The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1881-03-31

virtue, descends in line. It is, say, &
solemn reflection for every man an6
every woman, that whatever we do te
ourselves, so as to modify our own
physical conformation and mental
type, for good or for evil, is transmit
ted to generations yet to be, and not
one OF the transmitted wrongs, physi-
cal or mental, is more certainly passed
on to those yet unborn than the
wrongs that are inflicted by alcohol ~
(''Diseases Of Modern Life" p. 272.)
mo vice is more hereditary than
lnntemperance,' says DR.. Yellowlees,
Superintendent of the Glamorgan
County Lunatic Asylum. No doubt
we may any OF us recall instances
where the children Of the drunkard
are abstemious and worthy in every
way; but then, may not the same
thing be said of other vices? Our au-
thorities do not say that the drinking
father alaeays produces a drinking
child. Most persons can recall cases
where the appetite has been inherited,
and also cases where this tendency to
drink has not been indulged, because
the frightful effects Of paternal drink
ing, and perhaps the warnings of the
mother, have prevented the slightest
indulgence on the part Of the child.
1t is believed by many that the appe-
tite is controllable if it is never in
famed by actual drinking. If, how
ever, drinking be once indulged, no
assurance can be held out that any
thing short of physical restraint on
the part of others can prevent aban-
doned drinking.
And Mr.. o. S. Fowler, in his "He-
reditary Descent" gives remarkable
case of man named Downing, a
member of a family that with their
other descendants were all remarkably
honest, industrious, economical, tenn
perate, and sober. The family had
come over with William Penn, and
taken up land on Chester Creek, which
yet remains in the family. One of
the most prominent and promising
among the descendants became Sen
ator, and learned by being much in
public life to sing songs, crack jokes,
and drink wine after dinner till he
felt jovial and merry, but never to alb
solute drunkenness. A daughter Of
his not known to have loved stimu-
lants land an excellent woman) had
four sons, three of whom were noted
and abandoned drunkards, and the
fourth followed the others, but re-
formed. Several Of the children of
these sons became hard drinkers.
Most Of the descendants of this wine
loving Senator were hard drinkers for
five generations.
But it is very important to notice
that the curse entailed upon the chill
dren OF alcohol drinkers is not always
an appetite for alcoholic liquors. As
IN drinking them he induces in his
own system many other ills besides
this terrible craving (which indeed
keeps him a slave to the curse,) so he
in turn transmits these diseased con-
ditions, or rather these tendencies to
disease, to his children, for he can not
give them anything better than he
has. They may inherit better from
their mother, and we are glad to say
that in this country at least the most
of the children do have temperance
mothers, unless they tipple medici-
nally.
We are not in the habit of looking
to the use of alcoholic drinks as pro-
voking cause for the dyspeptic and
liver complaints so prevalent among
US, and yet if the use of alcohol d.
rectly provokes these diseases in the
drinkers, why should they not hand
down tendency to them in the de-
scendants of drinkers? Headaches
we know to be common and early
result to the drinker, and yet how few
dream of tracing to this cause the in
herited headaches of the present gen.
Grafton! We acknowledge unhesita-
tingly the hereditary tendency, but dc
not think of seeking for an original
cause. Two literary people were
speaking OF this one day, at least one
was complaining Of frequent, severe
and unprovoked headaches, lifelong
curse, and remarked, my mother was
troubled in the same way" The Other
replied: II never have a headache
In that respect l am like my grand
mother on my fathers side. At the
age of ninety she used to say she die
not know what it was to have a head
ache" This brought out responsive
Renaissance: "Well, my grandfathel
used to go to bed drunk every night
| suppose, with your temperance pro
cllvltles you would be saying that tina
as the cause Of my headaches" :"
"Can you give better reason?
do not know that any of nv ancestor