The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1874-05-14
JN1scEnMgG.
A THRILLING TEMPERANCE
Speech

Ia the st. Louis Democrat we find the
report of a speech made:by Colonel Nat. c.
Claiborne, prominent lawyer of that city.
Of him the Democrat says: HE has been
leading politician and a gay man of the
world for years, and his conversion may
be regarded as one of the strongest argu-
ments that could be presented in favor of
the power and efficacy of the truth of the
religion of the Lord Jesus Christ" The
speech is too long to reproduce entire, but
we make one extract. After the proper
introduction the speaker drew a vivid
picture of the drama Of intemperance-the
private box era, the dress circle era, the
gallery era, and finally the pit. He said
know something about intemperance.
My profession, that of practicing criminal
law in all the courts having criminal juris-
dictiOn in the city of st. Louis for the last
twelve years, has brought me somewhat
IN contact with intempersnce, and know
something of its results from my expert
ence as a lawyer. have had for forty
years the open sesame to those splendid
institutions where banquets are given,
where wines are sold and drank; and, of
course, during that long period of time,
coming IN contact almost every day with
men who drink, have personal expert
ence upon the subject of intemperance, and
know from observation and from my own
experience something of its evil effects up
on society
Intemperance has it's private boxes, its
dress circle, its gallery and its pit All men
are not born to these different grades. The
sons of toll, whose faces are burned by out
door labor, whose hands are hardened by
their occupations, never get into the pri-
vate boxes, and they seldom reach as high
as the dress circle; their part Is played IN
the third tier, and they fall from that to the
pit. There is class of gentlemen who claim
IN this country, to have been born in the
boxes. They are what the world denomi-
nate thoroughbreds; the sons, by chance
or accident, Of men of fortune, who grow
up without any of the necessities that
compel men to labor and struggle for
livelihood
There is another class that mingIe in the
boxes with those favored children of for
tune. They are men of sparkling genius,
men of culture, men of taste, men of refine
ment, whose genius opens the way for them
into this select circle of the favored few of
ing their Charles Heidsick and PEPPER Ma
poleon, and occasionally q favorite brand
called Widow Cliquot. They first learn
to drink at the dinner table. Wine has
its fascinatiOns. There is no question
| about tnat. I don't think that for thirty
years l ever saw q more beautiful sight
than glass-a pure cut-glass goblet
filled with imported, sparkling wine, bub-
bling up from the bottom of the glass and
kissing the lips as it was raised. Il was
beautiful to the eye and pleasant to the
taste. But death is in the glass. Ap-
plause.l
These young bloods commence drinking
this fascinating wine at their fathers table
slipping a glass of port. Time passes
and they begin to drink at the restaurants,
in the hotels, at the banquets of the city,
until they become infatuated with wine,
and are Obliged to have it. they think, as
a stimnlant.
They get so in the road toward dissipa-
ton that they must have something before
breakfast. For year. perhaps for two or
three, bottle of Congress Water, or a
glass OF Blue Lick, or glass of our Belch-
er water IN this city, satisfies the appetite
and answers the purpose. But as this
fashionable drunkard approaches his final
doom, his appetite demands a stronger
stImulant before breakfast, and he COM
mences by calling for half bottle of kIug
or Cliquot or cocktails.
Step by step he becomes the victim oi
this thirst for wine, and sooner or later, il
he is not snatched from his love and saved
from his thirst-from this soft, ,insinuating
but finally ruiaous love for drink-hsi ap.
petite will require a stronger stimulant
Then he leaves the boxes and passes into
the dress circle. 1t may be that his fnan.
clal condition has driven him to pursue
this course-because when he enters thai
circle he mlngles with crowd equally al
fond Of the stimulant, but not as able tc
pay for 1t as himself where they take ole
Bourbon at twenty-five cents a drink
choice brandy at fifty cents, sometimes
straight, and sometimes mixed. In some
cases the constitutions are stroag, and thii
polsons affects them slowly; but sooner o.
later, the gentlemanSwho has passed from
the boxes into the dress circle finds himsel
at last in the gallery, where they sell i'm
itatlon Bourbon at ten cents glass, and 1
drink of New York brandy, that the be
sotted drunkard tastes and declares tina
he can smell the grape IN it, at ten cent
a drink. Now, you know what manufac
. tured Bourbon is. 1t is manufactured il
st. Louis. 1t requires an expert chemls
to get up this imitation of the genuin
whisky. 1t is made of alcohol, and by
chemical process it receives the color, tn
bead, the smell, the taste, and any age tn
, chemist chooses to give it. 1t is retaiIe
in the gallery or third-class saloon at te
cents a drink. 1t is the last step tn
drunkard makes until he tumbles into th
pit below and finds himself at salonn o
the Lsvee, or Almond or Third, or som
still lower place of the city, where the
sell the poison in large doses at five cent
n a drink.
Did you ever go out promising yor
wife you wonld be home about half pa
nine or ten O'Clock, and get back ne1
morning about seven? Laughter
Did you ever spend night in defant
of the sacred promise made your Wit
drinking either whisky or brandy cocktail
:, IN mint juleps, in punches, hot or cold,
70 any of the fashionable mixed drinks2
IS, drinking wine and sucking those vietoris
ne regalias-those blooded cigars that mol
0 but bloods buy, twenty-five cents apieC
g. fragrant with the favor of Havana {
re Te bacco the smoke curling above your hea
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