The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-09-26
VOLUME II.
THE DkEN klSS II - III l.
Is Society To-day any More lem peg
ate than in Former Days?


ate than in Former Days?
louisville Courier-Journal.
In anv comparison between the pres
ent generation and our Grandfathers or
creat-e randfathers it is usually assumed
that we are superior to them IN orr tenn
peratc use of Intoxicating liquors. ''eh-
tIemen no longer come reeling into the
drawing room after debauch at III"
dinner table. Five bottle men have gone
the way OF the world and tic days OF
prolonged potationS are at an end. AZ
dinner party heavy drinking is rc@a ded
as a disgraceful anarcl, onism, and
man who gets drunk excludes himSclf
from good society. All this is very true,
but it does not prove the assertion that
we are II more sober people than our
grandfatners it only proves that we do
not get drunk in the same way as they
did
1t is quite possible to drink seat
deal of liquor even of strong itqIor,
without Yielding to that absolute intoNi-
cation which reveals itself iii inartiCu-
late speech, staggering movements, or
senserss stIpor. good deal depends
on whether the liquor is consumed at a
sitting or in slrams taken at intervals
during the dav Violent or helpless in
tox'catiou is but one among many phases
of drunkenness. |, may be said that few
men now allow themselves 10 be seen III
tits condition. Some of these are con
iirmed sots AMI are always tipplinG, but,
rs a rule. when men of this class get
drunk it IS not by means Gf habituai
.lrams but as the natural conclusion Of a
drinking bout IL " !ich the have engH:t-
ed with distinct expectation, If not e.
press,ly :or the sake, OF this result. There
n ''hig drunk" recurring with NOR" O.
less frequency, and in the intervals they
are perhaps rs sober as JudSea. Tins
was once tho way in which gentlemen
settled down to their cups. bat The fash
ion has been gradually descending IN the
social scale.
But this is only one Kind Of drunken
ness, and not in all respects the most
dangerous and destructive kind. It's
very "roSsnrss and The violent external
Indications which accompany II supply
fpciive. H. is n rock on which 40 vessel
can split unawares There IS & sharp.
unrni,taI able penalty for Cacl; ca"ons".
which Suggest. reflection and cncnur-
ages reform. If a man goes to the dogs
in thi1 manner he goes with his eyes
open, and every BODY can see plainly
what happened. and can put together
4 yI,,, t.s
moral 1t j. the strong still Gun '2nt of
sac sittam above the falls, the fatal grip
of which j. not appreciated unt it Is too
iato to struggle against it, which is most
Ia bc dreaded.
Il is poasihl> for man 10 he very
much the worse ror drink. as the phrase
*. both in n mora' and physical sense,
without showing it in his gait or speech,
and even to be all but Il confirmed q unk-
a--l without himself being more than
faiotly aware OF the pelil in which he
stands. Hence the serious and alarming
aspcct If the Lind of d','rkenness tIat IS
now becoming SO prevalent - society,
even in quarters where it hes hIthctto
been little suspected drunkenness
which, stopping short of absolute lnt"Ni-
cation. takes the form of a perpetual and
fevcriSh craving for odd glasses rf WI $
Nv straight and tipplcS of brandy At n
.a.t,Iar hours As a mere matter of by
gicne. it wotld probably be better for Z
man to get fairly drunk once or twice
every few weeks than to ylell himself IN
bondage to al evil desire which, Whei
once in,lu'ged establishes its dominion
by proving on the stomach and destroy
ilg the appetite of its wretched victim
and thus compelling him TO depend OF
$ muiants for sustcnancc. 1t is posi-
hle for Il time 10 make alcohol n sub>tl
tute for Good, but. of course. it can only
Ec for a time and the end j. certain. ana
often swift in coming. There is. Ct
course, Il constant tendency 10 increase
the dose. and the tippIcr's condition i
always becoming more pitiahic and help
less: but his descent is smooth and no
interrupted bv the shocks which pull III
the more violent at .lrl,ar,i il his desrcr
ate career, and almost compel hlin, II
spite of himself, to reflect on the miser,
and DEGRADATION which he j. accumu
latng for himself
The Wonders of the Deep
Pcnsarola Commercial.
We have been shown, through th
courtesy Of Col. Sellers. of the PenSaCol