The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1877-08-10
Strong Drink.
BY ONE WHO KNOWS.

~SAVAA6 AS4AAAAAs (
BY ONE WHO KNOWS.
The history of strong drink is the
history of ruin, Of blood, of tears. It
is, perhaps, the greatest evil that has
ever scourged the earth; it is one Of
depravity's worst fruits-a giant de-
mon of destruction. Men may talk Of
earthquakes. storms, floods, confagra.
tions, famines, pestilence, despotism,
and war; but intemperance in the use
ofintoxicating drinks has sent volume
of misery and war into the stream Of
the worlds history more fearful and
terrific than any of them! 1t is the
Mississippi and Amazon among the
rivers Of wretchedness; it is the Alex.
ander and Napoleon among the warri-
ors upon the peace and good of men;
it is like the pale horse of the Apoca.
lypse whose rider is death, and at
whose heels follow hell and destruc-
ton 1t is an evil which is limited to
no age, no condition, no nation, no par
ty, no sex, no period of life. 1t has
taken the poor man at his toll and the
rich man at his desk; the senator il
the halls of state and the dray man on
the street; the young man in his festiv-
tiles the old man in his repose; the
priest at the altar, and the layman in
his pew, and plunged them into a com.
mon ruin; it has ragged equally in times
Of war and in times of peace, in per
iods of depression and in periods OF
prosperity, in republics and in mon.
arches, among the civilized and among
the savage.
Since the time that Noah came out
of the ark and planted vineyards, and
drank of their wines, we read in all
histories of its terrible doings, and
never once loose sight of its black and
bloody tracks. States have recorded
enactments against it, ecclesiastical
penalties have been imposed upon it,
societies have succeeded societies for
its determination, but like him WHOSE
name was Legion,-no man was able
to bind it. For these four thousand
years it has been raging over the world.
destroying some Of virtues fairest
flowers, and some Of wisdom's richest
fruitaGe. 1t was this that brought the
original curse of servitude upon Ham,
that has eaten away the strength OF
empires, that has wasted the energie-
of states, blotted out the name Of
families. aud crowded hell with ten
ants, Egypt, the source of science;
Babylon, the glory and wonder of the
world; Greece, the home of learning
and of liberty; Rome with her C@
sars, the mistress of the world; each
in turn, had its heart lacerated b. this
dreadful caker worm. 1t has drained
tears enough to make sea, expended
treasure enough to exhaust Go!conda,
shed blood enough to redden the
waves of every ocean, and wrung out
wailings enough to make chorus to
the lamentations Of the under world.
Some Of the mightiest intellects, somt
of the most generous natures, some OF
the happiest homes, some of tho
noblest specimens of man, it has blight.
ed, and crushed and buried in squalid
wretchedness; it has supplied every
Jail and penitentiary, aims house, and
charity hospital in the world with
tenants; it has sent forth beggars on
every street with beastialty and crime,
and it has, perhaps, done more toward
bringing earth and hell together than
any one other form of vice. This is
1amenta5le picture, but a true one
the dreadful fruits of the use of intox-
icating drinks:
Now for any man, in any way, to
give his sanction and endorsement to
such dreadful vice is sin, which is
enhanced in proportion to the official
or social Importance and dignity of
him who commits it. Now, my can.
did reader, if such are in reality the
evils done to society by liquor drinking?
l ask what is the duty Of society in
reference to it? In its own defence
should it not declare and regard every
incorporate. drinker of intoxicating
liquors as a social Outlaws beyond
its pale? Should not society with
draw itself from every man who thus
presumes to sin against it? Should it
tolerate him, who is warning against its
very existence: Should the pure and
chaste young lady associate with him
who reels in drunkenness and wallows
in shame? Shall the impossible youth
keep the, company Of him who belongs
to CLAIR that has dnna 4ho