The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-10-02

thing else. My opinion about the liquor
habit is, do not think many men drink
whisky because they like its taste, but
for the effect it produces-and the di-
rect effect is to deaden consciousness.
The pleasant effect is the partial uncon-
sciousness 1t brings. It makes man for
time forget his labor, his troubles, the
cares of life, and therein is the greatest
charm of using alcoholic stmulants. AL
cohOl deadens consciousness and dead
ems the will. The use of drink brings
about a loss of mental and physical
power, and man breaks down complete
ly, and induces intellectual and physical
decay. 1t Is unworthy of man to seek
this unnatural Inconsistencies. True
men will never do this. 1t is coward's
refuge from the realities of life, and
results in the destruction of the man.
I have supreme belief in the good of
life as it is given to us on this earth.
1t is a God-like privilege to be able to
think, to love, to work, to console, to
see and enjoy the beauties and advan-
tages of human nature. It Is crime
In any man to lessen the perfect good
ness of his life which think drunken
ess does. This Is the reason l hate
drink, because it destroys the good in
life. l find 1t in my own experience
that I am more myself, while under
total abstinence, than when I was
moderate drinker. Life is sweeter, fond
er, freer to me as total abstainer than
as moderate drinker. So I say, If you
want to get the most out Of life, if you
want to sympathize with your fellow
man, to feel the true force of your be-
ing, abstain from alcoholic stimulants.
The mind Is clear, the heart beats more
regularly and force is all there without
drink. I ann convinced that even the
more delicately constituted man is able
to endure more as total abstainer than
a moderate drinker. No man is able
to endure more while drinking moder-
ately than under total abstinence. If
this be so, 1t is really easy for man
to be a total abstainer. It is a grave
mistake to imagine that drunkenness has
grown more prevalent in our age than in
the past ages. On the contrary, I am
convinced that in this country and Eu-
rope sobriety Is on the increase. All
countries are sober to what they were
during the eighteenth century, Drunk
enness was even approved of one hun
dred years ago-it was considered once
to be gentlemanly vice. Public opinion
did not condemn it. Heaven, what pro-
gress since then! And this progress
has been brought about by the force of
public opinion. 1t is one of the glories
of this country that it has SO many tenn
perance societies. They are doing the
work of educating public opinion on
this question, of teaching the people to
realize the awful results of intemper-
ance. All the best people throughout
| the United States are beginning to see
that drunkenness is a curse We are
turning as a nation more to sobriety.
Here in the United States we have more
liberty than is enjoyed by people in any
| other land. With this social, political
| and religious liberty it becomes all i'm
| portant to educate men, to teach them
to take care Of themselves, to control
| themselves. This is peoples govern
ment. and it becomes of vital Importance
! that the people should be good. Since
| they govern 1t becomes a matter of
| supreme Importance that the people
| should be wise, sober and have self
| control. One reason why am total
| abstainer Is because I believe it is one
of the greatest and most philanthropric
works of the age. The greatest evil of
the American people is alcohol. In this
country drink prevents ninety men out
of hundred from leaving their children
In a better condition in life than with
which they started, as it also prevents
the rise of the laborer. Alcohol, whisky
and beer are the great invincible enc.
mics of woman. Woman has fewer
chances than man, and l believe they
| take her heart from her, take self-rc-
spect from her children, fill the home
with the seeds of anger, discomfort and
Wretchedness, when they might be full
of happiness, light and cheer. Homes
would be bowers of love if we could
keep the smell of whisky and beer from
them. l associate beer and whisky be-
cause believe beer here to be generally
adulterated, and l regard adulteration
of either food or drink as a crime of
hell. This free country gives an oppor-
tunity to adulterate food and drink, the
most hellsh of all crimes. Until am
convinced that the brewers of this couE-
try do not adulterate their beer to a
fearful extent then, and not until then,
shall cease talking against it, or shall
l cease to continue to associate it with
whisky. We are compelled to take
sides in this question. The drinking
habit of beer and whisky is the foe of
women, the foe of the workingman, the
foe of children. So it is all important
we take sides on so vital a question. 1t
is of more Importance than any political
| question. The people cannot remain in
different to It, If we love woman, il
we love children, we are compelled to