The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1881-03-31
WADENA MINI, THURSDAY, MARCH 81. 1881.

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not use it every day, as to find one in
New England who does. Yet this
tipling of the better classes does not
seem to lead to drunkenness, or to
have any bad influence, except the
example to the poor, who cannot be
reformed till their superiors break
their decanters, and smash their beer
mugs" Now the rapid decay OF
health and morals in New England,
is the result of this trying to bring
the superior classes
DOWN TO THE TOTAL1sT STANDARD,
instead of elevating the inferior
classes up to the temperance standard.
Prof. Doolittle writes Of native wines:
s.Europeans are amazed at the incres-
ing numbers of American men and
women, whom innocent wine turns
into beastial inebriates, and at the
terrible exceptional American appe-
tite. A partial cure. is either to
take the grape in the purple coat, in
which God enclosed it, or cut down
the vines.'' These fanatics have yet
to learn, that *ssmashing decanters
and beer mugs, and cutting down
vines,'' does rapidly accelerate the
totalist decadence, and that their only
salvation is in returning to the tenn
perate habits of their grandparents,
and the rest of the temperate chris
tian world. In my youth, the Scotch
and the Puritans were parallel models
of temperance, health and morals.
The Scotch continue in the same par
allel, while the Puritans are becoming
proverbial for intemperance, dispep-
sia and immortality, wherever they
change the temperate habits Of their
parents, for the totalist medley of
abstinence and excess, as seen in the
following contrasts: lst, The sons of
the Scottish Clergy are proverbial for
superior mental and physical power,
and endurance, and are sought after
for positions requiring extra talent,
all over the world. The sons of our
cold water Clergymen, are as proven
bial for the opposite qualities, and
are reputed to be embecile, unreliable
and Incorporate as a class. End,
Wendell Phillips has collected a mass
of letters written by the school girls
| OF all the leading nations of the
world, as a criterian by which to
| Judge of the relative civilization of
each. BY this test, the school girls
| of Scotland stand first in education
and intelligence; the Swiss second,
the Canadians third, and those of the
United States fourth. The explana-
tion is, the Scotch and the Swiss use
| spirit food the most freely of any
people; and the British Canadians
preserve their temperate British hat-
| it's, as do the Scotch Irish, who nearly
all so to Canada, while the ;ntemper-
ate ''Father Mathew Irish'' all 60 to
the United States. The Maine laws
furnish the details for explaining
this contrast. Sd, Scotland has no
Maine laws, but many inland towns
have no place where liquor is sold.
Johnston, in Dumfriesshire, is one of
! these. It has no saloons, no resident
doctor, lawyer, drunkard nor beggar;
has 1900 inhabitants, three free
schools, and every one over six years
of age can read and write. Whiskey
and beer are kept in every house,
and given to every guest. The con-
trast which prohibition in Maine
forms with this temperance town was
given in my last letter. Compare
that 80 years record of prohibition
war, drunkenness and crime in the
Mohammedan state of Maine, with
the peaceful freedom, temperance
and virtue established by christian
experience in Scotland, and then let
US try to regain our former standing
! as q temderate christian nation.
Yours, D.
Our Oak Valley correspondence
! came in too late for publication, but