Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-08-16
Why Drunkenness is a Vice.

No more valuable individual contribution
to the great temperance wave now rolling
over the country has come to our knowledge
than the discussion on the nature of drunk
enness lately read by Rev. DR.. John L. Todd
of New Haven before the last General AS
ISOLATION, held at Middletown, Connecticut,
during June. That intelligent body was so
much impressed by the force and clearness
of DR.. Todd's arguments for insisting that
drunkenness is not disease, but a vice, and
should be dealt with as such, that the very
unusual course was adopted of ordering ten
thousand copies of the essay to be printed
for general distribution. II would be i'm
possible, in the limited space at our disposal,
to give anything like complete notice of
all the points in the scholarly treatment Of
this difficult subject, compactly as they are
stated. The best we can do is to give our
readers some idea of the train of thought
followed in this most salutary contribution
to the literature of temperance reform. The
pamphlet, it should be explained, is based
on the recent work, entitled "Habitual
Drunkenness and Insane Drunkards," by
DIR. John c. Bucknill, an English physician
of high standing.
DR.. Todd's first difference with the pre-
vailing opinion of the present day, that
drunkenness in its last stages is disease,
is in adducing satisfactory medical testi-
mony to invalidate the loose theory that
microscopic examination of the brain of the
drunkard after death reveals structural
changes in the nerve-cels of the brain which
account for an irresistible craving for drink,
To the objection that there is limit to dis
sipation beyond which the power of resist
10 ca email To, no of no flrantiaa1 an
count, he cites the numerous cases of men
who were very far gone in drunkenness,
subject even to periodical attacks, but who,
under the influence of pride or some kindred
motive, have abruptly ceased drinking for
years or permanently. The whole testi.
mony of temperance orators and societies
supports the view that the ability to con.
troll the appetite is dependent entirely upon
the will, and if this is not exercised it is
because the man prefers his excuses to any.
thing else. AS to the drunkard's will, DR.
Todd exclaims "Put a drunkard in cir.
cumstances where it is difficult for him to
get liquor, and see how weak his will is
There is no man of such desperate deter.
mination and force of will as the drum kard
who is bound to have his dram. The very
difficulty with the drunkard is that his will
Is sO blTOUBs IL us Will WclC WCdh, ~ WOulu
be easy to influence him not to drink. II
is Just because he is so determined to drink,
that it is impossible to save him." Like
wise, says DIR. Todd: There is meaning in
the universal unconscious testimony OF
druDkards. When they come out of their
spells of debauchery, if they have any moral
sense at all left, they are always ashamed
penitent, remorseful. What on earth are
they ashamed of, or remorseful about il
they have only had a disease? Men are
not ashamed of having had the typhoid
fever or penitent for having had the rheum
atism. All, the drunkard knows that he is
guilty and not unfortunate"
On the point of inherited tendencies to
drunkenness are furnished some facts which
if capable of substantiation, prove conclu
sively that the popular ideas on this subject
are very far astrav. In the last annual re
port of the New York Christian Home fol
Incorporate Men there were, it seems, out
of 176 confirmed drunkards, classified as
treated in the institution, only 20 who had
incorporate parents. 1t is claimed thai
"medical testimony is precise and abundant
on this point, that inherited tendency Il
drunkenness is comparatively rare anC
slight"
The arraignment which this author ha,
given the drunkards, the persistency, force
and sarcasm, with which he scouts tina
maudlin sentiment which is often poured
out upon these unfortunates, because the!
are supposed to be of "peculiar tempera
ment," is well illustrated by the following
admirably graphic and concise picture o
the mean estate of the voluntary victim o
alcoholism He has poured poison dow
his throat to the loss of health, property
responsibility, influence, honor, manhood
mind and SOUL he has brought untold suf
fering and misery upon his family, grie
and shame upon all his friends, perniciou
influence upon the whole community; h
has made worse than beast of himself
shipwreck of time, and hell of eternity
and he has done this for the sake of littl
sensual qualification, deliberately, knowing
all the time what he was doing and, cer
tainly until the very last stages, perfect.
able at any time to change his course
There is no confidence to be placed in sucl
mans professions or manifestations o
love to his family. No doubt, when h
he comes to himself he processes grea
deal of contrition, and manifests grea
deal of tenderness towards his family, AM
sheds a great many tears; drunkards ar
apt to be sentimental, emotional, demonstra
tive, snivelling, slobberng, slavering, sappy
and this they call-love The men VIII
really love their families don't get drunk
Gifted, brilliant, witty, lavish, genia
agreeable, fascinating, the men often are
no doubt, who become victims of convivia
ity and good fellowship; but their exec
lences are apt to be superficial and false
their generosity is often recklessness; thei
affection is often an unmeaning demonstrs
tiveness they are often to the center Of tn
soul utterly selfish and heartless. And the
invariably have some weak streak, some rae
ical defect in them"
DIR. Todd's plain-spoken and Just abhol
renee of the vice of drunkenness has lie
him TO agree with DIR. Cuyler, and other al
thorities, in taking rather hopeless vie'
of efforts to relieve the world from thi
curse. "Drunkard timber" is very likely
as he calls it, comparatively worthless stuff ;
it seems more and more certain that tn
majority of attempted reforms of drunkard
are failures, especially those tried in inebr
ate asylums. Death by intemperance ma
still be the greatest provision of natur
which exists among civilized nations fo
eliminating the scum of the race. Neve
theless, so long as Christianity places an il
calculable value on every human soul, an
so long as more crime and misery are
rectly due TO intempeIance than to all othe
causes combined, the church and the stat
must not tire in their efforts to reduce to
minimum, if they cannot absolutely banisl
this monstrous impeachment to the welfar
of the human race. Said Abraham Lincoln
"When there shall be neither slave nor
drunkard on earth-how proud the title {
that land which can truly claim to be tn
| harII Ill ND III, arabia Of hnth Ihana