The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-05-05
TEMPERANCE DEPARTMENT.
A Strong Plea for Total Abstinence.

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A Strong Plea for Total Abstinence.
DR.. Carpenter, a prom inent English
Temperance lecturer, in the course of a
recent lecture said that as soon as a per-
son had had glass of wine, spirits or
beer they felt jolly, and it was of no use
talking to them while such influence was
upon them. They would assert that
none were so happy as they, but let
them visit the "a ne person next morning
and they would fnd the happiness Of the
previous evening had departed, that the
person had headache, was not ready
for his breakfast or had nasty taste in
his mouth. Then some would say "never
mind, old fellow, have glass of brandy;
that will set you right again" 1t did so,
and they thought ''what wonderful stuff
this brandy is" But the person who
took no wine, beer or spirits over
night had no nasty taste, no loss Of
appetite next morning. Such happiness,
he contended, was much hotter than
the boisterous happiness created by the
drink the night before. No sound per-
son could come to the conclusion that he
who rose with loss of appetite in the
morning was the better for it. He con-
tended rather that he had received more
harm than good. A person might say
he felt chilly or cold, and glass of
liquor warmed him and made him feel
man again. Now this was a complete
delusion. Our bodies were all burning
carbon precisely the same as a lamp did.
We took in oxygen and threw out car
bonic acid. This could be collected, and
by instruments of precision measured, so
as to ascertain what amount of heat had
been produced in the body during the
day. Were he to test all persons present
who had had no alcohol he should find
that, if healthy, their temperature aver
aged 9s4 or 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The
degrees or heat could be increased by in
creasing oxidation in the body. This
would be done by giving person strong
tea, but a few glasses of brandy and
water, though making person feel hot
all over, would, as could be proved by
placing thermometer in the mouth, re-
duce the temperature of the body. This
was explained by the fact that the alcohol
brought the blood from certain centres to
the surface, and while feeling so hot peo-
pie were really cooling themselves. The
more hot people were in reality cooling
themselves. The more alcohol one had
in any form, whether as beer,
wine. or still worse, as spirit,
it tended to diminish oxidation
and prevented the carbon from being
burnt up, and so producing heat. The
amount of carbonic acid which came from
the lungs was smaller, after taking alco-
hol, than before. The blood being
brought to the surface and made sluggish,
tended to disease in the blood vessels,
and naturally to ill-health. "Grog bios
SONS" existed all over the body and in
the liver, heart, brain, lungs, kidneys,
and other organs, though it was on the
nose they were seen to perfection Qaugh-
ter). Alcohol enlarged the vessels, stop
ped the functions of the sweat glands,
and so destroyed softness of skin and
purity or complexion. Abstainers were
far better able to bear cold than were
non-abstainers, and it was fact that
many of the deaths attributed to drink
were practically deaths from cold through
bodily temperature having been so re-
duced by drink. Going to the Bible
for examples of temperance he might
mention Samson, the strongest man that
ever lived, Samuel, one of the wisest,
Daniel, who controlled the Assyrian mon
archs, and John the Baptist, of whom
our Savior said that amongst men born of
a woman there was not greater. Ath-
letics knew that it would not do to drink
alcohol; the university men train for the
boat race were kept, if possible, without
it. Among cricketers total abstaining
elevens were the best, and it was gener-
ally noticed that the eleven which went
in before luncheon won the match. AL!
delicacy of sight, thought, touch and &C
ton was destroyed by alcohol. AS to
its driving away pain or care, it would
certainly paralyze certain set of nerves
and feelings and enable people to put on
one side uncomfortable thoughts and go
on as if such things did not exist. But it
was only postponing them till the NOR
row, and it would be far better for hu
manity to bear them patiently. BY TAX
ing alcohol person resisted the natural
cleaning process and made the nerves a
depot for material which would lay the
foundation for organic disease and GER
tainly shorten life. Clubs of 1000 mem:
bers in London averaged seven days
sickness per member per annum in Glas.
gcw eight, in Dublin nine; but
societies where only temperance
members were admitted averaged less
+hon four and yyera r. NOT for acci1ents