The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1886-06-02

ago, one of the sheet-anchors Of the de.
tenders of the accxrsed system of
human slavery.
The plain fact in the matter is, that
1t is not Of the slightest moment to US
of this latter day whether Christ drank
wine, or made wine by miracle at
Cana, or permitted His disciples to
drink wine. The only ques-
ton that is presented to us in the drink
problem is whether man is as good .
citizen, as good a son, as good q hus-
band, as good father, when he drinks
as when he does not.
Drinking wine made from the pure
juice of the grape in the days of Christ
is one thing, and drinking rum, and
gin, and whisky, and brandy. and beer
all of which were then unknown-is
quite another. "Wine il . mocker,"
and ut the best lit biteth like serpent
and stingeth like an adder" says Holy
Writ. What form of words Is strong
enough to formulate the awful con-
sequences of drinking the hell-broths
that are prepared by the brewers, and
distillers, and rectifiers of to-day, with
drugs and poisons added to them to in-
crease tenfold the evil of the alcohol
and other constituents of the liquors
themselvesp With all the warnings
scattered through the Scriptures, Of
prophets and apostles, who can say
that Christianity countenances drink
ingp
The true rule for mankind - to any
given line of conduct should be: "What
are its effects upon the person-upon
his physical system, upon his moral
naturee What are they upon his
standing as useful citizen and mem-
ber of the commonwealth And what
are its effects upon the community at
large and the Nation? Measure rum
drinking by these standards, and what
do we tindp
We find that all drinking is danger
ous-even moderate drinking. There
is no habit that SO insensibly steals
upon man, and makes him It's slave.
The grave has uncounted thousands Of
moderate" drinkers who died of rum
base, abject victims of the terrible
thirst which overpowered them.
To the body it is a poison. 1t ruins
the nerves, it enfeebles the brain. il
destroys the stomach and disgestion;
it poisons the liver. it destroys tho
kidneys; it bloats and disfigures man.
1t ruins his skin by blOtching and red-
dening it; it shortens life even where
it does not kill outright.
| To the moral nature, it is equally as
great an evil. 1t deadens all sense of
right and wrong. 1t infames the pas
sions. and leads directly to crime. 1t
makes . man forget his duty to his
parents, his wife, his children; it des-
troys his usefulness as q citizen, as a
contributor to the wealth and natural
prosperity of the Nation. 1t is an evil
to a man, and no less an evil to the
state. 1t is the most potent factor in
filling our jails, and penitentiaries, and
insane asyfums. 1t increases our taxes
for all these things, and for the sup
port of almshouses filled with the help
less wives and children of these vic
tins of rum. 1t is evil to all, and Moth
ipg but evil.
| And what is there on the other sideP
Nothing! There is not one good thing
can be said of rum or rum-drinking.
Whether Christ allowed it or not is Of
little moment compared with the
tremendous fact that it is the most
potent agent for evil, and crime, and
suffering, that the world ever saw
Toledo Blade.