The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1882-02-08
TEMPERANCE COL UNIV.
EDITED by ].

it an interesting case, Captain Thomas f.
Riley was tried by a court-martia at Van
couver Washington Territory, in March, 1880,
for drunkenness on duty, and was dismissed
the service in August Of the same year The
sentence was absolute, as a matter of course,
for such breach Of discipline, but the Court
unanimously recommended him to the clemen-
cy of the President on account of mitigating
circumstances. The recommendation APP
pears to have been overlooked at the time by
President Hayes, who approved the sentence,
and Captain Riley was dismissed the service.
| He next makes appeal to the House Of Repre-
sentatives, and bill is reported from tho
Committee on Military Affairs for his relief
and reinstatement. The history of the case
is important. Here was a man who had been
for seventeen years in the service OF the United
States, entering the army rs boy Of sixteen,
in 1868, serving in the ranks for nearly three
years, and at the close of the war, for his
meritorious conduct, receiving commission
as second lieutenant in the regular army.
The education Of this lieutenant was not had
at West Point, but during all his early man
hood was In the school of the army itself.
Like some other army officers on the frontier
posts, he took to hard drinking, but finally,
at the solicitation of brother officer he pull
ed himself together and took pledge of total
! abstinence. He states that he did this not in
consequence of any charges brought against
him, or any transgression of discipline, but
solely because he was conscious that the habit
was fastening itself on him, and that lie was
becoming bad example to his own little
children. The breaking of his pledge, he
goes on to say, was due to an attack of mala-
rial fever, when, by consent of the medical
officer of the post, he began to use liquor
again-with the immediate result, after his
previous long abstinence, of twelve hours
violation of his pledge and disgraceful spec
tacle of himself on duty.
The main point in all this business is, that
physician should allow a man of such pro-
pensitles to touch liquor again nnder any cir
cumstances. Possibly, as Captain Riley uses
the word consent in his statement, the
doctor did not actually order him to drink
whskey as prescription, but simply allowed
it. 1t seems that the responsibility of medi-
cal adviser should go further than this. There
are certain temperaments that everybody
knows are safe from degrading intoxieation
only SO long as they neither touch nor taste
liquor of any kind. Whether it is inherited
weakness or by some constitutional defect,
they are not like other men in selfcontrol
They can control themselves to the point of
tub n h,,t ria Of .,
thirst within them that is like a rage rather
than an appetite. Once reused, it knows no
denial; it Is a fire that has to burn itself ont,
for the time being, in sodden indulgence.
These are the sort of people that need to have
all the safe. guards put around them of friend
ship and the law. They can make the hard
fight aud say no to the mere taste of alcohol
but one taste, and they are down. The child
rem of drunkards have this propensity SO in
vvrn tuIt tnere WIS guou reason, besides the
example, for breaking of. Each succession
from sneh parentage has less aud less resist
ance in it ; aud the sins OF self-indulgent pa
rents are fastened in the most awful way upon
far of and innocent descendants. This ought
to make even moderate drinker pause, as it
lay up much worldly goods for his descend.
ants, but any drinking man can settle por-
ton upon children and grandchildren of such
degradation as makes brand on them, and
struggle for life. But a grave responsibility
rests upon any doctor who carelessly allows
dying fires to BIO re-kindled, and permits liquor
to a man who has already suffered by it. All
tho proposed constitutional amendments in
the way Of prohibto,y laws make exception
in permitting the use of liquor for medical
purposes. But such use, as in tho Riley case,
was only an abuse. There are already clear
and numerous instances on record where the
habit of either alcohol drinking or opium
drinking has been formed in illness, and these
habits seem to be more common among modern
women than is popularity supposed. In these
the doctors have great responsibility they
should invariably advise their patients when
to stop. instead of ignoring the fact that tho
sufferer has been cured of one trouble only
to establish another. x The medical
man is tho family confessor of the century.
He knows all the physical secrets, and when
tho bottle in the wine closet is the skeleton in
the house. If there is an idiot in the family
or a weak, decrepit child, it may not owe it's
horrible inheritance to tho habitual drunken
ness of either father or mother 1t may take
its olouded brain, its paralyzed faculties, its
weak body or mind from far less and among
healthy brothers or sisters of full faculties
may be the Que lasting and innocent record of
the occasional drinker.
FRIENDSHIP SOCIAL SocIETy.-At the Cos
pei temperance meeting last Sunday afternoon
there was fair attendance. President James
Q. Bells presided, and the exercises were con-
Quoted as follows; Singing, "How tedious
and tasteless the hours, y led by Mrs. Kate
Crook reading of the eighth chapter of Deu-
teronomy, by Chaplain IL. S. Kroesen prayer,
by Vice President A. c. Barber; singing, Il
am coming to the cross y address, by Rev. p.
A. Studdford, d. D.; singing, "Work, for
the night is coming " singing, doxology
benediction, by Rev. Mr.. Studdiford.
Tho naxt mating ~ i'll ha hnld IN Cundav