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

The Powerful Influence Of Liquor
Over Some Men Of Note.
Heroes Who Were Unable to CONQUER
Their Appetite for Drink;


itself, - the most melancholy OF all histories,
and also one OF the most important, involy-
ing Is II does. not only individual. successes
and failures. bat the successes anil failures
OF nations - well. Every page IA charged
With warning; every chapter reveals the
folly ofthe world. and the worlds great men
and rulers, and proves II true that the swine
and vsssail have taken more stro:pg places
than gun or steel" Intemperancs IL habit
and nothing but habit and habit. too,
against which nature seriously revots at
hfst, but to which she In the cour,, OF time
and opposition submits. and Of which she
finally becomes fond. IL 10 only by this
force OF habit that the taste OF wine, OF
opium, Of snuff, and OF tobacco becomes
pleasant, for those are not amonfrth real
wants OF nature. but are purely artificial.
Habitual and long.continued use OF intox-
icating drinks gains m irresistible influence
over both the mental aud physical powers,
the moral qualities become weak % blunted,
the mind lapguid, and all the physical con.
s,l'ution changed and impaired, and instead
OF the harmony that nature intended 10
have with man there Is ontinuai strife with
the tyrannical fend appetite, TO-, says he
who Knew man passing well:
Boundiess intomperancs.
In nature Is a tyranny, II hath been
The antimely ending OF the happy throne
And fall OF many kings.
Notwithstanding the well.known evil Of.
fects OF indulgence In the use OF inebriating
drinks. fine habit IL one of the most enslav-
ing. exercising n peculiar fascination over
the mind against " hioh the keenest conscl
business OF the wrong and OF the temporal
and spiritual consequences have not the
slightest influence. Most oi Us believe that
any habit can be conquered, but ahefe are
instances which overthrow any such theory
instances where loss OF character, friends.
and wealth, and the great physical and men
tai anguish count as nothing II only vine
may be had. Dr. Cheyne, u celebrated phys.
ictsn OF Dublin, tells story OF q nian OF his
acquaintance. cultivated, popular and
wealthy, who had contracted the habit ofin-
temps rance. Every effort was made to 70.
h IN 70 abandon the vice, and regain his
moral influence and health. In answer TO
them he finally said: i am convinced that
all you say IL only too true, but can not re-
sist. II . bottle OF brandy stood ~ one hand,
and the pit Of hell yswned on the other, aud
knew that II took but swallow OF the
brandy Ithould be pushed In, should dri nk
II. You are all very kind. / should De
grateful for so many kind, good friends but
you may spare yourselves the trouble OF try
Ing to reform me-the thing Is impossible"
Diouysius the younger Is anothe. instance
OF this infatuation. Aristotle says he would
be for ninety days ct q time in state o. In
toxication, and the frequent recurrence OF
that habit deprived him in time OF his eye
Dighsss The Emperor Zsno was In the hab [
Of drinking himself into an inssnsib Die con-
dition, and when In that condition one day,
his queen, Arisdns, had him taken TO a
tomb, the horrors OF which he fully realized
when after some hours his senses returned
TO him. But his pleadings and cries were not
needed. He died On agonizing defth, hated
by his wife and people. He was indeed q
victim Of intern perance. WinceslaEs. king
Of Bohemia, when he went TO Rheims Ia
order TO treat with Charles vi. on aome i'm
portant national questions, was sc
under the infatuating influence OF the
wines OF that country that he made
concessions alike disastrous TO him
self and his kingdom. certain monarch OF
Africa resigned all right to the throne rather
than leave the Portuguese colonies where the
wine was 50 pleasant TO him and his oppor.
tunities TO drink 90 favorable. Queen Eliza.
beth's celebrated opponent, Thano ONeil,
always kept at least two hundred tuns oil
wine In his cellar at Dundrum, and he drank
OF IL II 90 immoderately that MS; servant Is
were obliged to bury him chin-deep In the
ground In order to sllay the strange inham.
mntory effect his excess had upon him.
Babylon was the mightiesi nation on earth
until she became slave to luxury aud dissi.
patton. Her active aud warlike habits were
laid aside for those OF sensual indulgence,
and soon her name had becomea rsprnacn.
Said jeremiah: The mighty men OF Baby
lon have forborns to fight; they remained in
their holds: their might hath failed they
became ~ women"
Cyrus was the avengins Nemesis for out.
ragged nature. While Belshazzer was en-
gagged in one of his luxurious feasts Cyrus
m n In Ha 10, ,t.Is ~
Beishszzcr's habits, entered the city, sur
pritod the people and slew the king and ais
companions and the great empire OF Baby
Ion passed mo his possession. Cyrus wa,
the founder OF the Medo Persian empire. At
6rst he possessed country containing only
1c0 900 Inhabitants, but by his temperate
aud warlike habits he soon made liz almost
borrdleas in extent and unrivaed In power
But his victories In their turn introd uced Ia
his people the Same habits of luxury and
lenouality that had made other nations fall
90 easy . prey to his courage and military
tactics. Luxurious habits are necessarily
the bane 70 national prosperity, and after
the cnion OF the Hedes and Persians and
the fall OF Babylon and its posses
sion By Cyrus, corruption sliced upon
the Persiapa They became intern
pe1sts and e1sminsts, aud when the Mace
DOMAIN king marched against them they fell
ss did Babylon.
The Macedonians were warlike, and under
Philip and Alexander succesffll In oil theil
enterprises. Alexander Is esteemed greater
man and general than Philip, but PhiIir
Was what would be called In this age
shroWd politician, and with his superior e.
ecutive ability. superior discipline, aud won
derful command over men he might hav,
oxcolIed his son In greatness but for the hab
Of iutemperAnce. Philip fiually fell by tn,
hand Of sn assassin, the victim, although 1 .
directly. Of intemperAnce. Alexander, jus.l,
~ sl~ al. ~. l.