The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1891-09-10
n society, guard not against this
ersuasive, binding deceiver. 1t

Ike tue Nentle tanning OF the vams
pires wing, which lulls to sleep to
suck the life blood from the veins.
No wonder that the Great Father
pronounees the "Woe upon him
who putteth his bottle to his neigh
bors mouth" Let US look at this
appalling evil in proper light. 1t
is not only the great and increasing
enemy Of society generally, but it
invades the sacred precincts OF the
home and happy family circle, often
transforming the husband into the
surly, peevish, and quarrelsome,
brutal churl, and the loving father
into the apathetic monster, and the
friend into the cold misanthrope.
Once let this demon-alcohol, get
possession Of man, and soon all
the finer feelings Of humanity are
obliterated, and that characteristic
vapidity takes possession of his en-
tire being. Love for wife, home,
and children and friends are soon
obliterated. The very nature seems
transformed, and all that is noble in
the man has been blunted, blurred,
and finally lost. shudder when l
see in drugstores, the prescriptions
of physicians, recommending their
patients to take remedies in whisky
or gin. Such prescriptions have
made untold numbers of drunkards.
| call to mind many instances of
confirmed drunkenness resulting
from this habit OF physicians pre-
scribing alcoholic liquors to their
patients. l recollect very striking
instance of this great evil, which
was that Of a very noted, and tall
ented minister Of the gospel about
1843. His health becoming rather
feeble, and there being some dread
upon his mind that he had some
proclivity to consumption, his physi-
clan prescribed brandy or whisky to
be regularly taken. The next &C
count / had of that charming orator
(upon whose thrilling eloquence the
people Of Augusta, Ca, had hung
with rapturous ecstasy, was that he
had become a confirmed inebriate,
and was often taken out OF the
streets, and carried to his wife and
children, dead drunk. Oh! How
fallen! From the sacred desk to
the cutters OF the city. The sacred
mantle-the sacredotal robe had
been exchanged for the soiled and
tattered rags of the inebriate. What
u dreadful account awaits the man
that thus desecrated his most sacred
calling, and the doctor that advised
him to tamper with strong drink
1t will be an awful event, when the
astonished denizens of this world
shall be assembled by the fat OF the
Great Judge, to receive the awards
of virtue, or have meeted out to
them the wages o. wrong doing. l
would call upon my associates in
the benign art of healing, and beg
them to be careful how they advise,
carelessly, the use Of intoxicants to
their patients. There may be few
men who can resist the temptation
to use spirituous liquors, but there
are unnumbered thousands who can
not tamper with this most enticing
deceiver; therefore, we, as conser-
vators of society, ought to advise all,
old and young, to avoid all intoxi-
cants. For there is no safety other
wise. An old minister of the gospel,
once at his house while | was on
professional business, offered me a
social glass of brandy. declined,
giving as my reason Of refusing, that
l was afraid of spirituous liquors.
And ne remarked that he would not
give much for man who could not
use alcoholic beverages moderately
without danger. And he finally en-
ded his lite as drunkard. "Touch
not, taste not and handle not the
stuff.