Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-08-22
ALCOHOL is A POISON.
ITS TERRIBLE EFFECT UPON
THE HUMAN SYSTEM.
Startling illustrations of the Local Afin-
ity of Whisky for the Brain-ElOquent
Address of Rev. Joseph Cook at Water
fnun. Mis-.

Startling Illustrations of the Local Atm
| ity of Whisky for the Brain-Eloquent
Address of Rev. Joseph Cook at Water
| town, Wis.
from the Northwestern MALL
The speakers subject was "Thc Effect
of Alcohol on the Human Brain" The
address was opened by an allusion to
William Pitts famous sentence. 81 have
no fear of England. she will stand till
the day of judgment" to which Edmund
Burke replied, "What fear for England
| is the day of no judgment" The begin
ming of the mischief worked by alcohol
is the fact that it brings about the day OF
10 judgment: that it destroys the luds-
ment of him who partakcs OF 1T. ha-
bitual drinkers always lose the nice pal
ancc of mind which they might other
wise retain. They lose their fine sense
of order in their family matters, in their
i business affairs, and fail to observe the
/ ordinary rules of prudence. What if
YOU should be asked to vote for a law
that would bring about the same re-
suits? Would you do it? No, you would
recoil, and ask. care we barbarians that
we should ask to take away the judg-
ment from a man?" Consider the blast
ing effects upon his family, upon his
little ones This thing we cannot do.
But in addition, suppose you We're
asked to pass cnactmcnts by your votes
that should permit the very nerves of
man to be fastened upon as by rcd-hot
pnchers, until his body is diseased and
until his brain is set on fire and his soul
given over to be wrecked by demons?
What would you do then? You would
cXclaim, "ls thy servant dog that he
should do this thing?"
If man is to resist temptations he
must needs have healthy body. Sup
pose again. that it were proposed to en-
act into law in Wisconsin proposition
to go farther in this matter and to au-
thorize the transmission of disease down
to the third and fourth generations. NO
citizen would support such a measure.
Every person would say that ii was a
horrible form of injustice. Why should
the children be compelled to bear the
burden of sins for the commission OF
which they were in no way responsible?
Why put this awful condition upon in
nocents yet unborn?
"If Wisconsin should pass such laws as
I have outlined, the world would stand
aghast. Now, if you please, or for that
matter if you do not please let me say:
Laws of just this same tenor and force
have been enacted by a supreme power
and rclcntlessly executed. This is a fact.
These are facts. Drinkers do lose good
Judgment They do become diseased.
The disease is transmitted to succeeding
generations. l read this law upon the
divine statue book and it will not be re-
pcalcd.
"To that statute book am loyal. But
what reason could Justify Wisconsin in
passing such law? Only that view of
the question which should cover the
effects of alcohol on the human brain.
"Demosthcnes said thatc argument
.. should begin with an undsputcd propo-
sition. These are propositions now put
forth: First, this law ! have outlined
has passed. second. it will not be repeal
ed; third, there are good reasons behind
it,"
Mr.. Cook then called attention to the
fact that though be weighed about 300
pounds, all except about 30 pounds was
water. That by evaporating the water
out of an ordinary sized man he could be
shriveled up to mummy weighing about
80 pounds. That books declare that roc
parts in 1000 of human tissue is water.
Here he broke an egg and put the white OF
it into tumblcr and called attention tC
it's appearance and to the fact that it was
mostly water, yet an example of healthy
albumen. That as albumen it would not
harden or change on exposure to atmos
pierre He called attention to the fac1
that white blood cOrpusclcs are also al
bumcn, and exceedingly sensitive, deli
cate and susccptivc to the touch Of
f, poison. At this point he produced q
little phal of alcohol which he said h,
J, had purchased in Madison and poured !;
| Df ;,fn hn rln 1, l,n
! The result was a Stringy white mass. tho
S result of the thirst of alcohol fol-
water, as Unsuitable as the drunkard'
9 thirst for alcohol. The glass with it,
Z strngy contents was the tipplcr. Hi
health was impaired, and will weakened
He then referred to his once considerable
interest in the subject of phrcnology il
G which he said he still believed there wa
4 some truth SO far as counties were con
cerned, but he wasn't so sure about TIL,
townships. At any rate he thought tn,
, will and consciousness of man wer
somewhere near the top and were i'm
o paired by the first touch of alcohol, jus
l as the topmost buds are nipped by tn
. first FROST Certain it was that the frs
! drink taken made the second less easy t,
refuse. The man in the glass was no
d drunk, but was coarser, his characte
~ detOned. The effect OF little alcOhO
u was first felt on the brain, also, becaus
q the brain was mostly water and alcoho
II had great affinity for water. Also
J, physicians know that medicines hav
local applications. One medicine will at
$ tack one organ and another, another
9 and a large part of the physicians know
u edge consists in knowing which mcdicn
Q to apply for each local ailmcnt. Strycl
c nine for the spinal cord, leptandrin TO
G the liver, and so on. Alcohol has loca
$ affinity for the brain.
3 Here the speaker turned a little NOR
y alcohol into the glass and the mass be
- came lcathcry. This was the man who's
u sensibilities were tanned. His will an
y y conscience were leathcry. He woul
u likely kick his wife, might be in Jail, O
~ possible might reach the gibbct. Tn
}, local affinity of alcohol for the brain wa
,! further illustrated by calling attentio
to DIR. Kinks experiment upon a ma
who had died Of dclirium trcmcns. TIL
doctor had dipped alcohol from til
:! ventricles of the brain Of the dead ma
n and actually lighted it, and it burnc
blue. He, the speaker, had once ncarl