The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-05-10

toXCatiOn and nj the same time the agony q
n recovering from spree is greater in proper
ton. This continues increasing until tn
blcarcycd bloated hummer rs man Of expo
rencc will need Il dozen glasses filled to tn
., brin TO produce the same effect that two THIN
blcs full would have accomplished when h
took his first drink AS a boy. He goes OF
drinking more and more and sinking lowe
and lower IN the scale of human degradation
and going deeper and deeper into the slough
G of despond Of debauchery. He loses his up
petite for all victuals--has nothing left bu
this eycrparching, burning, inordnatc thirs
for liquor. While the smell and taste of the
vile drug becomes more and more offensive
the very sight and smell OF the stuff causing
his gorge to rise his stomach to revolt; We,
he must force down the sickenIng dose to quiet
his trembling nerves, which have long since
; rebcled against the will He cannot lift the
glass to his lips with one hand alone, but is
compelled to summon both, and then it ia all
that he can do to bring the pernicious liquid
TO his mouth. 1t may be the first drink in the
morning after terrible dcbauch the day be
fore and his poor, abused stomach refuses to
retain the stuff He is obliged to try again and
again until his shattered nerves have obtained
a rest This may be repeated for weeks, but
finally and surely, bc he dwarf or be he giant,
Idelirum tremens comes, and then the next
stage soon after, and that is death, followed by
a drunkards grave. This picture, my friends,
is not overdrawn; with the exception OF the
finale, it is my own history.
The brain and nervous organization OF man
are of the most delicate and intricate charac-
ter, and il is a wonder that they can withstand
the thousandth part OF what they are often
called upon to bear Think of the poor Inc.
briate, literally starving tor food, which his
whiskyposoncd stomach cannot retain, much
less digest his nerves darcing an aguc of
shattered confusion and beyond the power Of
his will, and the blood boilng-hot deluging
| his brain at every ibrob of his overtaXed
heart; how can he reason or labor or he else
than bordering on the utmost verge Of insani-
ty and in the grip Of death itself? That has
been my case.
A few years ago celebrated orator, a mem
Der of congress from state on the Pacific
coast was ccnsurcd because of his Convivial
habits. He appeared "a few days after, as soon
as sufficiently sober and arose to a question Of
| privilegc--that was to defend himself against
The charge OF drunkenness. To the surprise
of every one, he first admitted the truth of the
allcgati ms, and then proceeded to justify his
conduct on the ground that some of the finest
poetry, some Of the rarcst of mental produc-
| tons of genius, some Of the most lofty flights
of eoquenCc at the bar and IN the forum ever
known in all history, ancient or podcrn, were
due to the inspiration Of intoyica0on 1t may
be barely possible that an orator, philosopher
or poet, after long period of total abstinence,
might by dose of liquid lightning stimulate
his brain to brighter pyrotcchnical display
for or two efforts, but after one or two bril-.
liant scintllations IA corresponding relapse
would follow, and any remaining effort would
prove 10 he exceedingly fiat, stale and uHprCiit-
able. Ny opinion is that these coruscations
IOf genius, wherever they may have occurred
aud by whomsocycr produced, were due To the
natural talent OF their authors not to strong
drink; they came in spite of whisky, not by
its aid. The man never has nor never can live
who can set his brain on fire and burn out his
system with whisky, and remain AS brilliant
and clearheadcl rs il he practiccd temperance.
The human mind cannot retain its force and
strength when continually submerged IN alec
hoic drinks 1t cannot remain healthy nor
intact when for long time 1t has been tOillngi
in scething, stcamlng hot blood and whisky
To argue to the contrary Is adverse to reason
and all human knowledge Yet, with all our
experience and the boosted superiority OF man,
he IS the only animal that viii drink whisky.
The dog that rcturneth to his vomit spurns
whisky; the SOW that wallowetE in the mircI
turns up her lth.bcsmeared nose Ill contempt
at whisky 1t remains Tor man alone to whom
was given dominion over the beasts the field,
the fowls of the air and the fishes of the sea,
to drink whisky and sink so low that he will
hclpcssly share the bed of the dog and the
gutter and the mire with the hog.
|. Labor and whskytippling are wholly in
compatible, and speak from personal cApe
rence. The editor, with fcvcrish BRAIN from
last nights dcbauch, essays 10 write an cdito
rial. His shaking Dervcs can scarcely guide
his pencil or his pen; his ideas are all mud
died or run in "a circlc--mayhap refuse to run
at all; he vainly tries to concentrate his
thoughts upon the subject at hand, and at
length is forced to give it up till he has braced
himself with drink, under the principle that
like will cure like, that 'thc hair of the dog
will cure the bite" Reaching the nearest
doggcry he gulps down dose of fluid darna-
ton; but that soon begs company and he takes
another and another, until his rackcd nerves
have become quiet. But by this time he has
forgotten his mornings thought, or lost the
will or power to write II up; 30 II" contents !
himself with clipping from some contemporary
whose editor was sober some article that has
gone the rounds of the press until it has be
come worn thrcadbarc, and gets out paper
after fashion. His patrons pick up his paper, !
discover that they have read the greater part
If 1t before, and throw it down, with y0wu,
cxclaiming, "As usual, nothing new in the
paper this week; guess I'll stop it," SO, too,
the lawyer leaves his halffinished brief or de |
Claration, or demurrer, or answer to take a
drink, day after day until it is too late and his
clients case IS thrown out Of court for want OF
attention, and all because of whisky For the
same reason the merchant fails Ia keep his
stock rcplcnished, trusts his business 10 heed. |
less boys, while he Is loaing about some Sa-
loon; his customers get tired IF ""''inr torl
goods which he is always out of, transfer rhcirI
patronage elsewhere; he fails 10 meet his obi
cations and the sheriff closes him out fIcl
puts it on the ground Of THE tightncss of thcI
times, you kHow," when in fact every oncl
knows that it was the tightness produced in
HIM by whisky. The doctor for the same rca-
son, with human lives in his hands, through
drunken stupidity plumbers or ncglccts ms pa
tients, gives wrong medicines, ur .niah,, .n.
proper formula i'll his prescriptions, AMI the,
sick who trusted TO his learning and skill areI
sacrifced-hy whisky. But whisky is Just II,
mn,b tho pnnuv al those vim lal,nr ,yi,I, ,i,.,r