The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-04-10
DRINK AND GENIUS.

poor, ragged QrunKard at the bar
of a police court, sad sight as it is,
needs no explanation; every spectator
perceives that he is man in ruins lie
was born; he was an innoeent chilu,
the pride and darling of his parents; he
became man, with the hop and the
ambi ions of man. Yielding to in
sidious temptation, he lost power over
himself, and sank rapidly to be the
wreck we see him now, the scott of the
thoughtless, the shame of his family, an
object of adherence to himself, The
tragedy is all too obvious, and, alas!
how commoni
There is another iutemperance which
can not be described in the police report
by those horrible words, "a simple
drunk The police do not see it, or,
if they do, they call carriage and
carry it home. 1t does not wear ragged
clothes, nor reel along the highway.
Kings palaces conceal it; venerable
colleges cast over it the austere mantle
of gray antiquity; distinguished clubs
give it scope and privacy. 1t blghts
the very flower of our race, and few
ever know the worm in the bud that
does the mischief?
"We love to decorate our vices with fine
Names
When great genius deteriorates in
its prime, and fails Just when naturally
it should shine its brightest and do its
best, we do not like to attribute the
premature observation to cause so
commonplace as the indulgence of
morbid appetite for strong drink. We
would gladly decorate it with a finer
name.
A scene in London was described to
me a VIII lie ago by late valued con-
tributor to this per odical. 1t occurred
about three o clock in the morning at a
dinner-party of some of the brightest
spirits OF our time. The king of the
feast was the first of living writers in
his kind of literature, and his name is
honored now, wherever the English
language is read, and far beyond its
realm. He was man in the prime of
his years, but in the wane of his DOW
ers, for he marred his admirable talents.
he dul ed his finer sense, he obscured
the light within him, by gluttony and
wine -bibblng.
81 am cursed with an appetite" he
would say. ''When leave the d, nner-
table, it is with feeling that / would
like to begin and do it all over again"
He sat upright at the table at three
o'clock in the morning, for he had a
pecul arity of constitut on VIII CHI, as he
said, made his legs drunk long before
his head was touched. He was still
talking gaily, if not brilliantly, though
h. could not move from his chair. HIS
carriage was announced. 1t was his
own carriage, for he was then at the
summit of prosperity. His two men
servants, who knew well what they had
to do for they had had much practice
in doing it, came up-sta rs into the
dining-room with his hat and shawl
They drew back his chair, put on his
hat, lifted his giant form in their arms,
and carried him down to the carriage
door. His American friend followed,
dumb with establishment. Astounded
as he was, he could not help remarking
the familiar dexter.ty with which the
two servants performed their part.
There, on the sidewalk, the brilliant
and famous author, the pride of his
country, fell upon the neck of his
friend, hugged, kissed and blubbered
over him, and refused to get into his
carr. age. After awhile, however, part
dy by humoring him, partly by force,
the men lifted and pushed him in. On
reaching his home s'mil + scene oc-
CURED. and the day had begun to
dawn before the two servants succeeded
in getting him up stairs to his own
room. A few months after, he died
suddenly of disease caused and nour-
ished by such excuses.
That such man, SO gifted and so
wei disposed to u>e his gifts for the
public good, should pass away in mis-
prime was melancholy event indeed;
but it was not the worst consequence of
his bad habits. They marred and low
eIed all his writings, even the best, and
his powers diminished as his fame in
creased. We find that his works writ
ten at forty-five were less vigorous, less
genial and less true, than those written
at THU ty-five, and his last product on
shows scarcely CLEAN of his former
power.
TIE reason of this is now well known.
Several men of science have pursued
courses of experiment with view TO
ascertain the precise working of alco-
aal C drinks in the human System.
There was an English DR.. Percy who
in ected two ounc and half of alco-
hol into the stomach of a dog. The
animal dropped dead; whereupon, the
doctor instantly removed the brain, and
distilled from it a very large proportion
of the alcohol which he had admins
tered. TIE alcohol, as the doctor re-
marked, had rushed to the brain, and
killed the dog as if by blow upon the
head. IT was bow IN the head.
The brain of drinkers has been fre-
quently dissected, and it has been dis
covered that the alcohol has permanent
ly distended the cells of which it is com
posed. 1t makes the brain coarse and
fabby, thus diminishing its force.
During the last hundred years this
habit of drink has married and de-
stroFed more talent and more genius |
than all other causes put to 9ether. It |
brought the brilliant Sheridan to a most |
miserable and disgraceful ruin. 1t pre-
vented Charles James Fox from exert |
ing the power which was the natural
right of his talents and his patriotism.
The go1t which tormented the illustri- |
Ous Chatham, and withdrew him from |
The direction of public affairs when his
presence was most needed. was an in
heritance from his wine-drinking an
eestors, and he transmitted the poison |
to his son William Pitt. 1t is hardly |
700 much to say that if Lord Chatham
nad never had the govt, George the
Third could not have dismembered the
British Empire.
Why should such things as these |