The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1876-02-18
For The Agis O. h.telligenccr
The License Question Again

MR.. EDITOR: In glancing over the col
umns of The Egis noticed an article OIL
the Liquor License Law" by Temperance
and thought l would send you few
Scripture quotations to prove that qcin
and strong drink were as often condemned
in Scripture as approved. When he claim,
that alcohol is food, he certainly is il
error. 1t is a stimulant, and no doub
proloDgs life in cases of debility; but
wonder if Temperance ever tried wine
seven days without food. When he says
the natural appetite Graves it, he is Ger
tainly mistaken. Did he, or did any per
son ever know child or man either thai
could drink liquor until they had acquir
ed the taste for it by degrees. There We
see where the brutes are wiser than man
They cannot be compelled to acquire 6
taste for it. Temperance seems very much
affected about the gentleman that bought
hotel property and expected to pay fol
it from the sales over the bar-by taking
bread out of poor mems wives and chill.
dren's mouths, and depriving them of the
comforts of life. He says it is poor rule
that will not work both ways. Suppose
then man buys farm, expects to pay
for it from the products of that farm
CThis gentleman's hotel has to be kept up, J
the farmers appetite Graves whisky. lie
must crafty it. Every day finds him
spending his hard. earned money at the
bar of the gentleman's hotel. The tale is
soon told. The farm is sold for debt
Should not the hotel keeper pay that
mans debts, with just as much propriety
as the county to pay the gentleman's loss
es, because it kept him from making few
more drunkards the past year?
AS he seems to be Bible reader, no
doubt he has read "no drunkard can enter
the Kingdom of Heaven" know Christ
turned water into wine, for special pur-
pose. presume it was a very different
drink from the miserable fire. water that is
sold at the present day. When he quoted
from Proverbs, 31st chapter, "Give strong
drink to him that is ready to PERISH" why
did he not quote the preceding verses
The words of King Lemuel, the prophecy
that his mother taught him, 20, Lemuel,
it is not for kings TO drink wine, nor
princes strong drink, lest they drink and
forget the law, and pervert the judgments
of any of the afflicted Here is temper
ance lecture by mother If all mothers
would instil the same principles into their
sons at the present day, and take the Bible
as their text book against wine and strong
drink, before another century rolls around
there would.not be so many depraved ap-
petites crying out in behalf the rumseller.
But again, he says we are enjoined,
"Drink no longer water, but use little
wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often
intirmities." l say we were not enjoined.
Paul gave the advice to Timothy the same
as physician would give to patient, be-
cause he was often ailing. "For thy stom-
achs sake" St.Paul says, "lfmeat make my
brother to offend will eat no meat while
the world standeth.'' So would he have
said of wine or strong drink. But Tenn
perance is very selfish and mario W minded.
He has no regard for the poor weak broth
er for whom Christ died, not a bit. All
his sympathy is in behalf of the rumseller.
But to take an offer of Gods mercy to
men, and use for such base purpose is
rather too bad Why did he not quote the
Cd verse, Wherefore do yc spend money
for that which is not bread, and your la
Dor for that which satisfieth not" Look
if you please at the denunciations in the
Bible against those that drank "Wo
unto them that rise up early in the morn
ing, that they may follow strong drink,
that continue until night to drink, till
wine infameth them.' "Wo unto them
that are mighty to drink wine and men of
strength to mingle strong drink" Isaiah,
4th chapter, "Wo unto him that giveth
his neighbor drink, that puttest thy bottle
to him and makest him drunk also."-
"Yea, also, because he transgresseth by
wine," Habakuk, I'd chap. Also, "Wine
is mocker, strong drink is raging, and
whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise,"
Prov, Goth chap. "Be not among wine
bibbers." "Who hath woea Who hath
sorrow 2 They that tarry long at the wine."
"Look not upon the wine when it is red,
at the last it biteth like serpent and sting
eth like an adder.-Prov., 23d chapter
These were words of the wisest man; but
behold wiser than Solomon is here The
Bible goes to show that the wisest and
strongest men were teetotalers. Daniel,
1st chapter, beginning at the 9Th verse,
you will find that Daniel and the three
Hebrew children would not defile them
selves with wine. When the birth of Sam
son was toretold his mother was forbidden
to drink wine as strong drink, and when
he was sore athirst, after staying his thou
sand with the bone ofan ass, the Lord
clave hollow place in the jaw-bone, and
water came out; he drank and his spirits
came back again.'-Judges, 18th chapter.
When the angel foretold the birth of John
the Baptist, he said, "Hc shall be great in
the sight Of the Lord, and shall drink
neither wine nor strong drink. Luke 1st
chapter. The children of Israel iourneyed
forty years in the wilderness without wine
as strong drink; when they thirsted water
was provided for them; and we have the
promise that our bread shall be given and
our water will be sure, but there is neither
nor promise in regard to wine.
Thereis every reason to believe that wine
has been the overthrow and ruin of some
mighty men. Belshazzar made feast,
and when inflamed with wine had the 80.
cred vessels brought and drank wine from
them, and in that same hour was the hand
writing seen upon the wall, "God hath
numbered thy kingdom and finished it,"
&c. 4, "In that night was Belshazzar, the
king, slain.'-Daniel, 9Th chapter. Again
"But they have erred through wine, and
through strong drink are out of the way,
the priests and the prophet have erred
through strong drink, and they are swal-
lowed UP of wine. The drunkards of Ephra-
i'm shall be trodden under foot Isaiah,
2Sth chapter.
So, sum up the whole, think you will
find that the Bible condemns the use of
strong drink altogether. We all know
that wine was common beverage in an
cient times. Every one made their own
wine, and how different it was from the
sold at the present day. But
is that any argument in favor of the dens
that you may find scattered along our
public roads, disguised by the name of
hotel, as traps for the young and inexpe-
rienced, and the poor drunkard also q
They in many cases would be glad to have
tho,,, ror,oyo1 NJ Ta,n.,,anna oIu;,a