The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-10
THE TEMPERANCE QUESTION.
CONSIDERED IN ITS RELATIONS To
RELIGION, POLITICS AND
HEALTH.

to Close Inspection and 10 RIgor-
Gus RestricfiOns-They Way he
Useful i'm Cases of some Diseases.
Cases-They Become ScOurEe
Through the Tyranny of Habit
They Lead Into Intcmperanee.
which Lowers Man Far beneath
the Level of the Brute.
The question OF temperance having
been lately taken UP by the press of the
country. let US try 10 find out what there
is in il. This is undoubtedly complex
and serious question; We shall, therefore.
consider it in its relations to religion, 10
politics and to health.
Seeing that temperance is virtue, ii
is not surprising that its advocates seek
to give to it the sanction of the highest
religious authorities. But # is with this
virtue as with almost all others; no UNI
Outstanding can be arrived at on the sub
ject of its definition or OF the precise linn
its to which it should attain in its mani
festations. II is clear, for us at least. that
temperance should extend to all nutri-
tous substances. But those who have es-
pecally put themselves forward as its
apostles. have discovered that the abuse
of certain beverages was the most PERM
cious of all vices. They have, therefore.
declared war against these beverages
and it is on this ground that We purpose
following them.
Man is the only animal on earth who
has The sad privilege of drinking without
being thirsty. This is certainly one OF
the most correct definition which has
been applied to our species and IL nearly
always happens that the very beverages
to which man has recourse to satisfy
a taste which his needs do not justify.
have the special property of troubling his
reason and of completely obscuring 20 If
taken in excess. Such are wine and all
liquids which are more or less alcoholic.
It Is TO. such beverages that the religious
partisans of temperance have particularly
declared themselves hostile and the most
fervent of them demand their absolute
exclusion.
Unfortunately for their cause their op-
ponents reply that the sacred book OF the
] Christians in no way authorizes such 81
prescription. The law Of Moses does not
refer to 1t. they say and the Gospel evil
| IDENTIFY favors the use of wine. AS "A fur
! ther proof they mention the history OF
the marriage in Cana, when Jesus turned
| the water into wine, 10 spare a family the
shame of not having provided sufficient
/ quantity of the eXhilarating liquid Tor al
/ its guests.
Assuredly. II wine had been an abomiua-
| bic thing in the eyes of our Saviour, the
4 gospel historian would have been carefui
| not to attribute To him this peculiar mira
| Gle. This is not all The words pro-
! nounced by Jesus during the last meal
| which he took with his apostles. proves
| abundantly that he habtually used wine.
| Whether these words be taken in the lit
| eral sense of the Catholic Interpretation,
according 70. whcb- lhe Wine is Become
the real blood Of Christ. or whether they
be taken in the sense attributed to them
/ by Protestants, who see but symbols in
the bread and wine Of the Holy Commu-
MON, matters little; the fact remaining
and being conclusive that Jesus drank
wine and offered It TO his disciples.
What do the champions of total absti-
| nence reply to this? They affirm that
the Hebrews had two kinds Of wine. -he
| fermented and the unfcrmented. Accord
ing to them, il is OF this latter alone that
the holy persons mentioned IN the Bible
made use, being shocked at the thought of
using the former. This theory, which one
is surprised to find upheld by some OF the
most intelligent men in America, is p
product of the Imagination and reposes
! upon no serious foundation. We admit
that fermented wine may be made, that
1t may be kept an indefinite time in vessels
| Theoretically sealed and that this drink
may be preferable to the other IN many
respects yet II is equally certain that the
[ Hebrews were ignorant Of this refined art,
and that no mention whatever is made Of
1t in the Bible.
We are thus led to ask how it is that
men animated by sincere enthusiasm for
! compelled, in order TO sustain. it, to have
recourse to cloudy precedents and to an
authority lost IN the night of ages. If II
is rational, what do they need more? If
nature and reason do not suffice for them.
If they do not find therein all the argu-
ments which should make their theory
triumph, one can but have a poor opinion
! of that theory and Of the men who do so
much to bolster it up.
These men have hit upon another plan
to insure success. They have Imagined
the formation of political party, which
/ should nscribe the word Temperance
on it's banners and recruit its adherents
/ by the same measures Of propagandism
| as all other parties. There should be no
! half measures used; those who lead the
new party have understood that it was
necessary to propose to them a great sac
! rifice and to proclaim the need of total
/ abstinence as did AIahomet. They have
| succeeded in certain states. But it is not
probable that this victory win become
| general
The government Of the United States
| has, with great reason, forbidden the sale
| Of intoxicating liquors to the Indians But
| the Indians are sava ges, or rather chill
| dren, and have to be treated accordingly.
| 1t is well known that when they touch the
| fire water they cannot stop and fall in
| variabIy into the most horrible eXcesses
| of drunkenness. The American people
profess to regulate their conduct by the
! light of reason, and it is on this account
| that they have formed themselves into a
| republic They will not be treated as a
| population of children or minors. They
! know, or think they know, what is good
for them, what they should eat and what
they should drink. This is the reason why
! they will not submit to regime Of en-
forced temperance. or why, having the APP
pearance of submitting, they viii be guilty
/ of secret infringement of the law, course
perhaps more dangerous than that Of open
/ violation.
Nevertheless, II the population of a state
declares by it's recognized representatives.,
! that it wishes to prescribe the traffic OF
all kinds of alcoholic liquors, who can
blame it? No one, certainly, if such a