Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1875-08-06
ALCOHOL.

| SchooI OF one OF the churches OF Trum
bull, which with pleasure we insert, an
commend to perusal in every township 0
church Of the county:
1t may well be remarked that in this
have selected a singular subject with whfcl
to head paper to be read before Sunda,
school; but it is quite reasonable to sup
pose that mans most mature thought
and deepest reasonings are to be draw
from the field with which his mind Is mos
familiar and since for many years past
haYe concentrated all the powers of mind
memory and reason upon the study of tn,
healing art, and kindred subjects connect
ed with health and disease, and since NJ
subject is more intimately connected there
with than this, therefore I cannot select
one with which 1 will be more likely to in
terest you proftably than
ALCOHOL, AND ITS EFFECTS UPON THE RACE
Alcohol is the base, or active principle
of all intoxicating drinks, from the mildest
wine, ale or cider, to the most powerful
brandy; and singular as it may appear, ex
lists nowhere in nature, but is purely arti
fetal in its origin-one of those artful de
vices of man, who, Sin the wickedness Of
his heart, hath sought out many inven.
tions." Its mode of preparation may be
stated in brief, as follows:
Alcohol is the product of chemical
process called ''vinous fermentation, by
which sugar, either dissolved in water OF
in the form of certain vegetable juices-as
grape-juice, berry-juice, spple-juiee, &c
and mixed with a certain quantity of yeast
or ferment, is converted into alcohol, car
bonie acid and water. The liquids thus
prepared and containing the newly-formed
alcohol, are called ''fermented liquors, y
and constitute, according to the mode OF
preparation, either the wines or the malt
liquors. These, when submitted to distila-
tion, bring over mixture of alcohol, wa
ter, and the small proportion Of volatile
oils contained in the liquids employed, and
are then called f:ardent spirits, and are
named according to the manner of prepar-
alton and the properties they possess
brandy, rum, gin or whisky. When these
again are subjected to careful process Of
re-distilation, the liquid is deprived of all
impurities except water, and is now called
<-reetifed spirits" or common commercial
alcohol; and when this liquid is mixed
with quantity Of quick-lime and again
re-distilled it is deprived of its water, and
we have Alcohol, that King of human ter
rors, stripped of all disguise and chemical
ly pure. So much, then. for the process
of forming and purifying alcohol. A few
words now in relation to its history, and
we come to a consideration of the effects
Of alcohol upon the human economy, and
its remarkable powers, both for good and
evil-for human veal or woe.
Wine was the only alcoholic preparation
known to the aneients, and that possessed
veryy little spirit compared with the wine
we use row. The exact period or location
of its first invention cannot be definitely
fixed. Egypt, Greece and Rome all claim
ed the invention of wine; but since they
we're all grape growing countries, and to
observed the phenomena of fermentation
in grape-juice would lead 90 naturally to
the manufacture of wine, it is quite prOba-
bic that the discovery was made in each OF
those countries independent Of any knoWl-
edge derived from the others.
At a later day, mildly stimulating
beverage was made by the ancients from
grain, and afterwards called by the Saxors
4beer." This beer was what is now called
by the brewers, 'Hsweet fluid" or "worst, y
and its stimulating properties are hardly
perceptible. It was not until the ninth
century that hops were used in the EN- manu-
faeture of beer, and not until the eleventh
century of the Christian Fra that Casa, an
Arabian chemist and physician, first dIstll-
led wine. and produced rectified spirits.
Brandy derives its name from ''breunen,
signifying ito burn, and is of modern ori-
gin. Gin, so named from Geneva, the
TOWN where attention was first called to 1t,
has. not been known two hundred years.
Rum and whisky were known to chemists
and medical men at a much earlier date,
Init were not used as a beverage until the
bepinning of the last century. These facts
in The history of alcohol, probably account
Cor SO little being said by ScrPtural writ
or ~ on the subject of intemperance, for,
SiDca the ancients knew nothing Of aloOhoI
or its use as a beverage, except in the form
of their mild and almost harmless native
wines the sin of intemperance could moi
have prevailed to anywhere the alarming
extent as at the present time, although a, y
wiz not be forgotten that enough OF I'M
.r ndt -vailed even then, to meet in sever
eTH PIT with prompt and unqualified
alI instances the hands of the inspired
writeE. ( y ~ - .joso+ioy ~ tba AZ
we now come to the consl,. steal mora
-ecT S of alcohol upon mans ply. red tina
~ .ture. And here it will be renemb. tie
the stimulating and intoxicating prope,,
OF all beverages are due alone to. the alcohol
contained therein. Therefore, alcohol is
the representative Of all intoxicating drinks.
Alcohol is universal stimulant and is ca
pable of stimulating to an increased and
unnatural action, every organ and tissue of
the human body. When taken into the
stomach, it produces feeling of warmth,
followed by increased frequency and Sforce
Of the pulse, heat and flushing of the face,
!brilliancy Of the eye and a wen known feel
ing of giddiness and light swimming IN
the head. Physical action and muscular
power are whipped up to much higher
state OF activity. The mental faculties. as
well as the physical, are eorrespondinsly
stimulated. The spirits are exhilerated.
there is a more rapid and Sometimes elo,
luent flow Of thought and fancy, and Ian
yuage, in some instances, rises even To fbe
,ublime-but alasl it too often descends to
.he ridiculousl There is now developed n
disposition to give unrestrained expression
o the thoughts and feelings Of the mo- |
nent; the restraints Of modesty and timid-
ty, and too often those of common decen-
", are removed; and farther on, the con-
rol over the judgment is lost, and latent |
E, slings are betrayed, or new ones arise, |
ga. inst which, in his sober moments, the
ette1| feelings Of the .man would revolt \