Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-05-28
GRAND RAPIDS, WIS, THURSDAY MAY g. 1874

SIN: Ii they did, they are 1nWlse,
think. DO you suppose this crusade
would have been begnn if nothing
worse were DRINK than beer? That Is
bad enough, without doubt, and an un-
mitigated curse TO all who drink II to
excess or not; but the women know
that where beer is there is something
worse; AMI all their observation has
taught them that that worse thing can
not be got rid of unless the beer goes
with it Besides, they know, what
you DO not seem 70 admit, that a
..glass or two Of beer" restores the
wasted strength of no man. \ stimu
liant ''restores nothing. Alcohol ex
cites the nervous system, and all artl-
fetal excitement is followed by reaction
and exhaustion Alcohol ia>no form
adds to the vital forces; it subtracts
from them. In sickness it may stimu-
late for the time the pro :esses of d.
gestion, or rally Temporarily the vital
forces to throw off disease, but the
best modern physiologists recognize no
nutritious element in that much abus
ed agent IF there is nutrtive ele-
ment in beer, it IS so insignificant as to
deserve no consideration whatever
After all, it is the company that the
beer keeps which condemns it; and
after all, too, it Is the fact that beer
always is abused, wherever it is kept
or sold. which makes it Objectionable
10 the women.
But this is small matter cor1para-
lively, and | hasten to what seems to
me to be the most important part of
your circular that in which you quote
chapter and verse, your Divine author
ity for the use of wine. 1t is easy to
quote Scripture, and when no account
is taken Of the circumstances under
which each quotation was written it is
easy to sustain almost any proposition
by it. 1t is easy, for instance, to turn
to Proverbs aud quote: ''Wine is a
mocker, strong drink is raging, and
whosoeyer is deceived thereby is not
wise. We can turn to the book Of
Daniel and show how the men who
would not defie themselves with the
wine of Nebuchadnezzar, but ate pulse
and drank water, proved themselves in
the space OF ten days fairer and fatter
than all who were around them. We
can turn to the proverb Of the .wisest
man again, and write the words
look not upon the wine when it is
red, when it 4iyoth its color in the cup,
when it noyeth itself Alright; at last
it biteth like a serpent aud stingeth
like an adder" 4 Divine statute re-
corded in LeyiticuS has special appii-
cation to the priesthool: '<Do not
drink wine nor strong drink, thou nor
thy sons with thee, when We go into
the tabernacle Of the congregation, lest
ye die it shall be a statute forever
through your generations. .
1t is easy to quote Scripture, re-
peat, and those poroions which [ have
presented are AT least as good as yours.
They prove, first, that wine IS u seduc-
tive, deceptive and dangerous drink
second, thas on a fair trial men are
better without II than with 1t; and
third, that there are circumstances and
conditions tinder which God has com
niandej that it should not be drunk at
all. That is ali [ wish to prove from
Scripture in this direct connection, for
am quite ready to admit that the
Jews, alike Of the old Testament and
the New, dr INK wine, and that the "a
viour and his di5cipl drank II: We
may he sure, however, that the s'r
cumstances Of the country rende ell
the practice either desirable Or perm's-
sable. 1t WAS probably true that under
the circumstances wiuedrin6lng did
more good than harm. Does any one
suppose that if, in that country, and,
in those times, wine drinking did more
harm than good: it woul,! have receiv-
ed in an7 way the sanction of the Sa-
yiour? Such suppostion would i'm
pugn alike his candor and his benevo-
lence.
We live otherwhere and in other
times. Wine has become associated
with baser liquors. 1t is manufactured
from baser liquors in untold quantities.
The poor people Of America could not
Get pure wine if thcy wanted it, and
the rich do not know whether they get
it or not The great practical fact,
however. which stares us in the face
to-day, is that wine, brandy, whiskey,
Gin, and beer, are tied together IN a
sisterhood Of ungOvernable furles, ana
that one Of them cannot be dealt with
without dealing with all the rest. II
the rich man drinks his wine, the poor
man will have his whiskey. The total
abstinence people are not responsible
for this state Of things; they are total
abstinence people in consequence OF
this state of things. They can find no
middle ground. You, yourself, pro-
fess to have practicod total a5stiHeae
for years, for the sake OF setting
good ,xanlple- You have thus given
praetjes! recognition Of the fact that
no man can do anything for temperance
who is not total abstinence man. and
have set an example to the clergy OF
this country worthy Of all imitation
an example. too, which must be uni
versally initiated before the Christian
Church can do the work which Chris
tianity demands OF 1t.
Unbo,n;lv vo1r nrecept nullifes your