Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-04-04
For the VERMONT FARMER.
TEMPERANCE.

| have watched with interest the corner Of
the FARMER given to women, but only occa-
casionaly do 1 see an article by a woman.
This | regret. But temperance is matter
they are always ready to talk about. That
is subject they know something about for
alas too many of them have been taught in
the school Of bitter experience, and they are
learning many other things from the same
stern teacher. They are fast awakening to
the fact that whatever concerns humanity
concerns them. This temperance cause is
common one with broad platform, and
temperance in the broad sense means vastly
more than discarding the use Of alcohol, al
though that Interpretation is very significant.
N. l.. DIS articles on temperance have in
terested u.s. and her question in late num-
Der of the FARMER, as to which is the worst
murderer or rumseller, is pertinent
one The murderer destroys physical life,
and this is positive wrong. The rum, not
the rumseller, deadens the mental faculties
and scathes the susceptibilities Of the SOUL"
and finally destroys life" So | should
call rumselling a positive evil, but all evils
result in final good. ." 1t must needs be
that offenses come but woe to him by whom
the offense cometh." Il is rum drinking
that leads to rumselling. Shutting up our
rum shops with present public sentiments
would be like putting things out Of the reach
of child; train the child pi operIy and you
need have no care as to what is about the
room, so if we rightly educate the people,
alcohol may run down our streets like river
and nobody will touch it. Our scientific
men are discovering that alcohol has no good
effect upon the human system; that its use
is always deleterious that it is neUer neces-
essary. Now this gives us an intelligent
basis for a temperance reform. How often
we hear it said that pure wines or liquo RS Of
any kind are, when used moderately and dis.
criminately, beneficial, even necessary IN
cases of sickness. Now but for the excess,
the drunkenness, should we ever learn that
alcohol in any form, no matter how small
the quantity was injurious, was poison?
Now don't understand me as wishing to
make any excuse for rumselling or drinking,
for "woe to him by whom the offense cometh."
We would not do evil that good may come,
but the evil being inevitable, let us learn
what we can from it, and notwithstanding
all the evils, direct or indirect, resulting from
rum drinking, we are on higher plane Of
intelligence, and higher standard of morali-
ty is taught than if athere had been no drum
kenness, no vice. To be sure we are paying
very dear for our knowledge. But our free
dom was dearly bought, and we paid dearly
to have the curse Of slavery removed, and
has not thus matter of intemperance as mnch
vital Importance? Imagine if you can what
would be the state Of our country if no in-
toxicating liquors were used except for me-
chanical purposes. 1t would seem perfect
paradise, and all the degradation, want, mis-
cry and suffering, we should count as nothing
if we could finally outgrow the evils of in-
temperance We have had laws, organiza-
tions, and individual effort, but all based up
on the idea that alcohol was necessity in
sickness, and well enough in small quanti-
ties at anytime, but when science steps in
and says, it always does harm by uselessy
wasting vitality, when this truth finds a
lodgment in the minds Of the people, we have
the tree up by the roots, and no soil lett for
it to grow in
MATTE WILLIAMS, NJ. d.
~ Z. Hygeian Home Concord, W.