The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-08-10
Woman's Temperance Column
"7be lori If Hosts IS with as, the GOD
ofJdcoJ is our refuge"
The Terrible Evils Of Moderate Drink
ing.


its introduction into the circulation nf q
human body, il 10 disturb The natural
action of all its vital Organs thus aeln-
ally tending to the destruction of liic. ,
Given or taken. no matter by MhOiit
nor in what way, nor under what cir
cumstanccs. the ultimate effects of il
introducti on into the circulation IS i'll
juron- to life Admitting that its use
Is temporarily beneficial. it is so at the
expense of the sum total of the vital
forces or constitutional capabilities 10
live, with whichlthc uscrof il is endowed
\ poison is substance. whether
liquid or solid, whose natural, legitimate,
constitutional tendency is TO shorten ihe
life or pat an end 10 ii outright 81
every ono who uses it. Such j. alcohol:
aud no man ever did drink glass al
any beverage containing il, nor half 81
dozen glasses 50 as TO be stimulated
cXmlaratcd or made drunk thereby.
who did not, up to the full measure oi
its effect. whether this was slight or
very severe, let loose, eXpcnd, and for
ever part with Just so much vital force
as his cXaltation, cxhilaration. or inc
briation indicated.
| Unlike substances which are nuiriti-
ous, and which, therefore, while being
changed 30 rs to furnish material for
the upbuilding of the organism, do cX-
cite ii, alcohol eXcites without furnish
ing an equivalent for the strength spent
in the excitement produced. One
therefore under its use puts ont
strength without making any; and the
amount of strength thus spent has 70 b..
measured 10y the degree of excitement
produced. If one drinks a glass and
simply feels stronger. than lac is spend
ing quite an inconsidcrablc degree OF
force. If he feels much stronger, than
he is spending good degree of force.
If he feels so strong that he thinks h.
can do the ieats Of Samson. then hc
lcXpendiug great quantity of strength,
and this very Wastelullv. Assuming
my position TO be true. that exhibition,
of strength nnder the use of any sub
stance taken into the circulation where
no nutrition is furnished are simply eS-
idencc of strength noi made but cN
pended. and that all show Of strength
can only be made when force is bcins
used up and not when il is increased
that man ever so strong, sitting quiet
ly in - chair. feels no stronger while
ihus sitting than he would were Ia.
f much weaker than he is. and thai hi
consciousness OF strength to be greater
al one time than at another can onN
come to him when he puts his strength
ont. and YOU can nj once get the ruin
, ous waste of vital force which every
I where j. to be seen amongst the class
Of men and women who use any form
, Of alcoholic beverages. There is an old
? and very faithful English maxim full OF
[ philosophy and truth. which is that.
: "a continual dropping wears away a
A stone Applied TO vital force. one
f may say that the habiiual use of any
: form OF alcoholic drink, though il be
: taken in small quantities. wears out
, vital force. The continual drop. drop.
= dropping Of water wears away the face
of the solid rock on which it falls. The
+ habitual though moderate use of alco-
e holie drinks poisons the organs Of The
human body and Introduces vast
amount of disease in the form of all
mcnts. illnesses, severe sicllnc-ses,
great suffering and premature death.
: Amongst us we have 10 habit or
e practice in our conditions of living at
I all TO be SO much deplored as this Of
g stimulation, calling up reserved vitality
l.. and putting it to wasteiul and tlriflles-
: uses through the Introduction of small
uutiitltl'> VI ucl,tiI pol>Oli iillo our tli-
=. culation. 1t is quite fashionable for
So bcncvolence and philanthropy, religion
c and morality, TO make a great ado in
: respect to the horrible evils of drunk
c cnncss: but the men who use alcoholic
i. drinks till they become habitual drunk
c ards, are persons in any community
t who exercise the least deletel'ious iniln-
G cncc. No man copies after drunkard
/. u nj in INF tit
y cncc. place or fame. lie does not take
II him to be his pattern. On the Other
l. hand, he is disgustcd at the sight oi
II him and is repelled thereby. lie turns
IS from him, loathes him, and perhaps i
il wakcned at the sight of him TO The
IS thought that. if he himself goes on
h drinking moderately. he may in time
Il get to drink immoderately. and thu
[. become as pitiablc an object himself
e But the man of character and influence
Is in any community, who behaves him
n self well. is respectful TO others and re-
G spectacle therefor. who drinks alcoholic
i; liquor in any form. 10 matter whether
Ii brewed, fermented. or distilled, TO such
II degree that he feels its effect on his ner-
II vous centers. and is sensible OF either
&c physical, mental or moral cXaltation in
It consequence, whose body is more ac.
If tive, mind quicllened, affections arous-
e ed, perceptions increased so that what
/, ever faculty or force he has in him puts
y on eXaltation and visible increase, inso-
# much that if he iS skilled laborer, YOU
l. admire the deftncss with which he per
d forms what he undertakes. if he is =
o thinker or public speaker. or an es-
Is sayist, or n professional man in any ol
r the finer or more liberal professions.
?, You are led TO admire his resources
C and 10 seek TO know the secret Of hi,
l. power; such man, under the influence
l. of this poison operating upon him, iusl
as arsenic dropped on oats operates on
the constitutional ability ofa coach or a
draft horse. is your dangerous charae-
n ter.
All The youth of the place are per
Il mittcd TO look upon him with respect
4 and with admiration rs an cXamplar
4 They study him. believe in him, follow
J. him, and by the time he is so far adj
= vanced in the use of daily stimulating
= drink that he is in one form or another
q habitually intoxicated and is on the de-
: scending slope TO drnkards grave
Il they have used alcoholic beverages nm
i ill they have gone mp the ascending
# slope to its top. We have therefore 4
l. constant succession of men in this
i country who die drunkards; who start
= out under moderate use of this devil
y ish poison. and proceed through the
n various stages of progress. from that col
o manly sobriety to that of degraded gut
4 ter drunkenness; and under the pre-
Il vailing view of the beneficial effects OF
70 alcohol used in moderate quantities. we
;. keep the ranks full. Nevertheless, bad
: and deplorablo as are its effects in The
: forcing ofcertain persons from the stage
Il of sobriety to the stage of habitual or
/. periodic inebriety, the i'll effects there
n from are not at all TO be compared Will
h those which follow its use by men who
:. never hecome inehriafed If famnn,.-