The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-08-12
1NTEuPERANCE.
Written for the Redwood 0Ax.rr1.

It Is needless to cay. that intsuper
auce il great evil. Every sensible
person admits this; but, how great 40
evil it is, No do NOT believe one person
in hundred fully realizes There is
. law Of moral ethics, that, being
placed in almost constant or every. day
contact with any evil, causes that evil
to become kind of 40 accepted con-
dition, hardly removable.
Thus it u with iatsmpsranoe. It
has become 20 popular with the Amer.
lean people, by ''usags" that ito fear
full consequences are but little noticed
The masses, setm to feel, almost in
different With regard 70 the subject.
But, if once in a great while, q person
is bitten BY . mad dog; the whole
community 10 in an uproar Of excite
ment. Everybody is excited, aud ev-
erybcdy talks about 1t. Dogs are
vehemently denounced, and doedom is
in terror. Patriotic statesmen, Who
love their country and humanity make
grandilloqueut speeches on the horrors
Of dog bites, dog evils, dog laws and
the canine species generally. Aud
yet, from the very lowest estimate, Of
the number Of deaths canvassed by
strong drink, there are ten persons
who die Of delerium tremens, to one Of
hydrophobia. From this, some Of our
readers may think, We are in favor Of
prohibition" We are not but have
known those who were in favor Of pro-
nibitory liquor laws, who dare not act
upon their belief, for fear Of losing
popular strength. But to return more
directly to our subject We do not
believe in prohibitory liquor laws, be.
cause We think they are neither prac-
ticable nor wise. Such laws affect the
mind Of the masses As adverse TO the
constitutional rights Of civil liberty.
1t is = hard, if not an impossible thing
to coerce the representative American,
with his liberalized or liberty-"no.
toned views into anything approx
mating morality or religion. For the
last thirty years, from Main to Mime
sofa, prohibitory measures hive been
agitated, tried, and apparently proved
a failure. The pulpit taking a noble
stand. has long warned the people
against the increasing evils Of this
monster of tho land. The Rostrum,
has sent forth eloquent appeals in eve.
~ town and city. Organized societies
have made herculesn efforts, but only
with temporary success. Even bands
Of noble women have united 10 holy
crusade against it, but al, everything
has been Of no avail. What next,
must the "cause" be given up? No.
In our opinion; the only effectual way,
to remove any moral evil, is to destroy
the causes which created it. We
think the only permanent way to make
= people temperate, is through the in
fluence brought to bear upon youth.
And this influence must necessarially
be that of the parents aud guardians
of the young under their immediate
care. The way to develop . noble man
is to develop noble bly,
There IL IN old and true saying "that
you cannot learn old dogs new tricks. !"
And though Ne remark with due
respect to those interested, and With
sympathetic pity for those who have
known the most crushing Of LIES sor-
rows. Time, and time Only, can take
care Of the cid tePers.
Let our mothers aud daughters take
Of the boys. And this care means al
the love and moral influence that can
be exerteA beth At home and 10 society
at 'arge. Aud if necessary, may en-
brace organized cooperation Most !
everybody recognises the mighty pow
er for good mothers exert over little
boys. Aud though less recognizable,
the young ladies, with the graces Of
bss uty and morality 50 lavishly be.
slowed on them, may exert = power
over the young men, With no less po
tency. And these combined powers,
aided BY that Of every man, who is
not one of the ''unfortunstes," might
10 generations to come oonsumate .