The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-07-08


water into wine, and that Noah
after the flood planted a vine before any
other act performed after the landing. He
then goes on in the following manner to
further demolish his clerical antagonist:
"Do you remember any great poet that ever
illustrated the higher fields of humanity
that did not dignity
THE USE OF WINE
from old Homer down? He die not, L
asked, Did you over know any great phil
osopher that did not take it for the exalta-
ton of his intelligence? Do you think, doc
tor, that a man who lived upon pork, beef
and corn bread could get up into the su
perior regions into the ethereal? No he
must
Take nectar on high Olympus,
And mighty mead in Valhalla.'
L said then again, Doctor, you are a schol-
arly man, of course, doctor of divinity, a
graduate of Yale; do you remember Plato's
Sympositium?' Yes, he remembered that
1 referred him to the occasion where gatho.
having won the prize OF trag-
edy at the Olympic games at Cor
NTH, on coming back to.Athens was feted by
the nobility and aristocracy of that city, for
it was proud triumph to Athens to win the
prize of tragedy. They got together at the
have been every night for these last six
nights drunk; let as be sober tonight, and
we will start a theme;" which they passed
around the table as the sun goes around, or
as they drank their wine, or
as men tell story. They started a theme
gar sense, but in its high sense-love of all
that is beautiful. After they had gone
through, and after Socrates had pronounced
his judgment about the true and the beauti-
full, In came Alcibiades with a drunken
body of Athenian boys with garlands
..x.I tAn,~ IL - \
to crown old Socrates, and they said to those
assembled, This will not do; we have been
drin hiking, and you have not;' and after
Alcibiades had made his talk in pursuance
of the argument in which he undertook to
dignity Socrates, as / remember it, they re-
quired latter the party had agreed to drink,
IL being quite late in the evening, and they
had finished their business in the way Of
discussion) that Socrates should drink two
measures tor every other mans one, because
he was better able to stand it. And 50, one
after another, they were laid down upon the
lounges in the Athenian style, all except an
old physician, named Aristodemus, and
Plato makes him the hardest head, except
Socrates. He and Socrates stuck at it until
THE GRAY OF THE MORNING,
and then Socrates took his bath, and went
down to the groves and talked academic
knowledge. After citing this incident, /
said to this divine, do you remember that
Lord Bacon said that a man should get
drunk at least once a month, and that Mon
tague, the French philosopher, Endorsed the
proposition? These exaltants, that bring us
above the common measure of the brute,
wine and oil, elevate us. enable us to seize
great facts, inspirations which once pos
sessed are ours forever; and those who
never go beyond the mere beastly
means of animal support never live in the
hi
believe in women, wine, whisky and war 1"
This speech OF McDougali's is a classic
among the old habitues of the capital. There
are not many of them, but can repeat it
word for word as McDougall de ivered it..
This speech did not save 1.-THE Hole in the
WALL" Henry Wilson's resolution was
carried, there being only two dissenting
votes, tnst of McDougalf's andiDavis's, OF
Kentucky. Since that time there has been
a steady decrease Of these openly disgrsceful
scenes in congress. Members, when
/ they wish to get drunk, do so
in private, and when they keep mistresses
| they do not openly visit them. Liquor is
still sold in the capitol building, but not
openly to strangers. congressman visiting
the restaurant in the basement of the CAPT.
| tol building have no trouble in getting what
| they want. It is generally served in cup
and saucer, as il the member had called for
| cup Of coffee However there is now q
large and growing class of men in congress
who do not need liquor as stimulant, and
who believe that there are other amuse-
| ments better than getting drunk in COM
psny with lewd and dissOlute companions.
There has been an improvement IN the
political society of the capital, but il is per-
I baps needless to state that there is still yet
the greatest need OF further conversion to a
steadfast belief in the practical benefits OF
morality and decency.