The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-05-23
COIsisESPONDENCE.
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ESTEEMED FRIEND. AS do not know
thee by name, / must omit all guessing, and
only thank thee, whoever thou art. for
what thou didst write on the above named
subject
"Adultcrations" of the various commodi-
ties, neccssaries, and luxurics of life, are
getting to he very common in this evil and
perversc generation, as thou dost most
truly affirm. Nor can this be wondered at,
when we reflect that in sacred matters, the
same tendency to corrupt and dcflc good
things is palpable even there the pure
teachings of the divine word. even, be-
ing corrupted with cunningly devised
fables, and the holy promptings of the d-
vine inner light given unto every man to
profit withal, being greatly obscured if not
wholly quenched by the deadly vapors of
hollow professions of Godincss, while the
service of the great adversary of souls is
still the ruling principle of the depraved
heart. Is it to be wondered at, when men
in their worldly mindedncss adulteratc their
religion, and bring wicked rcproach on the
great masters cause, they should cheat in
the more triliing matters Of tea and must
ard Verify, thou most sagacious of wri-
tiers, if thou would'st think deeply on this
subject, thou would'st see the importance
of teaching, as the first of all duties. the re-
formation of that heart of man which. ac-
cording to the testimony, is . dcceitful
above all things and desperately wicked"
Another thing in connection with thy
article bears heavily on my mind Thee
dost labor well to show that sprituous
drink doeth much mischief, because, by the
wicked inventions of men, it is foully adul-
terated, and thou seemcst to think that were
liquor now unadulteratcd those who drink
it would as in former times, before these
wicked arts were known, only "get mel
low and benevolent" Candor compelleth
me to admit that spirituous liquors are
worse in their effects now than formerly,
it may be for two reasons, and, firstly, be-
cause the poison of alcohol is poisoned by
these other poisons, and thus made worse
and, secondly, because the nervous tissues
of the human body, are now more suscep-
table to the evil influence of alcoholic and
other poisons, than heretofore. But alco-
hol itself, always was poison to man, and
until mans nature changes, always will be.
Pray look over the ancient testimony on
this point. Before the arts of distilation
or adultcration were known, old Noah got
drunk on the pure, fermcnted juice of the
grape, and was undoubtedly well ''mel-
lowed" as thou dost wittily remark, but
while the record says he did exhibit much
indecency on that occasion, it does not say
that his wine made him benevolent" but
that as soon as he got sober enough
thinking his son Ham had not treated him
politely during his bcastly exposure, went
to cursing Hams poor children with an
ungrandfathery vengeance.
No, my good friend, pure wine, contains
in itself, aside from any wicked additions
and devices of men, dreadful poison, and
that poison is alcohol Thus said Solomon,
before any of these modern authorizations of
wine, or liquors, were known: AT last
it biteth like serpent and stingeth like an
adder" And one William Shakespeare,
who wrote hundreds of years ago, whose
profane writings contain, | had almost
said, divine truths, puts into the mouth of
one of his characters, Michael Cassie, the
following words, as showing what even
the pure wines of Cyprus, those hundreds
of years ago, long before apple-jacl
brandy was known in the mountains of
Tennessee, had done for him.
"Drunk and speak parrot and suuabble?
swagger? swear? and discourse fustlan with
ones own shadow? o thou invisible spirit OF
wine, If thou hast no name to be known by, let
us call thee-devll!"
And, as if this were not enough to say,
he maketh this same Cassie also to bewail
his own folly as followcth
80 that men should put an enemy in their
mouths to steal away their brains !"
And you have only to recall to your
memory other classical writers to see how
wine-''purc wine"-asidc from all adul-
terations hath ever done unmeasured and
unreasonable evil and mischief in the
world
While, then, thou dost belabor the lesser
evils, do not forget, beseech thee to bear
thy testimony against the other and greater
ones, for it is to get this big ''devl"-the
spirit of wine into their stomachs, that
men, insanely, gulp down those other
smaller devils thou dost call by their foul
names and so deservedly beat with thy pom
derous cudgel, just as the man who would
eat his cheese, though full of maggots,
saying he could stand it, if they could.
TIMOTHY BRoADBRIM.
Dated at the Friends Retreat, in the year