The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-02-14
~ h 8, Crusade against Whiskey.

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0ur readers have been informed Of the
progress of this extraordinary crusade. II
is conducted with wonderful perseverance
by the women, and we may say with won
derful success. The saloon-keepers seem tc
be terrified by such an array Of Zealou!
women. They canno. resist the steady frt
which is kept up in plant, song, and suppIi
cation in the voice Of woman. Many O
them shut up their doors and promise tt
quit their occupations, while some join TIT
throng and 60 on to help to take captive
their late colleagues in business. The wal
grows in strength and zeal, and The whole
Northwest is threatened with it. Thus far
none of the larger cities have been invaded,
but preparations are making to go for "
Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio; and If sue
cess attends the sellers OF the drinking
shops Of those popuhous places there IS nc
telling how far the crusade may go.
But we anticipate that the women will find
a limit to their movements in numbers OF ill.,
habitants. 1t is likely that they will fail ID
cities having more than certain number OF
inhabitants. Beyond whatever number that
may be the vice they endeavor to eradicate
may be too powerfully fortified to be dis
lodged by their means of attack. Ihelr
movements are exciting much interest.
The provocation that could excite women
to such public display of themselves-so to
place themselves in the way of rudeness and
insult-must be great indeed, yet that any
amount of suffering should have so driven
them to sacrifice the modesty and propriety
of their sex is little surprising in this part
of the world. But we here differ widely
from the northern people, and we don't re-
greet it. Our women must greatly change
from their weil-known character before they
could initiate the example of the sex at the
North.
That drinking is the great vice Of this ma
ton is true. That drunkenness is the vice
that patronizes and inculcates all other vices
is equally true; and its diminutlon "oulo
be blessing so great and SO benencent tla'
it could be looked upon as nothing less than
divine. But will this crusade Of the women
secure it to their country Will not thelr
war he brief and its effects cYanescent! we
fear that they will. Intcmperance Is naDit
that is hard TO eradicate; because desire for
stimulating beverages is natural to man, and
cannot be excluded from society. Grcum.
stances, habits of people affected by the
character of their beverages, may inculcate
temperance in the use of them; but they can
never be discontinued. So we apprehend
bat the jealous women, spurred on oy
,rieyous wrongs, will not secure any very
asting advantages, and we are sorry to think
10; for it would be, as we say, one of the
greatest of blessings to man that wsuld make
Tim temperate in the use Of ardent liquors.
We remember when there was no such
hing known as temperance society
1ay. nor had one ever been heard Of in the
country. The decanter was accessible on
every sideboard, and there were no drink
ng.shops save the bar at the hotels. Liquor
was both cheap and pure. Drinking of it
did not stupefy and besot men and make
maudlin bores of them. The liquor seemed
rather to animate aud enliyen the intellect.
Old gentlemen who drank never forgot their
and were always civil and gallant.
The morning dram was An inaitution-in
summer juleps and in winter peach.and-
honey. Yet men were temperate in the day,
and were not, as says the proverb, now
drunkards because they drank in the morn
ing. Reverend gentlemen took their morn
iny dram straight-a small Straw.stemmed
wine.gass being their mea>ure-aud seemed
all the better and more pious for it. We
have suspected that the word reverend, APP
piled to whi>key " straight" had its origin
in this way.
But the liquor then was pure. AS it in
creases in cost it is more aud more adulte-
rated, until now fully half Of the sad effects
of Temperance are due to the poisonous ma
ture OF the liquors people drink.
The temperance societies came-they were
ridiculed and resisted, but, growing slowly
at first, soon spread over the country. AT
first they were denounced as impious, as Of
Tending religion by construchvely censurlng
wine at the Lords supper. The old people
never gave in, but regarded the temperance
as senseless innovation against
6. good customs" And although no man
can deny that temperance is thing to be
deyoutly wished for, we must confess that
we do not perceive any material alteration
for the better in the habits of men OF the
present day compared with those that ex-
listed before the establishment of temperance
societies in this country. Indeed, we rather
think there are proportionately more men
now who are rendered worthless by hard
drinking of bad liquor than there were in
the earlier days of which we speak.
we do not suppose that the difference is
attributable to societies. The circumstances
of the times Cypress and distress men and
inspire desperate feelings, and the glass is a
fatal, indeed, but temporarily con-
soling-and they avail themselves Of it.
There might be more Of this evil but for
the societies.
AS we suffer from the disturbing causes
which incline men to drink, so is the whole
nation troubled with political and social dis
orders which come from fana,icisp, greed,
and corruption. The oranges grew out
of these disorders, aud SO the female
crusade against whiskey comes from
the same source. The people are restless