Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1880-12-04
1t takes trained mird to grasp the


can cover the meaning Of . millioa
Therefore, when the, Popular Science
Monthly tells us of our forty millions OF
people, twenty.six millions inherit con-
stitutional defects, few can grasp this
aggregation. If we add what the great
iestsnninds have asserted, of all the in
berited defects, the taste for stimulants
is most appalling, few see the danger
to the nation.
When the figures are given to show
that more money is spent for beerin our
large cities than for bread, the ordinary
mind seldom sees the trend of the state
ment. Go to the last published census,
and we find that liquor costs the nation
six hundred and sixty.seven millions in
money; while religion costs forty-seven
millions; while education only goes up
to ninety-fve millions making rum
cost our country four hundred and
twenty-five millions more than religion
and education.
Are we wrong, then, in using the
dragon as a symbol of this evil TIA
temperance man exhibits facts, and
places science on the stand as witness to
testify, there is in, nine quarts OF alco- !.
hol less good than can be spread upon
the end of a table.knife, the only an
swer he gets is, 20, you are an extrem-
ST." A sneer is not argument. .
Suppose we name the figures given BY
the Internal Revenue Department for
the year ending June 80, 1880. The
revenue for distilled spirits was SOL 1885,
1903 70, an increase over the previous
year of S7,6l2,247 60. What answer do
we get to such presentations7 Only a
sheer, with the addition of a word
"vou are fanatic" A taunt is not ar
! gument' ~
Take it in another form. Religion
costs each man 81 II, education 81 w.,
and rum costs Sl7! What response is
given these figuresf Only this-"tem.
perance men ARE very extravagant in
their opinions"
Run your mind along the moral side
of this evil and tell me, can you meas
ure it! Your mental line is too short to
fathom it. Many of the most eminent
physicians, chemists, scholars and jur-
lists of Europe and America have given
special testimony on this line of thought'
The list of great names would be an
immense one. But appetite on one side
will outweigh the testimony Of these
savants.
The United States can boast of 1000
churches, and 100000 places whore Ii.
quors are sold. No wonder the Com.
missioner of Education says from eighty
to ninety per cent. OF the criminals in
the United States connect the cause Of
their ruin with intemperance. Men
seek to turn the edge of truth by charg'
ing us with undue excitement. Exa'
mine into the histories of the old fami'
lies of New Orleans who ruled Society
thirty years ago. There is hardly sin,
gle family that has not in some way
been darkened by this curse. Supposed
call the roll of the old and young men
who have crossed the line of recovery
and add the names of the mothers and
wives whose lives have been made
wretched by drunken sons and hus.
bands ! No, l. dare not. Hardly bright
day dawns upon our city but what you
may meet on Canal street wives and
mothers carrying grief which is break.
ing their hearts. Is it not time to be
excited over such results? In New Or,
leans the people walked up one morning
in 1878 to the fact of au epidemic of yel.
low fever. On all sides there was ex.
element, men hurrying to and fro pre-
pairing for departure. 1t was time Of
great excitement fer few days. That
same year, it is said, an order was sent
from Memphis to Chicago for one thou
sand cofins at one time. 1t required
five freight cars to carry them. Mem
phis was excited. Suppose an order was
sent to single city for collins to bury
the eighty thousand drunkards dying il
1880. There would be tremendous eX
element. 1t would take five hundred
freight cars and twenty i've locomotives
to draw these collins. When we SET
, multitudes dying around"us under the
fatal spell of this evil, can we hold ou1
peace7
This dragon seems to strike right a
{ the brain, and diminishes will power
You have seen the paralyzed arm. s.
alcohol paralyzes the will. Look a
that man endowed almost with creative