The Arizona sentinel., 1875-05-29
TEMPERANCE.

III0 paper III OtSS ucO DOCdOo0 yOu
see this word, but read little
further and see if you don't think
we are about right. The word
temperance, has become so hack
neyed of late years, and under its
sanction fanaticism and folly have
taken such a wide range, that
many good people recoil at seeing
the word. And it is no wonder !;
for it has been made a hobby, and
ridden to death by addle headed
philanthropists, who never knew
the true meaning and significa-
ton of the word. Temperance,
in its common application to-day,
means the faculty, or virtue if
you please, of sustaining from the
use of Intoxicating drinks. And
this application, as far as it goes,
is well enough. No reasonable,
intelligent man can deny that the
Incorporate use of intoxicating
liquors has caused more misery in
the world than war, pestilence
and famine, combined.
God forbid that we should lay
stone in the way of those who
are earnestly striving to reform
men from the beastly habit of
drunkenness. BUTT is the inevi-
table course of all reforms, to run
things into the ground, and in
jure and retard the very cause in
which they seem to be so earnest
ly enlisted. The history of the
late Temperance crusade" is a
history of the excuses of fanatic
ism, and all calm and intelligent
observers know that those fanatics
did more harm than good to the
cause of true temperance. They
have distorted the true meaning
and definition of the word temper
a11ce, into total abstinence. The
definition of the word temperance,
is moderation in regard to the in
diligence of the natural appetites
and passions, restrained or mod
crate indulgence, opposed to glut-
tony and drunkenness.
Now total abstinence is not tenn
perance, but is in itself intern
perance, and its advocates seek
by Incorporate means to foster a
great moral reform. Many men
die from gluttouy in eating. and
to be consistent, the total abstin-
ence reformers would tell people
that they must abstain from food
altogether. Some of these reform
ers have sacrificed their own lives
in their efforts to illustrate to The
world the truth if their insane
theories. Graham, the great We
getarian and the inventor of the
bread that bears his name, made
of unbolted -four, absolutely starv-
ed himself to death few years
ago in New York, in his insane
effort to demonstrate that man
would live three or four times as
long if he would totally obstain
from meat or salt, eat vegetables
alone, and very little of even that
kind of food. A healthy man at
first. by following his own diet
he became a poor mirerabIe ca.
daverous dyspeptie old nincom-
poop and died at a little over forty.
Horace Greeley and Ralph Waldo
Emerson were among his dis.
ciples, but his early death alarmed
them and they returned to the
flesh pots of Egypt" Intemper-
ance is a fearful evil and all ra-
tional means should be used to
check it. but the efforts of the to-
tai abstinence refOrmers are not
because they seek coer-
Give measures to mplish this
object, and thus create bitter OPP
position in the minds of the poor
victims of habituaI intoxication.
They begin at the wrong end. !
The rational mode of Graduating
the great evil of drunkenness
would seem TO be to teach the
young, both by precept and ex-
4 nonlQ tho hidoo,,c H. co..o:L