The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-05-07


were made by Him, and without Him
was not anything made that was made.
Now, the Bible teaches all through that
God created heaven, earth, seas and all
that in them is, and without Him was
not anything made that was made.
We'll, now the question naturally comes
up, who made whisky first in our world !?
Whisky is apart of what exists in this
world, and some one, finite or infinite,
must have made it or produced it some
way or other. 1 don't know who made
the first drop of whisky that ever WAS
made, and 1 don't suppose there is q
man on this earth that does know, but I
have no doubt there are many persons of
our day and time that would pretend to
know all about it, and would at once say
it was and is the work or works of the
Devil. That may. be so, for aught 1
know, and if 80 neither the Devil nor
any one else could have done it without
being permitted to do so. l don't know
any place in the Bible that Jesus Christ
gave any direct instruction or command,
In so many words, to make whisky,
brandy, rum or gin but it is no trouble
to find the place where Jesus Christ was
present at a marriage festival and turned
water into wine for the use and accom-
mediation of that occasion.
Now, I will ask, what is wine? Idon't
know that / can answer the question
logically. will say, however, that wine
is liquid, and is used as drink or for
drinking. In q common sense it is used
in special sense in the administration
of the Lords Supper in the Christian
Church. I believe wine is not considered
spirit, and if any one will take the
trouble to turn to the 9Th chapter and
3rd verse of the book of Numbers, they
will find the word liquor used, having
reference to what has been made or pro-
duced from the grape. Wine is not con-
sidered spirit in the same sense that
whisky, brandy and other liquors are,
but if man drinks enough of il, it will
make him as drunk as anything else in
the world. If this be so, will any one
pretend to say there would be more guilt
and crime in being drunk on whisky
than there would be on wine?
/ say, then, that wine is good thing,
I say whisky is a good thing in their
right and proper places, just as water,
fire, or any other blessing heaven has
bestowed on us for our use and comfort.
Is not good warm fire good thing to
sit around on cold day2 or is not cool
draught of water on warm day, when
we are warm and thirsty, a good thing !?
Every one is ready at once to answer
these questions in the affirmative. Let
us Low reverse the case. If man were
to plunge himself headlong into the
ocean without any just cause, knowing
there would be no escape, would not that
be destruction to that man? It certain.
ly would. So with fire, so with wine,
and so with whisky. So I am fully per-
suaded it is neither the water, fire, wine
nor whisky that will destroy US. Our
own impropriety in the use of any of
these things may do the work.
I very often think that great many
of our warmest and strongest advocates
for Temperance Associations and prohi-
bition movements, have not read their
Bibles very much, or at least not very
carefully. The Bible is full, in various
places, plain and explicit upon wine
and strong drink; recommending the
use of these things in right and proper
way forbidding the improper use and
abuse of them. If were prohibition
ist would go just as strong against wine
as whisky. If the one is right the other
is not wrong. Whisky is just as harm
less as wine, if you do not abuse it. I
say, man is not ordinarily bound to
drink either wine or brandy. If man
of his own accord drinks to excess and
destroys his own life, say that man will
be responsible to God for his own de-
struction. I have heard men say the man
that made or gave that man the whisky
that killed him, will have to account for
the death or destruction of that soul. l
don't believe it. 1t is not the act of q
man that makes him out murderer. It
must be from malice aforethought-pre'
meditated. I might in some way or
other, as we'll call it by accident, kill a
man as dead as a hammer, and there
would be no murder. So if I were to
make whisky from pure and honest
motives, that it might be useful and ben
eficial to mankind, and some men drank
1t and killed themselves, I would not be
guilty of their death.
I will close these very awkward and
scattering remarks by saying that I have
not the most distant desire or expecta-
tion of getting into a dispute or argu-
mont with anv nerson ON this subject or
any other, but l am afraid our people are
going to do something that they will be
sorry for when it will be too late. l
would recommend our people to read the
piece put in the INTELL1GENCER of Feb.
il, 1885, by our worthy and honorable
Senator, J. B. Moore. Major Moore has
certainly hit the nail plumb and square