The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1874-06-05
TEMPERANCE ITEMS.

ciety is aroused, as at present. The
peasants are said to roast their eggs in
the sands Of Vesuvius. That is very
safe way Of getting something to eat,
compared with liquor-selling, in the pres
cnt heated condition Of the atmosphere.
II is the exercise of rare grace to be will
ing to starve. The man who can find
nothing else to do for a living but sell
liquor had better make a lively inquiry
after this starving grace.
Rum is an outlaw, an enemy to the
human race, possesses no rights which
society is bound to respect, no more than
have theft and murder. Compared with
it, the most terrible pestilence is harm
less All Of the explosive compounds
ever invented. from the beginning until
now, have slain their tens, while strong
drink has slain its thousands. Sparta
had barbarous law which condemned
all weak children to death. BY allowing
easy access to intoxicating liquors, we
condemn every man whose will is not
stronger than his appetite, to most hor-
rible moral and physical ruin. There is
a Hindoo legend which represents man
led, first by chains which proceed from
hands Of iron, then by invisible threads
proceeding from brains. This legend
did not comprehend the subtle influence
which goes forth from the grog-shops,
not as chains from tyrant's hand, nor
as ideas proceeding from brains, but,
with a power more irresistible than
either, draws countless multitudes
through its doors to horrible ruin. Civ
ilization has long since stamped as bar
barous the law Of Sparta. To control
the sale of poison, and bar the path Of
the suicide, we must control the manu-
faoture and sale of alcohol, which is
more destructive.-Union
Era.
"sUAsIoN."
This is a word familiar to all ears 1t
is paraded in print, recommended from
the pulpit and practiced in the family
circle. Moral suasion has been the hob
BY of the last decade. There has been n
happy and growing tendency to sink in
to oblivion that "suasion" growing out of
mere physical or brute force.
Krs individual goes astray or class
Of people DO wrong Ne try to reclaim
then and lsad them tn repentance by
means Of moral suasion. Sometimes this
fails (; then, if in the family, the suasion
of physical force is brought to bear il
in business circles, the aggrieved parties
have recourse to legal suaslon.
There is large class Of people among
us who have evidently gone astray, and
it is the duty and to the interest of all
who are not blinded to the consequences,
to endeavor, by any and all honorable
means, to reclaim the erring ones and
avert the fatal results which must inevit-
ably follow their present course of pro-
cedure. We refer to the class of people
who manufacture, sell and drink, as a
beverage, intoxicating liquors.
Moral suasion has never been spared.
From time inmemorial they have been
admonished by the plain and direct
teachings Of the scriptures and the ex-
hortations Of friends. No wife, mother
or sister has seen loved one going step
BY step on the downward road to ruin,
lured onward by the tempting bowl OF
the dram-shop, without bestowing upon
him all the moral suasion of loving wo-
mans tears and embraces. But how Of
ten has she failed the blind inebriate
has trampled under foot womans enact
ated form, woman's tears and woman's
love, and has stumbled into drunkard's
grave over the unholy traffic of the
liquor dealer.
Intemperance has made sad wrecks Of
some of the most brilliant minds of the
commonwealth during the past, and is
mining the moral powers of her young
men now. While we have an enviable
reputation abroad for generous hospiiali.
ty, we are at the same time gaining the
most unenviable reputation Of being a
dissipated people.
THE BALLOT-BoX CREATED AND THE
BALLOr-Box MUST DESTROY.
And is it not high time for the de-
to bsgin? Kentucky, with
columns OF smoke ascending to heaven
from her thousands of still houses, turn
ing out innumerable barrels Of whisky.
home produced, and consequently the ex-
penses greatly reduced, yet spends annu-
ally s50,223,l 3,ll5 for Intoxicating drinks.
Or, in other words, the people of Ken
tucky tax themselves on average s3S per
capita for liquor-the enemy that enters
their mouths and steals away their brains.
Counting -four at $40 per barrel it would
only require little more than thirteen
millions to supply every family in the
State with flour the year around. We
spend almost four times this amount for
whisky, while thousands are begging for
bread. But the dollar and cent view of
the question is small consideration
when accompanied with Kentucky's
criminal and pauper record. --Er.
The Northern Presbyterian Assembly
n