The Irish standard., 1890-02-15

IRIDHl S Nd RD,::I
that alcohol induSes q complete change
in the nerve cells, discoverable by . mi
croscope. Do you wonder that the
drunkard =
LOSES ALL PRIDE
OF manhood. forgets all his early teach
ings? The hereditary effects Of alcohol
are sad and impressive. DR.. Connolly
and Dr.. Carpenter have hunted and
pointed out the relationship of drink to
certain forms of hereditary diseases.
We know now as certainly as possible
that the thoroughly intbriate man or
woman having children impress those
children distinctly with the disease which
springs from the use Of this particular
agent. And here we have DR.. Mason
again coming forward and telling US '',he
inebriety OF paren should be regarded
as one prefi1sposing cause of insanity in
the children"-in fact, the principal
cause of insanity is the inebriety of
parents. N nety two of l16 cases in our
asylum have such Is parentage. Think
OF that. II anything will impress the
mind more sol-mnly than another it is
this. Another argument used by some
Is that if ALCOHOLICS
SUCH DEADLY FOE
why is it that we find 80 many OF our
prominent men using it2 To begin with
T deny the assertion. No truly grea'
man or good man uses it. It is true a
great many men have been made pro
mlnent who INDUCED in this agent
but they have been made prominent
through the pol tioAl influence of this
agent, not by their own true merit, but
through politics, which are rotten, as a
rule, to she very core. Their leader is
the dist,llery, their counsel the brewery,
and their constituents the saloon; and he
has not enough ability in himself to
express one original idea until he con
sults his leader, his counsellor or his
constituents. I will answer this assertion
in another way, and ask you how many
men have you known who have ruined
bright prospects and happy homes by
starting out to take a social glass, or how
/ many instances can you recall of men
who have built regulations and achieved
! nrn,nipanra ond then
BLASTED THEIR HOPES
and aspirations by INDUCING in too
many so-oalled wine suppers. This
experience is unfortunately overwhelm-
ing, that the use OF alcoh i sells the
reasoning powers, makes weak men the
easy prey Of the wicked and strong, and
leads men who should no, better in Q
every grade OF misery and vice. Alco-
hol enfeebles the reason. It exalts and
excites those animal, organic, emotional
centers of mind, which in the dual nature
of man so often cross and oppose that
pure md abstract reasoning nature
which lifts man above the lower animals,
and, rightly exercised, slit,le lower than
the angels Exciting these animal
centers, it lets loose all the passions and
gives them more or less unlicensed do
! mination over the whole man. 1t excites
anger, and when it does not
LEAD TO This EXTREME
it keeps the mind fre'ful, irritable, dis
sal fled, captious. The flushed face OF
the red hot, angry man-how Like it is 60
the flushed face OF the man in the first
stage Of intoxication. The face white
with rage, and the tremulous agitated
muscles OF the bady-how like both are
to the pale fac> and helpless muscles Of
the man deep in in>oxication. These
states are not simply similar, they are
identical, and the one will teed the other.
The mau "ho can enjoy no taste, no
sight, no sound, no light, no shrde Of
sense until he is primed to the percep-
ton by alcohol, loses half the joyousness
in the refinement of life. But the man
who takes into his senses the outward
nature, with his mind clear, has a double
life. Every perception is more finely
caught and fixed, every sensibility is
more finely and tenderly cher shed. AS
mon under the chilling winds shrink
and chill more easily when accustomed
to alcohol for support, SO men under the
chilling winds of adversely shrink and
sink more easily under the tempting aid
of the same agent. It is the sober in
bo,h cases--the all.abstaining suber-
who go through both trials more easily
and surmount them least impaired.
The evidence of alcohol and i 8
INFLUENCE ON TIE BRAIN
is then most clear. From the beginning
to the end Of it's influence it subdues
reason and sets free passion. Permit
me to enumerate few diseases which
alcohol may cause: Disease of the liver,
del,rium trernens, insanity, epilepsy,