Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-12-28

AN AWFUL NARSING-THE CHILD : DEATH HOW
THE ADULT VICTIM DIEs-THE STATE ROBBED
MERITS OF THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT.
'.Died from alcoholism" Such was the
recent verdict of n coroners jury in this city
over the dead body of n little boy eight Years
old. who, drinking whiskey through the
bunghole of barrel, filled his system with
poison and died in commissions.
"Died from alcoholism" might be the YER
dict upon the death OF many an older per-
son of potatory habits, whom nature has in
her bounty given constitution capable OF
longer resisting the action of this liquid fire.
which from the first begins its deadly work
upon the vilal base of the human system.
There is something horribly impressive
however, in the death of this eight years old
boy. Habitual whiskey drinkers behold IN
it picture set in small frame OF the poison
at work upon themselves. The small frame
house succumbs quickly 10 the flames. 1t
takes several hours to burn block If brick
buildings down it takes several days some
times to reduce lordly city to ashes. The
former illustrates the tender constitution OF
the boy the latter the stronger constitution
of the man.
There is need of water or something
equally effective in both cases TO extinguish
the fire which seems to be consuming the
purple and bloated face of the man OF 40 or
50 years of age tells the story of Il body. and
brain consuming fire, and every one knows
that such man will suddenly drop out OF
the walks OF life. He will die from alcohol
ism.
The young man of Is or 20. who comes
down from the steps of his club room, fash
ionably dressed leaning GU "a friend and
falling down every two minutes, his face
wearing two crimson tushes and his eyes only
two vacant idiocies this youth is also on
/ fire, following closely in the footsteps of the
older bloats who are rapidly preceding him
/ to drunkards' graves. They would die
sometime anyhow, says some one. To be
sure they would. But the world has need of
all the healthiul brain and body possible to
| be obtained, and it is therefore the duty of
| every man to seek to preserve such forces
and prevent the awful waste and destruction
of vital power We make the argument of
economy. leaving the question OF morality
for the professional Temperance people to
| discuss
Let Us come home to Louisville and Ken
| lucky. The alcoholic enemy Is robhing us
of too much material for the upbuilding OF
the State. We cannot afford to have our
young men of redundant talent, OF fine,
| business qualifications, stranded in saloons
and club rooms, and blasting their brains
with the palpltatlng fires OF alcoholism.
And what is the remedy The current tenn
peTance movement bas this merit, that II dis
cards the effort to secure prohibition OF the
sale of liquor. This has ever proven II fail
ure, for the reason that prOhIbltonists do
not tako into consideration the fcverish de-
Iad,d for alcohol. Whatever men crave, be-
| IT right or wrong craving they generally con
trIve to have in some way. Prohibitory du-
I sIglyS nt Il ian
suit in the wholesale smuggling of those ar
| ticles into the country. Tea and coffee will
| be offered for sale as long as there Is a de
mand for them. Whskey and Its correla-
tiyes will be sale Just 80 long AZ the pre-
sent craving of the public requires them To
he sold. No prohibitory laws will stop that
sale.
The temperance movement ol the day
labOrs III the direction OF cutting oil the de
mand for alcoholic stimulnnts. That Is the
way to shut up saloons II is II legitimate
method. Convince men that they are de
stroylng themselves with whiskey bring
them to open their eyes to the appalling f,ctS
around them the misery, the crime, the
| poverty, the selfdestruction, all the sure re
suits Of alcoholism and the demand will be
minimiled, and society will have healthier
blood in its veins the State will have pre-
served to her the active intelligence and tai
ents oil her citizens. We suggest that the
recent verdict of the coroners Jury hc seri-
ously considered. Even the hnhitual drink
or must shudder between drinks Ms he reads
those terrible words "biei from aicohoi
! ISM"
1t is no wonder that men combine TO rid
society of the presence OF tins fiery Noloch
| If they succeed IN stirring the victims to an
earnest effort ut Seb conquest, they will have
| Wrouoht "A Wondrous work Saws DeOuiucy
in full recollection of his own struggle with
the opium habit "A machinery must be SO
far good which aceomplshes its oud the