, 1874-04-05

I purifying, when every denomination is having
it's own internal strife7 At any rate, we, who
aud lot Him do with the work what seemeth to
Him good" 4 READER.
A SOBER AMERICA.
Al Appeal to the Citizens OF the
United States.
It is proven beyond reasonable doubt Shat
alcoholic drink is q social evil, productive OF
-tenths of the crime and poverty existing in
the civilized world. To prohibit the manufao-
ture, sale, and use OF It, is considered lnlpossi-
ble for two reasons First, because tho great
majority Of the people want it; aud, secondly,
| because the manufacture and sale Of alcohol are
source OF great revenue to the Governments
Of the city and country, aud is q staple article
| OF commerce. But, granted that the prohibi-
| tion Of the manufacture. saie, and use OF a1co-
holo beverages 1s in fact impossible, is It also
Impossible to prohibit the sale Of alcoholio
drinks, and to cease giving lconse to sell ench
drinks? Certainly not, because it has already
been done In number Of communities; and
| what has been done before can ba done again.
True, the prohibition of such manufacture and
sale was not altogether, in commercial
| point OF view, SO satisfactory to those
| Temperance communities as 1t might have been,
| for the reason that its manufacture and sale
were allowed to go On undisturbed in neigh
boring places in the same country, which had 8
contrary effect on the temperance commune
! ties from what WAS expected; and in that the
| temperance societies went too far when they to-
tally prohibited all kinds OF beverages, as wine,
! beer, ale, and porter, oven at wholesale. 1t is
| evident therefore, that partial prohibition, like
- =.
| promoting the result sought for. OF course,
| the question to 10 decided in this InAtter ia,
| whether or not the maioEity Of the people OF the
United States are willing to eet..rid Of drunken
ness If they are, then have no hesitation in
saying that they can get rid Of it.
II a majority OF American citizens should de-
eide to instruct their representatives everywhere
to 40 act and legislate that, after certain day
say May l, 1875,-no more lcanacs for drau-shops
should be issued and no sale Of alcoholic drinks
of any kind be allowed. what could prevent them
from accomplishing their intention and pur-
pose?
An old German friend said to me, some tina
ago, when speaking Of the evils Of intempor-
ance: ''SiI, can truly say, we're it not for the
custom Of my countrymen to meet and spend
their evenings and leisure hours at the saloons,
that very likely should not drink more than
two or three glasses OF lager-beer day, and no
alcoholic drinks or wine but, in meeting at the
saloons every day with number OF friends and
acquaintances, T now often drink fifteen to
twenty glasses day; and the same, am sure,
can be said of all men, Of whatever nationality,
who spend t1clr time at the grog-shops." Now,
that man spoke from his own experience and
knowledge; and can it be questioned that he was
correct? young map, Tor instance, goes to
saloon in the evening to get glass Of wine or
beer. Meeting with nobody he knows, he re-
turns home perfectly satisfied with his glass,
and goes to bed sober. The next evening ho
visits the saloon again. with the sa1no intent.
}~% l,o~x f1 will ,fnN rf
friends; he invites them to take drink with
him; they invite him in turn. and that night ho
returns home drunk. possibly for the first time;
but will il be tho last In that WAY most drunk
ards are made. Even those frequentc1s OF
saloons who have resolution enough not to drink
themselves dead drunk can, in fact, hardly be
said to go to bed one evening in the week en-
tirely sober.
no longer allowed, aud no more licenses were
given, those who wanted stimuiants OF the kind
would be obliged to buy them ut wholesale, in
no less quantity than gallon. and drink them
at home. Can it be doubted. that drunkenness
in this way would be reduced IS per cent in q
few years. because the temptation 70 drink too
much would be leseened? It is not ptobsbIe that
wivea, sisters, or mothers would permit their
husbands. brothers, or sous every dag, or even
once or twice week, to invite companions to
their homes to drink and play cards with them
As for tue custom Of gentlemen to meet at
saloons, billiard-rooms, or public places Of |
amusement, the opportunity to do so would re-
main the same, with only this difference: that |
soda-water, seltzer, coffee, tea, chocolate can- |
dy. cigars, and the like, would be served them.
instead OF stimulating drinks, the consequence |
Of which would be. that the number OF such |
places would be reduced and the remaining ones
be respectable, BECAUSE no longer frequented by
drunkhrls, loafers and professional gamblers
who naturally would try to meet in places where
they, in one way or other. could obtain stimuli
lants, and whero they would be left alone by
authorities, and whero no decent, honest man
would dare to show his face
It seems to me- that propose nothing but
what could easily ke accomplished. il people
were in earnest about it. II g reform Of that
kind can't DC brought about through the impulse
of patriotism, and to save humanity from degra-
dation. crime, and poverty, it can't be accom-
pllshed at all. Tho case is this II wo will, re
can do it; II VIC will not, OF course then We will
not. But to Say that We cannot, il to tell
story.
Naturally the opposition would be powerful
and It would be neccessary in order to accom-
plish some good, with prospect OF doing more,
to compromise 30 far to tolerate, as hitherto
the sale Of all kinds Of beer, and possibly Hine.
It is certainly batter to do some good than to do
ro good at all, because We can't accomplish aI1
NC wish at once.
I am far from denying any man or woman the
'lght te drink whatever they please. / hare no
objection to 8 moderate use of wine or beer;
although admit that tho world would be much
better OF without alcoholic Bt1nn1ants. But to
License and keep up public drinking-places in
sututlons Of destruction, productive of crime
and poverty, where generation after generation
Is degraded and transformed from human beings
TO animals and brutes, is, in my opinion, not only
the worst kind OF folly, but also willful and
deliberate murder OF souls, good morals, and
socia. welfare, in the opon face OF the world and
bur oEn conscances, for which We are and must
30 rec7onsible. defy anybody to prove thu:
public d1an-shops can ever bo productive Of any
good; while, on the contrary, it Las often been
proved, and cannot be denied, that they are the
promoters Of disorder and crime.
Surely no one who deserves the title OF Amer;-
IAN citizen can be Indifferent to an evil Of such
magnitude; etil less oppose the effort to accou-
,lish reform.
I will only add that know OF no country
shere strong drinks we're more generally used q ,
ew years ago than Sweden. or where poverty
md crime was more frequently met with. in con.