Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1871-05-25


The Pittsburgh Commercial, in a re,
cent article upon what drunkenness is
doing in the land, says:
yesterday afternoon, while looking
over a batch Of exchanges, a sugoes-
tion was made that, among other
things, we should observe the more
striking cases of infraction OF law, Vi
Olence and disorder reported in the va
rious Exchanges then under notice, as
arising directly from drunkenness We
did not complete the task: it was too
sad. We had glanced through abent
a score of exchanges, our courage
failed us. The instances reported
were or themselve so numerous and
CHASTITY as to make us shudder. 1t
seems if the the whole country was
being rapidly turned into a vast grog-
shop-a hell of drunkenness howl
ing, staggering paDdemonium of bru.
talized men. Drunkenness in every
city and town drunkenness in the
country drunkenness by land and sea.
Drunkenness in the kennel and in the
parlor; drunkenness coiled upon the
door-steps, and drunkenness frothing
in the Legislature; drunkenness
among the poor and among the rich
drunkenness in the dark lanes and al
leys; drunkenness in the wide, lamp
lit streets; drunkenness in the home,
by the cradle, at the altar, in the
school and in the church; drunken
ness everyWhere-vast, Opaque, ON
nipresent encompass1ng the land like
a balefu1 atmosphere. Tt was horri-
BILE -
The Commercial, to show that the
above is no verbose, declamatory rhet-
oric, gives partial resume of the re-
suits of its investigation, in which it
mentions between twenty and thirty
murders and suicides, all occurring
within few days; besides these, there
were many shames and crimes of such
a character that they should not be
named in the columns of respectable
journals, the direct and frightful fruits
of the dram shops, which are being
gathered day in and day out, through
all the blessed year. It then refers in
eloquent terms to the many unknown
miseties and crimes caused by the
seeds sown by the trafficers in rum
throughout our land. We further
quote:
t'And let it be remembered that these
instances are but faint illustrations of
the ravages which drunkenness is max
ing. 1t is only the exceptional cases
OF violence and disorder which are re-
ported in the press. When the volca-
no overfiows, note is made of the |
occurrence; but 10 mention is ever
made of the fluid core of fire which
aVarua-nra hurno vuifI,;v tn, o-.:I = g
intemperance are not adequately in
dicated by such instances as we have
cited. Back of its visible ravages,
and deeper than all these, lies field
of devastation which can never be re-
ported, as it can never be explored. |
TIE sober people of the country suffer
from it, in having to raise annually a |
vast amount of taxes which 90 to |
build poor house and prisons, and to |
support paupers and criminals created |
by drink. There are also in our
country two millions of children who. |
in an infinite variety of ways are the in
nocent and helpless victims of drunk
en- parents. There are three millians |
OF mothers, wives, sisters and daugh- |
ters of confirmed drunkards in the
United States; and women suffer more
from this vice than from all other evils |
combined. The keenest pangs and the
sharpest agonies are endured by wo-
men who make no sign. In the vast
ed realms Of the social affections, in
the higher or inner life Of wife and
mother and friend, what tortures are
silently endured, what suppressed
wretchedness is borne, what Slow tor
ments of desolated hopes and broken
hearts go on, no word of which
ever reaches the outward ear The
cases we have reported are but the in
advertent evidences which escape
through gaps and chasams. What.
then, must be the character of the fiery
sea of anguish which burns and s1noui-
ders beyond2 The breaking hearts of
mothers over ruined sons; of wives
from whose life all love and tender
ness have been blotted out; Of the
want and woe of little children, grown
old and heggared before their time p
And row let the mind go back for
years, by centuries. and try to com
prehend this fathomless and shoreIess 5
sea of iHutterable ruin and overthrow;
and you will begin to have some con
ception of the illimitable downward
dragging horror over which we have
preached this poor sermon. But not
till then.''