Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-01-21
TEMPERANCE COLUMN.
lcoxrnInurKD BY The worEx's TxnprxAxcru uxr

am desired to open this conversation BY
some remarks on "the relation OF the socia
drinking Customs to the educational inter
ests of the nation" This suppose | an
asked to do from nv long connection with
education. 1t is just so years, this Autumn
since trst went TO Williams College, q.
as instructor. and, with the exception o
three years. have been there ever since
SO years as President. For several years
was the Oldest President in Office In the
country. l may be supposed, therefore
to know something about education. bul
about the drinking customs Of society
know very little and to treat double
subject of this sort we'll, it would seem nec-
essary to know both parts of it. But
have no statistics l have collected no
facts. The evils of intemperance | have
known. but how far they have originated
in social drinking customs have not known.
l remember well the movement first in
| WillIamstown, and in the college, on the
subject of temperance. 1t was. think, as
early as 1882 or 1893. There were two
hotels in the place, both selling liquor as q
matter Of course, ard three or four stores
that retailed three or four hogsheads each,
| annually. No one seemed to suppose the
traffic wrong. But one Sabbath DR.. Hewitt.
then OF Bridgeport, preached two tremend-
Gus sermons on the subject and now note
the effect of trained conscience when it
is enlightened. The next day both hotels
and every store in town stopped selling. |
have never known such an effect produced
by any discourse. or any two discourses be-
fore or since. The effect of those discourse
is felt in the town to this day. A public
sentiment was created that has never died
out. For long time the traffic was Who'll
ly suppressed. and has never been resumed
in the stores since. DR.. Griffin, then Presi-
ent of the college, grand man. SIX feet
four inches in height and well proportion
ed. fond OF a good dinner. and accustomed
to have wine with it, gave up his wine at
once. A society was formed in the college,
and what could be done by moral suasion
was done. After that. attention was drawn
to the evils of drinking in the colleges as it
had not been before and since that time
it has not ceased TO be watched and guard
ed against. At one time the trustees pass
ed law req uiring every student on enter
ing the college to pledge himself not to use
intoxicating drink during term time and on
college ground. This law was in force for
a number of years. but 1t was found that
the cOnsciences of students, many OF them
at least, were very elastic in regard to a
pledge which they regarded as enforced,
and the attempt to isolate the college by
placing it under different social law from
that OF the general community was aban-
doned.
One main thing in training is the set.
the drift and general spirit of the family,
and of the social elements around them
Let a young man rightly trained go to
literary institution and he will be almost
sare neither TO be promoter of disorder
nor to fall into Incorporate habits. In
all my experience have never known an
instance. when | was sure the training had
been right, in which young man has thus
fallen. II all young men going into our
literary institutions were to be thus train
ed, the institutions could not fail Of being
what they should be. Suppose. on the
other hand. that the majority of the young
men go from families, reputable indeed, but
worldly, fashionable. selfish, self-indulgent.
accustomed TO the use of wine and other
forms of nervous stimulation, having per-
haps associated the use of wine with gen.
tillty, and the exclusion of it and of drink
ing customs generally with fanatictism and
narrowness. and it is certain as any law of ma.
ture that there will be occasional disgraceful
disorder among the young men. and that
numbers will form habits of drinking that
will carry them down to drunkards' graves.
Instructors NAV preach and exhorr and set
up what barriers they please, the young
men are fortified against anything they can
do by illal piety itself. TO say nothing OF
incipient appetite and the begun work OF
the decelver. God never meant that fami-
hes should sink down into disregard OF Him
and disobedience Of His laws, and then be
able TO set up 3 system of outside insrltu-
tions tnat should make their children what
they ought to be. Parents are willing to
pay mo1ey, but the gift of God in the
results of parental faithfulness cannot be
purchased. 1t is precisely at this point
that the drinking customs of coun-
try will bear upon its educational interests
They will insure to greater or less extent
the use of intoxicating drinks in our liter
airy institutions. Whatever may be said OF
such use elsewhere and in other connections,
as connected with education, the effect Is
evil. In an address two years or more ago,
before the National Temperance Convention
at Saratoga, which | gave,as l now do this,
at the request OF the President of tue Ma
tional Temperance Society, stated and
illustrated the following points IN regard
to the young generally That neither alco-
hOlIc drinks nor narcotics OF any kind are
needed at that period OF life. either for the
That during this period these substances
are injurious and dsngerous-injurio
from their effect upon the physical system
in its formative period. Dangerous, first,
from the deceptive character of these slim
ulants, especially for the inexperienced /;
and second, because il is the period OF the
ready formation of habits, and OF habits
that are also artificial sppetltes. Ii Is BY
the power of habit that the fearful domin-
ion of these substances over men Is general
ly obtained. Ii was observed that those
who least need artificial stimulants are In
the most danger from them. Nervous per-
sons, gifted persons, those OF p0etical tenn
perment and special promise. are most like
ly than Others to become the victims of
artificial stimulation.
So much iOr the young generally. ln
regard to those who devote themselves to
study; some things were mentioned as pecu-
liar; The life Is sedentary, and not IN the
open air; hence less power TO resist or
counteract the influence of narcotics and
artificial stimulants. In his proper work,
student has no use for his muscles. but
must 50 use his brain as to draw from
them blood and nervous energy. Hence the
need OF avoiding everything that Will IN
pair the digestive functions, or lower the
tone of muscular power, a. narcotics and
stimulants are known TO do. Life IN our
educational Institutions is social IN
such a way that there is special danger
through the social nature that drinking
habits will be formed. The effect OF these
substances is wholly antagonistic to that
control of the voluntary over the involuu-
tary powers of the mind. which it IS one
great object of education to give. Ii these
ha ,pta and l
sure that every one of them can, it must
follow that the whole influence upon edu-
cational interests OF the country Of intox-
icating drinks, and so OF the drinking Gus
tom OF society, is evil. ln closing, de-
sire to say that | agree with DIR. Edmunds,
of London in saying that whatever IL sphyslo-
logically right is morally right. That doc
trine have always held. In the address at
Saratoga, already referred to, went so far
as to say that if stimulation by alcohol. o-
tobacco. or opium, or arsenic, would en-
able as to reach the highest state OF balanc-
ed power, physical. intellectual. moral,
spiritual, then are we not only at liberty to
use those substances, but bound to do 1t.
This say. But 20 further and say that
whatever is physically wrong is morally
wrong. We have no right to do ourselves
harm. No man has a right to make his
body an instrument OF pleasure IN such
way as to lower its tone, or dersnge Its
functions, or in any way unfit it for those
higher uses to which it may be put in the
service of its rational spirit. Let men so
use their bodies as best to serve the inter-
est of their higher powers and | am con-
tent.
Mr. James ii. Raper, who has recently
arrived from England. was also present.
His remarks have already been referred to
in this paper.
The grea. interest in the subject of tenn
perance lately awakened in Concord, N. H..