The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1888-08-02
The Occasional Drinkers.

United States 81 tnator q. H. Platt says In
tho New York iHdepfndcnt. The most diff
cult phase of the problem is that those who
drink least most eifectually hinder temper
ance progress. Is this proposition n harsh
onei believe il to be true and ! state IL for
the sake OF truth and of temperance. When
/ assume that three fourths of our male
adults drink do not mean to be understood
that three. .fourths, or even onefourth Of
them are Incorporate or excessive drinkers,
in the popular meaning OF those terms. The
drunkards, the hard drinkers, and the liauor
sellers combined could not hinder temper
Once progrts ss for an hour ii their efforts were
not supplemented by the influence of the oc-
casional drinkers. TIE great majority of
those who drink are occasional drinkers only
men who do not drink enough in their
own estimation or the e,timation of the
general public, to do any harm, but who
drink just enough 10 array their influence,
as well as their example, on the side of drink
instead of on the side OF temperance. IL il be
known that a man drinks champa gne once a
month, that Is sufficient to destroy his in
fiuence for temperance. IL man drinks
Deer once a week, and IL is not publicly
known, he does not usually assume the roo
Of temperance advocate. lie scarcely feels
like asking others not to drink; he does not
think IL exactly consistent TO rebuke the man
OF whom he buys the wine or beer for liquor
selling The most he feels like doing is In n
sil,nt way to wish the cause of temperance
success and In quiet way to deplore what
he calls the evils of intemperance
1t is Just these occasional drinkers who
constitute the barrier over which tho
temperance reform does not and in the
nature OF things cannot pass III there wero
but two classes, IL there were only the in.
temperate and hard drinkers in one class
and all Others were total abstainers, the
temperance problem would be settled at
once. We would pass prohibitory laws and
enforce them. We wOuld practically SIN.
press the sale, and better than all, when the
present generation of intemperate and
habitual drinkers died out we should have
no more forever, for the drunkard is an
evolution; no is envolved from the occasional
drinker. There is no missing link; the pro-
cess OF evolution is apparent Now we pass
prohibitory laws, ii at all, with mighty
struggle; we enforce them only partially by
the most strenuous effort and, worse than
all, the process of drunkard development goes
on unchecked.
Does any one doubt that we could pass
and easily enforce prohibitory laws in Con-
necticut II n clear majority OF our citizens
were true total abstainers! Add to the
present total abstainers the occasional drink
ers, and does any one doubt that there would
be such majority Would to God 1t might
be.
Who then stands in the way: who are most
responsible for failurei | sorrowfully re
peat my conviction that il is the men who
drink but occasionally and who are consid
cred temperate men: the men who only
drink wine ut dinners or receptions, beer
when asked, whisky when il seems awkward
to refuse To such drinkers | appeal to be-
come total abstainers. They can easily nb'
stain il they will: abstinence would involve
no sacrifice: would require no great moral
struggle: but oh, what an uplifting OF hu
manity there would be as a result of such alb
stinence!