Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1872-10-03

J
i is universally admitted among
scnsrble and candid people that drunk
cnacss is the great ctrse of our social
and national life. 1t is not character
Iistlcally American, for the same may
| be said with greater emphasis Of the
social aud national life Of Great Britain
/ bu' it is one of those things about
which there is no doubt. Cholera and
smallpox bring, smaller fatality, aud al
most infinitely smaller sorrow There
are fathers, mothers, and sisters and
wives. the innocent and wondering
children, within every circle that en-
/ braces a hundred lives, who ericye to-
day over some hopeless within Of the
seductive destroyer In The city and
in the country North, East, South
and West there are men and women
who cannot be trusted with wine in
their hands--.nen AMI women who are
conscious, too, chat they are going to
destruction, ana who have ceased to
1 fight an appetite that has the power
to transform every sonl an every hom"
/ il occupies into he'll Oh the wild
PRAYERS tor help that 80 up from a hun
dred thousand dcspIiIing slaves Of
strong drink today On, the shame,
the disappointment, the fear, the dis
gust, the awful Pity, the mai protests
that rise from hundred thousand
homc, Anl stiIl the smoke Of ia,
Everlasting tormcnt rise, and still We
! discuss the 'wine question, - ami the
grape culture, aud live Oh a, if We
/ bad no share IN the responsibility tor
so much sin and shame and ,atcrluL
Society bids Us furnish wine al our
! fcasts, sud We finnish i just as gener-
0usty 81 If We did not know certain
percentage of all the men who drink it
will die miserable drunkaris, and in
/ fict lives OF pitIuI su.t,ernL upon those
who are closely associated with them.
There are literally hundreds Of thous
end Of people in polite life in Amari
ca who would not dare to give a din
ncr or party, without wine, notwlth
standing the fact that in many instances
they can select the very guest, who viii
/ drink too much on every occasion that
giyes them opportunity. There are
Iuid men and women who invite y6unL
men 10 their tcastS, whom they know
cannot drink the wine they propose to
/ furnish without danger to themselves
and disgrace To their companions aud
friends They do this sadly, olten
but under the compuIsions Of social
usage Nov we understand the pow
er OF this inhuuce; and every sensitive
man must feel it keenly Wine h4.
stood 50 LEM As an emblem and re7'e-
sentative Of good cheer and generous
hospitality, thAt il seems stiogy to shut
/ it away from our festivities, AMI deny
it to our guests. Then again it is ~
generally offered at the tloIes Of our
friends, aud it ID so difficult apparent.
/ ", for those VINO are accustomed 10 it,
/ 10 make a dinner without it, that we
hesitate to offer water to them 1t has
ni.gardy almost untriendjy y seem
ing vet what snail man 90 who
wishes to throw what influence he mas
on the side Of temperance.
The question il not new 1t has
been up for an answer every year and
Ieyery moment since men Thought or
talked about temperance at ALL " -
know OF but one answer to make Ia IL.
, 4 man cannot, without ,lnltItyiag AMI
morally deGaslnL himself Ggat IN pub
! lie that which nc tylefate> IN private
! Nr have heard Of -ucn thin-- ts wit
linz temperance alIrc-se, vita i lcml-
( jonn under tnc table ; and society has
I learned by hean the Oh talk A. Ila>t
/ Jriuking too much ''thc excess uI the
thing, YOU know b. tho.e wno nave
the power Of duakln1 a Ilt6le, but who
would sooner part with Their ri1h' eye
than wi,h thar little. 4 mm gh,
talks temperance with vine glass ~
III. hand J.. simply trying to DrIcs nim
self 50 thdt nc can mold It wlthOlt
seaue. We do not deny th4t many
mea have seit.cDutr9t, Or they eau
drink glpr throl-n lite without -atef-
iln,. to Themselves T.. otasrs II ntg
seem h4rl that they sloaIl be daPris-
Cd of comfort Or = pleasure because
others are less fsrtanIte N tneir ten
psrameat Or theIr poTer Jt viii. bli
the question is wnetncr 4 man 4 wtii'
ing t. sell bis poser to 10 s99l to a
great multitude ior GAS. gi wtne a
dinner !Aat Is the question IN It'
pIalne,t terms If be il, then he has