The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1885-05-22
WHY NOT DRINK MODERATELY
PROF. \. Il. FOSTER, NJ. p.

You are quite willing to admit that in
temperance il a great evil, that drunken.
ness is great disgrace and that multi
piled and intolerable burdens are put
upon society through the medium of the
liquor traffic, but you say, "All this
comes from excess; If people would only
restrain themselves, there would be no
great harm done. Why may ] not drink
moderately" i
/. Because moderate drinking is preiu-
diclal to health.
The old time idea was that alcoholic
| liquors were necessary to as we'll TO pre-
vent disease as to cure II. But that was
before the period of investigation. Now
better opinions prevail. There il no ap.
preciable food in drink. 1t does not In
crease, but rather dlminishes the natural
temperature of the body. 1t binders
rather than helps digestion. 1t is the
fruitful parent of very many Of the dis
eases which afflict humanity, and has
the effect of predsposing toward them:
The following are sample testimonies
of some of the most celebrated medical |
men of Great Britain:
! Ii Is perfectly certain that there are multi |
tudes ut this moment who are inJuring their |
| constitutions and shortening their lives by |
taking alcohol daily In an amount which they |
consider strictly moderate.-Dr. nidge, u. s., |
b A. Is. So, London.
should like To say that u very large num- |
Der of peoC IL In society are dying, day by day,
| poisoned by alcohol but not supposed tn he |
poisoned by II. IL Is one Of the commonest |
things In English society that people are In |
| jured by drink, without being drunkartis. |
There is 1t great deal OF injury done to health |
10y the habltual use OF wines and alcohol In
various shapes even IN SPECIALIZED moderate
quantities. Sir VIM. Gull, NJ. H., FRS.
| In the average man" the habItual use Of
| alcoholic liquors In moderate or even small
quantities, Is not merely unnecessary for the
ms nNaH lNEk.n
IL unfaVorable to the permanent enjoyment
of health.-Dr W. Carpenter, +. X, g.,
lF.S.S.
As far as my experience goes alcohol Ii In
| no sense necessary to health. will say more.
| Alcohol Is in no sense necessary Ia work. Not
only il alcohol not necessary To health but no
man or woman can ever realize that full sense
OF the Joy of health until they live without al
cOhol.- Sir Andrew Clarke.
>. Because there is danger that you
will soon drink immoderately.
There never was drunkard in the
world but began as you say IN modera-
ton. Each one repeated over and over
the very words which you hay. uttered,
"Why may not drink moderately"
and yet each one found himself at last
bound rs slave and driven to utter de-
struction. Are you stronger than all
these?
Alcohol tends toward producing a
physical craving i'll the body for itself.
In this it Is different from all foods. The
effect produced by certain quantity to-
day can only be produced by greater
quantity tomorrow. The dose must be
enlarged and 30 OH and on until the
awful craving maddens and brutalizes.
Is II well Tor you to tamper with so
strange and fatal u poison? is it not the
wiser course to give 1t q wide birth?
Drink weakens the will power, tends to
destroy self respect, weaves a strong
subtle chain or appetite about you, and
brings with 1t u thousand associations
which tends neither to purify nor
strengthen. 1t is far Drawer as we'll as
safer to make no alliance with the de-
&c. tiul thing. &c..
). Because your example is bad. ..
1t is quite possible that you may be
able to take just your few glasses per
day and never exceed that measure.
But where are you leading those who
look up to you and follow your example,
and alas follow it in everything but its
moderation? 1t is untrue for you to say
that you have no influence. You have.
you cannot help having an influence.
Each day some one is learning lesson
from you, taking u step forward in the
path you are treading. Will they stop
where you stop?
A father and his little son were tray.
cling IN the Alps. Anxious to gain the
best points of view, the strong man was
striding from crag to crag, tOrgetful of
the tender strength of the boy, whose
voice at length came to him from the
distance, Look out, papa, I'm follow
ing you" Then he bethought himself
that he should measure his pathway by
the standard of his child's capability.
Would that every day there might
sound in your ears the words, which
even though not uttered, are yet true,
Look out, father, mother, teacher,
preacher, man of business, elder in So
ciety, We are following you," and be
careful to take no steps in the pathway
which proves so fatal to 30 many of the
growing children of every generation,
They simply see you enter the tavern,
stand at the bar, take the glass at the |
social board, and they say "If he drinks
why cannot l?' |
How many mothers heart near
breaks with awful anxiety as she OBJ
serves how her boy chafes under her |
every plea with, "But mother, Mr.. B. |
drinks, and he is u perfect gentleman. !"
How many wife's hopes grow dim |
and faint as all her expostulations with |
the husband she loves are met with the |
ready reply. "Yes, dear, but there ID |
Mr.. A. who takes his wine, and is re- |
spected and prosperous, surely l can
follow his example" /
Please Just sit down and think if any |
child of yours, any friend. anybody that |
comes into contact with you is being led |
drink. You can do without it and be |
far better off in health and pocket. |
Then do so, and give no occasion to |
stumble or fall to any one in your way. |
Do not drink at all; then no one who |
follows your example can be injured.
L. Because in drinking you help sup
port and perpetrate the traffic.
And what Is this traffic? Behold 1t. |
Millions of bushels of food are by it an
nually wasted and turned into subtle |
poison. Millions of dollars Of capital
and turned into an enginery of waste |
and ruin. Idleness, discomfort, poverty,
misery, crime and death, crowd togeth-
er in its wake. The homes il destroys,
the hearts il breaks, the lives it sacri-
fees, the hope it quenches, the immor-
tai happiness it destroys, are simply in
calculable. II is a foul, dark, devilish
blot upon our civilization. There is no
good thing it aids. there is no evil thing
It does not render more evil.
Every dime You spend for drink goes
| W UP hCCp bni5
system of evil. Why should you help
it with your money? Every time you
darken the doors Of a dram shop your
influence is given to the traffic. The
more respectable you are the more help
you are to it. Why should you lend
your influence to this dark system Of
| wrong?
Every time you put your money or in
fluence at its back, that fact ia known
and noted by many. The example tells.
Others do as they see you do, your GUS
tom brings others custom, and thus by
example you are bringing grist TO the
fatal mill. Why should you draw GUS
tom for such an awful business?
And the traffic has the benefit of your
endorsement. Whenever the drunkard's
shame brings the blush to its face, when
ever the earnest, honest denunciation
makes its conscience uneasy, whenever
the tears and expostulations of the wife
or widow softens Its heart for the mo-
ment, whenever the terrible ghastliness
of the ruin it works flashes before It's
vision, it finds support and comfort in
your sanction and influence and name,
and wrapping itself about IN the robes
of your responsibility forgets the shame,
stiles conscience, denies the prayer Of
the heartbroken, and fortifes itself for
the continued work,
As q moderate drinker you injure
your health, you play with an awfully
fatal temptation, you lead others astray,
and put your money and influence at
a - l.. u i