The Indianapolis journal., 1884-08-20

the freedom of mankindl Never, in all the
wide range of human history have any of these
things happened to people so weak in self-con,
troll. 50 infrm in their virtues, that in matters
of mere appetite and taste they had to be placed
under Legal restraint Locke and Bacon, and
sir Isaac Newton; Shakespeare, Milton, Black
stone and the Duke of Wellington; Curran, Gfat
tan and DaIiisl 0Connell; Goethe, Schiller and
Bismarck Mirabeau. Lafayette and Napoleon;
Washington, Jefferson and DR. Franklin were
all productions Of that social freedom on which
all human greatness depends. Turkey is the
only government on the globe where prohibit
ton is a declared policy. What have the follow
ers of Mahomet to show for the cause Of civiliza-
tiun9 would rather accept as guides to good
morals the German with his beer, the Erench7
man with his wine, the Irishman with his native.
drink and the American with them all com
bined than the Turk with his opium and his
laremSs
POWER TO RESIST TEafPTATIoN.
1t must be remembered that the use of wine,
malt or other liquors is not the only innocent and
lawful practice capable of abuse Temptation.
in a thousand forms turks in the pathway of
human life almost from one end of it to. the
other. The power to resist the tempter in what
ever guise he may approach must come from a
higher source than human law. II must come
from we'll instructed conscience, appealing for.
strength to the great fountain of virtue and
L power above u.s. 1t must come from the exer-
maintain the cause of public and prvatei virtue.
i 1t must come from the heart within, and from
help overhead In most able and phi1osophic
/ address on tlis subject in 1867, Governor An
drew, of Massach husatts, after dwelling ON the
causes which had lessened dissipation in England,
said:
The same phenomena have been manifested
own side of the Atlantic. Eke causes have in like
manneF purified softened refined the habits of social
life at home Ana the excesses of gluttony and drunk
Il enness which used to the festivities of former
times have 50 far as haxe ever been Witness and
as the proof shows disappeared. But there has
been ON earth amy human governmental power which
could have brought it to pass. The law possesses
1 absolutely no reforming power 1t can punish, can
terriFy hold in forcible restraint It cannot convert
nor it touch the springs of feeling of Thought
unconyinced, untouched; unconyerted, do you sup,
pose the ingenuity, and the armies of the world could
have devised the statute, and concentrated aforce
which could have dominated personal habits in those
spheres of society and have made any permanent and
prevailing impression social conduct and private
! mannersA Drunkenness naturally OFT the
forms which vice assumed IN New England
hard climates much exposures little variety OF food
and a great want of culinary skill, few amusements
the absence of light cheering beverages sense Of
care and responsibility cultivated intensely and
theories of lfe duty and providence have In times
past all combined to increase the perils of the peo.
pie from the seductive narcotic. whose virtue
| was weak, or whose discouragements great
whose burdens were heavy or IN the spirit waged I'M
equal war with the allurements of the flesh,
one m whom certain native gayety strove with the
exact1ons of the elders, often its victim. mde
pendeuce, intelligence selfTespect' broader views,
kinder and tenderer sympaies the cultivation of the
finer tastes, the love and appreciation of beauty
truer hamanity-not to speak of better social theo-
ries all made more generaand pervadng in soci-
ety-Rave gradually, BY divine favor, been nstru-
mental in the dehverance of our people from that
l bondage = =
cious gospel hndling the heart, not by by crushing
sense of guilt goadng the conscience. The temper
snce reformation spraug up out Of the heart OF
Il a gospel work. It mission of love and hope.
And the power with which it was wrought the evi
dence OF its inspiration While it held fast by its
original smplicity-while it pleaded with the self
forgetfufness of gospel discipleslip and sought
out with the generosity Of n alem brzacine charity
while it twined itself around the heartrstrngs and
quietly rebuked the erriug, with honest bold
ness. rebuled without anear it was strmg in the
Lord and in the power of His might. verifying the
prophecy Of old that might chase Thousand, and
| two put ten Thousand to flight But when 1T passed
out Of the hands of its evangelsts and passed into
beeane part of the capital of political speculation
and went into the iugglery of the when men
voted to lay abstinence burden their neighbors
while they felt such duty of abstinence themselves
even under laws of their creation when the g0sr
pei the Christian church and the ministers of religion
ere yoAed to the Of political triumph then it
beoame the victim of one of the most ancient and
most dangsrousiof all the delusions Of history
These are the. wise and powerful words of a.
| Christian and a. statesman and ia my Judgment
they emBrage tbe true philosophy of temper
ance and free will Of vrtuous lives and personal
liberty.
LEGIST3ATfoN FAIEUREg
\ Legislation, however, on this subject is not
only wrong in principle, but in every age of the
world it has proyena total failure, and been
fraught with pernicious results. Sumptuary
laws as they are called do not strictly relate to
the use Of spirituous liquors, but rather embrace
questions. of diet, wearing apparel the expenses,
and general manner-of living But inprinciple
such laws contain the doctrine of prohibition,.
and. their history becomes instructive at this
time In ancient governments we find many PEE
cuiiaF illustrations of this kind of legislation
AT an, earlv period the Roman oensoTs were inn,
trusted with the superintendent Of public
and priHatH moralfVs and punished! all persons
guilty. Of luzuri0us living. Othar laws fixed the,
cost of certain entertainments, prescribing the
amount and the quality of the meats and other
artinles of food for the table, We are told also.
Sumptuary laws were in great favor in the legis
lation Of England from the time of Edward LIZ down
To the Reformation. Sstnte tan Rdward liz narlates
that through the excessive and overmanY yeata
which the people of this realm have used more than
elsewhere. many misehiefs have haRpened; for the
great by these excesses have been gFieyed,
and the lesser people who only endeayor to initiate
the great ones in such sorts Of meat are much inn
poverishe whereby they are not able to aid them.
selves, their liegeloRd in time of need they
ought and many other evils have happened well to
their souls to their bades and enaets that man
of whatever condition estate shall bas allowed
than two courses At dinner or supper, or more than
two kinds ottood 1neach course except on the prl
cpal festivals Of theyear when three at the
utmost are TO be allowed
Another act declares that the outrageous and
excessive apparel Of divers people against their
estate and degree is the destruction and impoyer-
| isnment of the land, and prescribes the apparel
of the various classes into which it distributes
/ the people 1t goes no higher than knights. but
there are minute regulations for the clothing of
/ women and children
/ Similar sunptuaEy legislation is to be found
all thr01I0h of
France and Scotland, but the historian candidly
| adds
/ Neither iuEngand Scotland nor Franoe, do those
| laws appear to, have been practically 6h,
Il served to any great extent; and he sums
| up his observations by saying that en-
| actrnents of this kind have long been considered TO
beopposed to the principlesef Of polisical econony.
And as the odious and inquisitive euactments