The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-03-01

Thirty men In their etc rts 10 win prizes died
on the spot and soon after elk more fell vic
tins 10 drink. plutarch, on the authority
OF tharos, says that forty.oue persons died
from excessive drink and the severe cold
weather.
Alexsnder's habits caused his death. At
q wild carousal, gotten up by Modes, he
drank oil day aud night, consu ming fourteen
quarts OF wine In drinking TO the health OF
Protess. This brought on q fever, from
which he died. Seneca says Of him: This
hero, inyincible by all the tolls OF prodigl)us
combat, by the most violent extremes OF
heat and cold, lies conquered by his intem-
perance."
The Thracians and scythlans were notorI-
Gus for their intemperance. Both, but more
especially the ecythians, were celebrated for
moderation and strength In the early part OF
their history, bat in the latter part they
were known a. hard drinkers After Cleo.
menes. Prince OF Sparta, visited the Scythians
his countrymen said that his commune alton
with the scythians had made him n drinker
OF wine, and the wine had made him mad.
when persons wished 10 drink 10 excess"
says Herodotus they said: Let as drink
like Scythians' Both Thracians and
Scythians considered themselves happy only
when filed with unmixed wine and they
even poured 10 on their garments. The
Thraclan way OF drinking and the scythian
ties Of pure wine, and act like maniac or a
| fool.
The history OF the ThracIaus contains the
story OF the vile treaobefy OF Rhescuporis
and BIS murder OF his nephew Cotys, who as.
sured y fell victim TO the "Thracian way
| OF drinking" aud % the "Scythian way OF
| acting
The history OF the Gauls is full OF instances
| Of the effects Of indulgence la strong drink.
| Under Bfennus the Gauls invaded the Ro-
man empire and took the capital, bat they
| drank 60 freely OF the wine that they lost
their precaution, and Camillus the Roman
hero living In retirement at Ardea, resolved
| 10 save the city. and, knowing their condi-
ton surprised them and put them to flight.
The Germans have always been noted for
immodsrate indulgence in strong drink.
| Naturt ~ they were religious, and warlike,
and sucfess was theirs on nearly oil occasons
| until their intemperance reversed the wheel
OF fortune. Germaincus won his victories
over the Marsi-a German people-becsuse
| OF their intemperance. OF the Germans Tao.
titus says: Indulge their love OF liquor to the
excsse they require, aud you need not en.
| ploy the terror OF your arms; their own will
subdue them" Their customs were similar
| TO those OF the Perslans Travellers at var
ious times have noticed the habit of drink
ing In Germany, and the duke OF Rohan says
that they seem to have discovered perpetual
motion In the use OF the wine cup.
Victory ar q success, opening new sources
| OF we It'll, have, from earliest time. inaueu.
| rated tiieminafe and luxurious habits. Tne
| Greeks ana Romans acquired the dangerous
habits nj luxury and indulgence In vines
from tbs Persians. These became so alarm.
| ing that the Roman senate enacted sumptu-
| airy laws 10 restrain them bat the patrican
classe, dlregariei them, and, the common
| people them. the law became IN a abort time
dead letters" and from III 1t time ID tn no
law hes been strong enough 70 put down or
| -. l.. Il. oil -
temperance IL Is said that In times OF scar
city OF wine in Rome riots and sediiiors
were of frequent occurrence.
Not en- al cient nation can be mentioned
that was not the victim of intempera ace.
The Carthaginians. tho Lydans. the Byzan-
tines, the Parihians, the people oil Tarentnm,
the Babylonisns and Assyrians. the Medes
and Persians, the greeks and Romans, oil
drank 10 excess and fell victims TO their own
vices.
The ancient Britons. a race of savsges, are
supposed TO have been frugal and TEN perats,
but from using the dress and language ol the
Romans then, by degrees, initiated and
adopted tina vices and luxuries. BY the time
OF the Norman conquest they had become 20
corrupt that soon the vigorous and warli 10
Normans fell under the spell and adopted
the habits one by one. The disastrous riots
ana seditions caused by drink In England In
the eighteenth century were so appalling
that parliament was petitioned Tor restrlc.
tive measures with the usual natural result,
for intemperance can not be cured by laws.
In 1886 signs were posted In various places
In London, reading: drunk for penny,
dead drunk for twopence, and clean stre "
for nothing" IL was the custom 20 treat the
clergy and for the clergy to treat themselves.
An old Expense. book" preserved in Lon
don contsins a bill for "a treat with the
deacon OF Durham, shiliings pencs,"
and for preacher named Bell, shilling 1
pence, which is pretty good evidence that
the higher one went IN the church the more
he could drink. The London Temperance
Intelligence published some years ago a
charge for wines used By small parish m
London. 1t bears the date of 1901 or 1892
and 10 as follows:
Wine for vestry 2Dt
Wine for communion -....liI
As to the effects OF intemperanoe on the
moral and intellectual powers, history Is
voluminous and furnishes numerous exam
Piles. In ancient times Cambyses; Philopa.
ter. fourth king of Egypt called zspeur, be-
cause Of his extravaganza aud debsucnery
Prussia, king of Bythnia 1f9 y. Z J; T.be-
RUS, derisively nieknamed Bberius; Nero
Claudius; Sylia, tyrannical and ambitious;
Meximinus, ferocious and piti ess and In
deed nearly all the rulers OF the old world,
way into modern times, until the ref0rma'
ton. prove beyond doubt the brutalizing Ell
feet oil immoderate drink on the feelings and
its destruction 81 all natural feeling
While admitting that wines are only in.
furious in the abuse, not in the right use OF
them, ii IL none the less true that the misery
OF every city Is proportonate to the number
| of saloons The French boast OF the few in
stances in h' ir country o drunkenness, and
yet "they drink regularly" II IL Is true, u
must be because thew, bester than any 9TH
els, know how to manage and conceal vices,
sincs ali history proves that In nstior NJ
point of view. in the effect on mind and
morals. On religion, and the physical condi-
ton OF man, intemperance has most untail-
ing and DISASTROUS effect In this age when
civilization has 50 far advanced that men a g
INCREASINGLY seeking for variety and excite
ment, we can only look with horror upon
the adoption Of so many luxurious habrs
and wonder II the history OF intemperanc :,
Ike all other history, will repeat itself
| Whv Ia Took Skafss