The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1882-01-20
IN. AsDaEw CLARK On AIoOHOp

i<OuADut W IIOHAEu dttA NSSPtJ
terested audience. He SAID be pur-
posed Offering few informal remarks
upon the influence Of alcoholic drinks
rpon bssltb, upon work, upon disease,
and upon the succeeding generation.
This quesiion Of alcohol was Of The
first importance to Ia as nation and
as individuals, and hence great re-
sponsibility rested upon those Who pro-
feesed TO speak upon it with authority.
lie ven,ured to ga that he knew some
thing about ibis question. For q
years be-bad been physician 70 one 4
the largest hospitals in this country,
(the London Hogpital), and there, -
elsewhere, IL had been part of his
business in life to ascertain the lift
encs which alcoholic drinks exercised
upon health, and he had with deep in
tereSt and attention gtriyen to get a.
the truth Of .he matter. In the first
place, let him distinctly say thai q.
cohol %as poison, as were also stFych-
nine, arscnic, and opium but in Ger
tain small doses strychnine, arsenic
and opium were useful in special cir
c cimstances, and in very minute doses
alcohol couid also be used without anT
obvioua prejudicial effect upon health.
He WAS cot going t" discuss What
these minute doses were, save to say
that they are very minute A perfect
state Of health land IL was rarely 70 be
found) could not be benefited by alcohol
in any degree, and in nine times ous
Of 10 it was injured by it. He said
this not al total abstaiuer, though be
earnestly hoped that all the rising gen
Grafton would be. Instead Of tie IDEAL
state Of health which might h. esj vel
gave for the nature Of our surround
ings, The sins Of orr parents, and orr
ow ;ns, there vas 3 sort Of secondary
hssa possessed By most Of ns. aad
what dill alcohol do for this
he bad two answers 70 give-that
this sort Of health bore apparently
with alcohol better thaa tho other. ans
sometimes seemed as If benefited 5y It
and this was exactly tas sort Of health
that formed tbs gpest debating grouaf
Of different people with respect 70 the
use OF alcohol. Secondly. there we're
some nervous people always aiding.
yet never il, FOR raOm he had pro
found sympathy, Hho seemed u derive
great comfort from alcohol, aud to
these be had sometimes said, Take
little baer or wine, but take great care
never 10 go beyond the minute dcse'
H9 did not defend this, bat simply
stated /: to show what be tl.oueltt As
20 the influence Of alcohol upon work,
Dr.. Clark went on TO eus ,nrage hs
hearers to try the experiment o. tesel
abstinence, and observe the result In
regard - work. Let them, however,
try it fairly. aud not allow themselves
to be deferred from it BY the evil prog
nostications of friends lie was GER
tain that if this experiment were tried
each individual present wosId come TO
the conclusion that alcohol was not a
helper of work, but, OF the eoatrary, q
hinderer.
Now as to the s!fsct of alcohol upon
disease. lie went through the wards
of his hospital to-day, and asked him
sslf bow many cases were dee to naturs
al and unavoidable causes, aad how
many to drink, and he came, after
careful thought, to the conclusion that
seven out Of ten owed their Ill health
to alcohol. He did not say that these
excessive drunkards-in fact, it was
not drunkards WHO suffered most from
alcohol, but the moaera.a dlia kvrs Who
exceeded the p'ysiolosseal q.tantity.
The drunkard very eften Wss m ab-
stainer for mon,ks tosethe' after
period of inters peranee. but the moder-
ATE drinker went steadily to work m
derminlng his constitution, and pre-
pairing himself FOR premature decay and
death. He had no means of finding
cut how many victims alcohol claimed
each year, but certainly more than
three-fourths of the disorders of fash
ionable life arose from the drug Of
which he was speaking. Finally, DR.
Clark dwelt upon the heredity Of the
alcoholic faint, and closed by saYing
that sometimes when he thought Of all
this conglpmeration Of evils he vas
disposed to rush to the opposite x
treme-to give up his profession, . gise
lup everything, and to enter upon q
holy crusade, preaching to ell men
everywhere to beware of this enemy Of
the race.
A man in the path of duty is twice
as strong to resist temptations as ont