The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1876-05-11
TEETOTAliSM.

Teetotalism is the lock on the temper
ance door, and the teetotaler is on the
right side. There are te-Aperate men
on the other side; good men, strong men
men strong in virtue, in temperance,
but they are in full view Of the dismal
swamp of intemperance where perlshes
all that is noble in man, land daily hourly.
some wind of passion some wave OF CIR
cumstarces, some allurement OF temp
tation, hurries one or other OF them with
in its fatal influence.
Let him who says there is no danger
of me, remember that so said, so thought,
all those who stood where he stands now
and who atterward persisted, body and
soul in the fetid atmosphere of intemper-
ance mot weak men nor men OF low, an
inal passions, alone, but likewise strong
men, pure men, great men, intellect
ually, morally.
1t in view OF this sad experience
that teetotalism becomes a virtue and IN
: the good example the teetotaler gives to
! others, in far more danger perhaps than
he ever was, unconscious as they are ire
quently oft.
Intemperance, the most terrible OF all
vices, tor it carries in its train all the
others, is the most insiduous in It's ap-
= oroaches; at first speck, then gradual
" spreading and spreading until the
whole soul becomes covered with le-
prosy and the victim awakes to find him.
self in living he'll OF his own creation;
a hell that the hell of the damned can
only surpass in duration and the etc rnal
: absence of Gods presence.
While we rejoice then at the evidence
tending to show the advance of total alb
stinence from the devils punch bow, go
ing on around us; visible in every COM
munity we chance to visit; it is in oar
Irish Temperance societies we take the
4 greatest interests, it is in thei. position
far ahead OF all the others, we take the
greatestpride This is natural enough, Le-
cause the members OF those societies are
Of our race In their elevation we are els
evated in their degradation we are de-
Igraded, ard there is TO o,her people that
STRONG drink equally degrades as the
Irish. There sno other people either SC
subject to have tie fault OF an individual
pointed out and criticised as a national
defect, and drunken lrishman is always
sure to present himself as model tol
the critic on Irish character. He is either
4 flowing over with maullin friendship or
green molding for fight; but, whether
anxious to impress his friendship or HI:
fist upon you he is sure to be in the pub
lie eye, and the public judgment is no.
rendered against the individual 50 much
- as against the race.
But the foregoing should be writer
in the past tense rather than the presen.
for i drunken Irishman will soon be a
difficult to find rs a white black bird.
Aud perhaps after all, we lristnel
should rejoice at the unjust criticisms W.
- have been subject to,-tor wedid no
drink more than the German or Amegi
can, the difference was that We did no,
carry our liquor as .well,-as it helpe,
to arouse us 10 the great reform we AZ,
now carrying oat.
Laying aside the countless blessing
= our teetotel societies have brouc hit 20 in
dlviduals aud households. how rich the,
are in comfortable homes, in childhood
pleasant laughter, in woman's prayers
in restored respec, and restored love; W
regard them with unbounded sratitud
to God (Whose guiding hand We hum
= bly, ste in the work. As the means {
e.eva.ing our race, Tor justice demand:
tha; rs the drunken lrishman WAS takel
heretofore as model for Irish charac
ter, the teetotaler. the Irishman. sha
henoetorth sill Tor the picture.