The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-08-16

law of reaction followed the nations excuses
and il slept forever,
lIerod, misnamcd "The Great" was Il sober
useful man for years. The acquisition Of pow
cr caused a dissipation OF ms habits. His IN
temperance was caused by first having been
treated" ale plunged into a sea Of blood
IN which he bathed every day of his reign
and yet we are told that from the time Of his
first military exploit in relieving fort Massada
until his death his orders for murder, plumber
and rapine, his cruelty and barbarity were is.
sued and executed only when under the influ
cnce 81 strong drink.
Bonapartc, who made his way to empire
over broken oalhs and through seas Of blood,
became intoxicated from hls power and fell a
curse 10 the cup. When he had reached his
highest ambition, lie gave a reception and
followed the usual custom Of state by getting
full to the brim." He divorced his wife while
drunk. WELLINGTON, while sober, divorced Ma
poeon and set the sober nations tree from a
worlds dictator. France had idolized her
leader copied his faults and came near losing
her identity by following his drinking (which
he had made polite by his authority and sltua,
ton.
Julien, the greatest Chinese scholar in Eu-
rope who mastered all the European dialects,
and who translated into forty languages many
turc, who gave US an insight into the Book
of the Way and Of Nirtuc'-that oldest and
most IllustriOus monument Of Chinese philoSo-
ply, originally written GOO years T. C--bc-
came common drunkard He contracted
this vlciousness by taking part in the convivi-
alitlcs Of fashionable society and died IN II
drunken fit, in 1873, while president OF the
College of France and Conseryator Of the In
peral Bible Society. Thousands followed
him and MS many fell, unknown and forgotten.
Suetonius, the historian, tells us that the lto
man Emperor, Caudius, lost his memory so
entirely from the cause of intemperancc
that he not only forgot the names and persons
of those to whom he wished to speak, but even
of what he intended to say when attempting
to engage in conversation.
BY an old Spanish law no witness is admit
ted INTO the witness-boX to give evidence in IA
disputed legal case who was proved to indulge
IN habits Of intempcrancc; as an excessive rise
Of stimulants was considered to weaken and
destroy the memory
TheOpompuS, "A famous historian, tells us
that the great ruler and valOrous warrior Phil
ip of Maccdon, "despiscd modesty and regu.
larty of life. He lavIshed his esteem and lib
crafty on men Abandoned to dcbauchcry and
the last excuses of RIGHTEOUSNESS. Ills own
drunkenness made dcbauchery Il science, in
Justice an art, and taught his people lessons OF
intamy that ruined them forever
CYRUS the most famous cOnquerOr Of the
east, taught his soldiers in the army and his
subjects in the temples lessons of truth and
soberncss rarely equaled in the history OF our
race He held that lying and deceit were mans
worst enemies and that intoXication naturally
led to both, and that it was lowering true man
hood for prince or subject to use liquors in any
form. His examples and teachings made the
common people sober How different now
with US. Our congressman, Legislators, church
men and rich men have set examples of de
bauchery in the past, and we poorer people
have only initiated them.
Josephus, the Jewish historian and celebrat-
ed Greek and Hebrew scholar, although full
of personal pride, loving his countrymen and
generally honest, yet lacked one element Of
safety-he didn't wear the red ribbon and fire.
uuently drank too much wine "tor his StOm.
ach's sake" That wine "was the death of him"
about the year 100 A. d., at G3 years Of age.
The Jews never looked upon drunkenness
as a crime. hut rather disease. They pttd
rather than punished its victims. That cation
has, generally, been the most sober and dealt
the most kindly with the drunkard.
A Scythan ambassador, who aiterward turn
ed pirate to prey upon Alexander, was asked
by that prince what right he had to intest the
seas? "The same that thou hast TO intest the
universe" replied the pirate "but because
do this in small ship, | am called robber
and because thou actcst the same part with n
great fleet, thou art entitled cOnquerer thou
boastest that thy only design in marching is
to extirpate robbers; when thou myself art the
greatest robber in the world" From this we
should learn that when we read of or listen to
rnrll Lot pipn
their history and see whether, while they pro-
fess to be heroes, leaders, wealthy, they are not
grinding out the most eXaltng virtues of their
listeners, imposing, like hypocrites, upon the
world, by beng the worst kind OF slaves to
drink and making drinking respectable
Governors Yates and Williams, Senators
Douglas and Oglesby and their myrlads of
lunkeys, greatly helped to build up the cause
of intemperance by making it respectable"
We must reverse things-makc it disrepulable.
A great deal is drank at our homes Smash
the bottles II you drink your children should.
Both are wrong Take my advice, don't use
liquors at home.
The green and red ribbons of the Father
Matthew Total Abstinence Societies indicate
that radical change is being effected. Unless
we persistcntly ard studiously apply ourselves,
our Catholic brethren Will discount our efforts
al temperance reform. why! you ASK me.
The reason is plain. Their leaders are every
where improving their own condition; and
the great body of that church, seeing that
drinking is no longer respectable, are gradual
ly seeking the light" desiring to follow only
those creeds and tenets of their leaders and
teachers that are well-esteemed and common
Many Protestant thinkers and teachers, like.
wise, have too long taken TO wine-bibbing.
They have drank it al ieastS, used it at recep-
tons, kept IT at their hoTes, introduced ii in
society and followed il AS a sacred custom
They have frequently allowed their zeal and
excitement to circumscribe their usefulness
by setting examples of drunken and maudlin
debauchery that would cause Turk to blush
tor shame Hundreds of confirmed drunkards
ofto-day are testifying that their thirst for and
excessive use of stimulants was induced by the
able and cursed use of fermented wines
at the sacrament.