Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1890-05-16
For the Phrlipsburg Herald.
The History Of Wine Drinking.

The History or WINE Drinking.
We will now try to give you a cor
rect historical sketch Of Wine-drinking |
as it appears in the Scriptures, also /
as it appears IN secular history, and !
we think the few notes herein given /
are certainly sufficient evidence to /
any intelligent mind that wine-drlnk- !
ing IS productive of much harm and
ought not to be encouraged but con
demned.
With the very first mention Of wine
in ancient history comes calamity.
Noah and Lot both drank deeply,
and sinned previously, and caused
others to sin. The Scripture record
everywhere gives frequent instances.
Three thousand drunken Philistlnes
who were fOOlishly amusing them
selves with blind Samson lost their
lives in consequence. Nabal died IN
fit of drunken folly. The Amale-
kites, after their victory at Zlklag,
when they were spread upon the
earth eating and drinking, were sur
prised by David and cut off. Am
mon was slain when his heart was
merry with wine Benhadad, king of
Syria, was surprised and slain when
be with thirty-two kings were drink
HOlOfernes also, the great AssyrIan
general, lost his life through wine
drinking.
The Ephraimites were drunkards
overcome with wine The priest and
the prophet in the time of Isaiah
erred through strong drink, and were
swallowed up of wine. They gave wine
to the pure and beautiful Nasarites,
sworn to abstinence, and they sold
little children to obtain wine. The
repeated warnings against it also
prove its presence and power.
In secular history the cases multi
ply. Scarcely page can be turned
without finding proofs of the mischiefs
resulting from Wine-drinking. Philip
of Macedon quaTreled with his son
Alexander and afterwards lost his life
through wine This did not prevent
Alexander from following his exam
pie Abstiuent at first, that he might
become Il cOnquerOr, like the con
testants in GrRcian games,) he at last
INDUCED in the most excessive de-
baucheries. Under the excitement of
VINE he killed his bosom friend Chtus.
His triumphant career n India was
marked with scenes of gross disslpa-
ton, where himself. his generals and
the entire army became noisy through
wine. On his visit to Persia he offer
ed prizes to those who would drink
the most and fOrty-One of the con
testants drank themselves to death
Alexander drank deeply and cOntIn-
ually and soon after died In the prime
of life, a victim to wine-drinking. En-
tire nations have been blotted out
through its effects. The SCythians,
once sober and valient, learned tt
drink wine and speedily went out OF
existence, and the Thracians met {
similar fate. While the Romans were
sober they grew in wisdom and II
power till they reigned over all the
known world. But they learned tx
drink wine and they became q nRtloI
of drunkards. Then they lost thei
power and were conquered by Othe
nations.
This is but a small part of the ma
tiOnal mischief and calamity that ha
come through wine, and yet in tn
light of all these records we are tol,
that it would be a national benefit j
we would encourage the use of 'pur
grape wine in this country It /
especially notable that all this ancien
drinking was on pure grape wine
and its effects were the same as at th
present day, drunkenness.
Pliny says, From wine comes tn
pallid hue, those dropping eyelidl
those sore eyes, those tremblIn
hands and sleep made hideous b
furies during nights of restlessnes
Wine takes away reason, engendel
insanity, leads to thousands of crime
and imposes enormous expense upo
nations. Surely we ought to lear
wisdom from such overwhelming te
timOny. We do not need to try owe
again the experiment which has new,
yet been made by any nation withol
the direst results"