Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1881-11-09
TEMPERANCE,

" " asserted by liquor dealers W
Edgeheld county, 3, O., that they are
not selling one,third tho quantity they
did three on four years ago, and their
profits are reported 10 DO 10 small that
q few Of them contemplate withdrawing
from the business without tho intefyen'
tion Of prohibition,
Don't sots az q rule begin by moder'
ate drinkingY Arc the $4,000 druhkards
who die annually In our country recruit
Cd from moderate drinkem or tsetoia'
lersY They are recruited ff0m one to
another. But tho lecturer says they
arc not from moderate drinkers, there
fore they ara from teetotalera
The brave ladies' OF Elmwood W, q,
T, u, have been making q noble fight
iof tho protection OF their homes. by In
dieting druggists who peralsted In sell
Ing liquor 10 their sons. More tlian the
usual amount Of abuse was hhowered
upon them by tho liquor party, but they
bnyely stood their ground and came Oh
victorious
4 correspondent ~ the Hoston
Herald writing from County Galway.
ireland, says that among the people
there excessive drinking IL almost
universal habit, II would DO blessing
indeed to ireland just now, In her hour
OF extremity. II second Father Ma
thew could DO raised TO again pledge
the people against q foo that Ia more ty'
rannical. more eyacting, more persist
ent, and more morciless than England
over dared TO be,
The temperance folks Of Kansas are
beginning at last to got tho upper hand
OF tho liquor sellers and drinkers. For
time II was impossible 10 convict un'
der tho new laws, even In the clearcst
cases and upon the plainest evidence
but the prohibitionists have subscribed
money, held mass meetings, and taken
solemn resolutions not to rest until tho
stringent statute relative to liquor sell
ing should be enforced, and now they
have succeeded In obtaining convictions
and tho imposition Of heavy fines in To-
peka, Florence and Ottawa.
The annual meeting OF tho Boston
woman's Christian temperance union
was held recently In fremont Temple.
Mrs. A. J. Gordon presided. The sec.
retary's report, read by Miss l., $.
Tobey daughter OF Postmaster Tobey,
stated that the work OF the union can
be classified as follows: Gospel meet
ings, legal and petitions, young ladies',
children's, literary and parlor. A re'
sumo of the work accomplished under
each feature was given. The union
numbers 325 members, and during the
past year, has held 1853 meetings under
It's auspices. Ten thousand signatures
were obtained to the petition to the
Legislature asking for q constitutional
amendment in behalf OF prohibi-
ton, and during the past l2 months 3O,-
600 pages of literature have been circu-
lated. The work among the Germans,
and also among the young people, was
highly commended. Mrs. A. J. Gordon
gave synopsis Of the methods employ
ed in the labors OF the union, and earn
estly asked the cooperation OF the Ia
dies. Mrs. l.. T.. Caswell related sever.
al incidents occurring in her experience
as a laborer at the North end, where, she
said, 10000 human beings are living,
God only knows how, and 400 grog
shops are doing q thriving business.
She also spoke Of her experience among
the Indians, with whom she spent sever
al years. She sang two or three tenn.
perance songs, as given by the Indians.
The closing address was made by Mrs.
R. w. Mclaughlin.
We thus justify the views put on
record twenty-five years ago, the express
sion of which is unfortunately as appro.
pirate to-day as it was at that date. We
then said, and now repeat, "that an
egregious mistake has been committed
by scientific and professional writers on
the employment of alcohol--a blunder
into which even those who have under.
taken the advocacy and defense OF total
abstinence on scientifc grounds have
deliberately stumbled. This mistake
has been to acknowledge, or to take for
granted, that the living human system is
capable of decomposing the alcohol
which it receives. and that it thus turns
tho elements of which it is composed
the carbon, and hydrogen, and oxygen
to good account in the sustenance OF life.
Around this assumed fact, as center,
whole host of worthless and mischievous
pretenses for the use of alcohol on
physiological and therapeutic grounds
is made to cluster. 1t is the keystone
OF Liebigs fallacious theorizing, which
has been so widely and unhesitatingly
accepted, and used with so much sue
cess, especially among the medical pro.
fession, to justify the common use of
alcohol This assumed fact we are pre-.
pared to deny, or rather do deny it, and
are prepared to give our reasons. But,
in the meantime we demand, as we have
a right to do, from those who have as
sumed it to be fact, the proofs which
they ought to have in their possession.
These are yet to be produced, for the
idea stands forth in tho writings OF
scientific men as stark-naked assump-
tion without single proof worthy Of
the name" ."-Erchdnge.