, 1883-09-01
An Appeal for water.

NAhdp5 lueIe are lew SUBJECTS llldl
have come before the American pub
lie within the last twenty-five years
that have been so thoroughly dis
cussed by the press, from the pulpit,
and from the rOstrum as that of tenn
perance. The evils arising from the
abuse Of intOXicants have been paint
ed in the most hideous form, and the
strongest appeals that could be
clothed in language have been ad-
dressed to the people. Rhetoric has
been called into play, and figures,
that are said never to lie, have been
piled up column after column show
ing the expense, the loss, the crime,
the disesf, the horror, the death
that res from intemperance, and
yet in thHface of all this argument,
all this passionate pleading, the
world goes on, each individual mem
Der thereof addicted to the habit tax
ing his regular nip, and the close Of
every year sees Il still greater con-
sumption Of the trOuble-creating
fluid. The Temperance cause is grow
ing, for figures proves it; the con-
sumption Of liquor is increasing, be-
cause figures cannot deny it. There
has been scores of suggestions offered
by which to muzzle theliquor traffic,
some Of them good, but the majority
impracticable. We believe the time
To be far distant when the demand
for intoxicants will be so light that
the manufacture will be no more
profitable, and while there exists a
demand 50 long will it be supplied.
There are two feasil lie ways of settling
this question One is the prohibition
BY government Of the manufacture I;
and the other is to educate children
up to be sober, moral men and wo-
men, and then drinking would die
out with the present generation.
We have heard numerous temper
ance lecturers in our time from the
inimitable John B. Cough down to
silly ranters who did not understand
themselves what they were trying
to get at, and we thought from the
well-worn subject nothing new could
be extracted in the shape of Il lecture.
But Rev. DIR. J. w. Watts, travelling
lecturer for the Temperance Alliance
Of the State Of Oregon, presented the
matter in a new light, Sunday night,
in CannOn's Hall, and while we do not
feel that we can accept all of his
theories advanced, admit that hisar-
guments, il such thev might be
called, would carry far more weight
than the customary denuncmtOry
and wild-eycd style so prevalent
among advocates Of temperance. The
Doctor, who has devoted many years
Of long life in the cause, is ready
talker, one who makes his audience
feel interested in what he has to say,
and has been very successful in his
public career in performing almost
miracles in the redemption Of fallen
humanity. lie discussed the sub
ject entirely from a hygenic stand
point, and quoted from some Of the
best medical authorities Of the cOun-
try to prove that by far the lurger
per cent. Of diseases and defOrma-
tions among the human family has
been transmitted by parents to their
ofsprings, and can be attributed to
the use Of liquor and tobacco among
fathers and mothers. He read nu-
merous extracts from testimony ad-
vanced by medical men on this sub
ject, and 80 worked upon the imagi-
nation that there was those In the
audience who wondered il casts in
children's eyes were caused through
u preGilectiOn on the part Of prOgen-
itOrs for that popular drink known
as Cocktails" twins were the climax
from imbibing "Tom and Jerry"
hair lips the consequence OF an indul-
gence In smoking pipes, and so on
dd fRem. But the lecture was pro-
life in telli 2 points, and one that
would set people to thinking serious
ly. The audience was urge and
Intelligent one and sat quietly to the
close Of the lecture, showing a deep
interest in the discourse.