Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1881-11-16
ingersOll on Whisky.

The following extract is taken from
a late volumn Of Ingersoll's, entitled
"Wit and Wisdom"
| am aware that there is prejudice
against any man engaged in the manu-
facture of alcohol. | believe that from
the time it issues from the coiled and
poisonous worm in the distillery until
it empties into the hell of death, dis
honor and crime, that it demoralizes
everybody that touches it, from its
source to where it ends. | do not be-
lieve anybody can contemplate the sub
ject without becoming prejudiced
against that liquor crime
All We have to do, gentlemen is to
think of the wrecks on either bank of
the stream of death; of the suicides,
of the insanity; of the poverty, of the
ignorance, of the destitution of the
little children tugging at the faded and
weary breasts of weeping and despair
ing wives, asking for bread of the
talented men Of genious it has wrecked,
the men struggling with imaginary SER
penis, produced by this devilish thing ;
and when you think of the iails, the
alms-houses, of the prisons, of the
scaffolds upon either bank, | do not
wonder that every thoughtful man is
prejudiced against this stuff called al.
cohol.
Intemperancc cuts down youth in its
vigor, manhood in its strength, and
age in its weakness. 1t breaks the
fathers heart, bereaves the doting
mother, extinguishes natural affections,
erases conjugal loves, blots out filial at.
tachments, blights parental hope, and
brings down mourning age in sorrow
to the grave. 1t produces weakness,
not strength sickness not health
death, not life. 1t makes wives widows
children orphans; fathers fiends, and
and all Of them paupers and beggars.
1t feeds rheumatism, nurses gout well
comes epidemics, invites cholera, i'm
ports pestilence and embraces consump-
tion. 1t covers the land with idleness,
misery and crime. 1t fills your jails,
supplies your almshouses and demands
your asylums. II engenders contro-
versies, fosters quarrels, and cherishes
riots. 1t crowds your pententaries
and furnishes victims to your scaffolds.
1t is the life blood Of the gambler the
element of the burglar, the prop of
the highwayman and the support of
the midnight incendiary. 1t counten-
ances the liar, respects the thief, ee-
teens the blasphemer. 1t violates OBJ
legations, reverences fraud and honors
infamy. II defames benevolence, hates
love, scorns virtue and slanders inno-
cence. 1t incites the father to butcher
his helpless offspring, helps the hus-
band massacre his wife, and the child
to grind the paricidal axe. 1t burns
up men, consumes women, detests life,
curses God and despises heaven. 1t
subborns witnesses, nurses perjury, de-
files the jury box, and stains the judi
cial ermine 1t degrades the citizen,
debases the legislator, dishonors states
men, and disarms the patriot. 1t brings
shame, not honor; terror, not safety
despair, not hope; misery, not happi-
ness and with the malevolence OF a
fend, it calmly surveys its frightful
desolation, and unsatisfed with its
havoc, it poisons felicity, kills peace,
ruins morals, blights condolences, slays
reputation, and wipes out national hon
ors, then curses the world and laughs
at its ruin.
II does all that and more-it MUIR
ders the soul. 1t is the son of villain
les, the father of all crimes, the mother
of denominations, the devils best friend
and Gods worst enemy.