolutions are simply the
uprising of the oppressed against corrupt
aristocracy.
Fourth 1t would increase the power to
persuade. Example is the inspiration of
language The life of Christ is of more
value to the world than His teachings
Without His lofty, symmetrical character,
His life of unparalleled purity and benevo-
lence, His most.terse and beautiful lessons
would be to mankind as sounding brass and
a tinkling cymbal.
There is an objection to this plan that is
drawn from our personal liberty. Persona
liberty is grand right, and that it is a fact
is one of the blessings of the age. 1t is
right that a man should be jealous of it.
But even personal liberty is bounded.
man can only grow SO high. He can only .
eat or sleep within certain limits. Personal
liberty has its meets and bounds and
especially limitation growing out of the
duty of philanthropy and self-denial There
are many things innocent in this age which
the Christian man, and every man, may
enjoy, but the true man prefers to sacrifice
or to deny himself that which, though in
nOcent in itself may be abused by and
become criminal passions in others You
and have fast horse, made for fieetness.
made by the Almighty-and the Almighty
only can make fast horse-we are on the
may be, $50 or 2:2O. There is nothing
in that per Sc. Those horses we've
made by the Creator for fieetness.
and what is more delightful than to
ride behind that noble creatures Bat Young
men observe us on the road; they propose
to try their fast horses, and, in addition to
the trial, bet hundred dollars on the re-
suit. They transfer their habits from the
road to the race course, and we see before
them gamblers end and a gamblers hell.
Would not magnanimity rather rein I'D its
fiery steedl The same thing is true in re-
gard to games of chance. Doubtless YOU
and l could behold some tragedian or come
dian on the stage In some of the gran6s
creations of the Bard of Avon, and Their u
would be no sin in it, per Sc, for God madeS
Shakespeare, and gave him his marvellous
genius and may not the day come when
men may behold these things without dele
FERROUS influences! But take the associa-
tons of the dramatic associations of
those connected with it, and the influence
upon society, and the good man foregoes
the pleasure that he may save others from
consequences that may be traced to the
drama and the stage. 1t is higher pleas
ure to know that by our self-denial we have
saved others from sin and death. than to
ENJOY the pleasures which we have denied
ourselves. Perhaps the highest question A
man can put to himself is, How shall I
suffer, and thereby save others % and he
only has reached the true humanity who
can answer that question by deeds of phi
lanthropy and self-sacrifce.
DR.. Newman then presented some mo-
tives to induce this self-denial First tbe
fact that nothing great and good is accom-
pllshed in any department of life without
the practice of selt-denial, which was well
illustrated by historical example. Second
that total abstinence is the only safety of
some, the sure safety of ALL Every career
OF crime has its starting point in some
small Offense. Where is woe! Where ia
sorrowf Where are wounds without causeI
Where Is redness of eyes! In the first
glass.
Be induced to this selfdenial by the ham
plness which will accrue to society at large:
we shall infer the happiness by contempiat-
snfl the misery. Statisticians tell us that
in the United States there are not less than
5000 places licensed to sell intox1cating
liquors, employing 10000 persons. Add to
TINS number those engaged in the manu-
facture and wholesale traffic, and the total
N nm ar will oh Onn