The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-08
Moderation in All Things.
This letter is from q Philadelphia cor
respondent who must have read very care.
lessly the article he criticises:

This letter is from o Philadelphia cor
respondent who must have read very care
lessly the article he criticises:
.To TIE Epron OF THE suE-Sfr: In an article Of
YOU'RE the other day on manners Of che pest, and
noting their improvement, I was surprised to md
what I consider . oonfounding OF tho doctrines Of
temperance and total abstinence, which latter I take
10 be included In the term prohibition. When We are
sdmonishsd 70 DO temperate in all things, even In
Language. I presume II was never intended that wo
should abstain from talking; and 90 In our meats
and drinks.' Pray relieve the mind Of ono accus-
toned to drink wine at table who has heretofore be-
lieved that there wss virtue in temperance. and stili
thinks there 10 but little in prohibition.
"a DRnKER OF LraHr wmEs."
Actually there was no confounding of
temperance with total abstinence In the
article in question. We said merely, and
now repeat, that probably the practice Of
total abstinence has helped incidentally
to produce the present increase of temper.
ance, and we recommended, and still recon-
mend, 1t to college undergraduates gener-
ally, on the ground that boys arc better on
without alcoholic %stimulants.
Temperance, really, 10 q dictate Of simple
self.respect, overindulgenoe in eating or
uIluhlhk Cih uhDCSoLAAhA AZ " eoo
ing being. The evil consequences Of In.
temperance physically, and by reflection
morally. are also apparent to sensi.
BILE people. It is bad manners and bad
policy. Temperance In all things has in
creased, accordingly, as men have grown
moro civilized and more philosophical,
They have not adopted 1t as a matter of
principle, but from prudence and o sense
of propriety and decency, and because,
with a more accurate understanding Of the
physical injury caused by overstimulation
and of the bounds within which reasonable
moderation is confined, they have learned
to be more careful in the matter.
At least, 30 1t is with the great mass Of
reasonable people like our correspondent.
Others, believing that abstinence is a re-
ligious obligation, on the ground that a
Christian should avoid anything that might
prove a stumbling block to his weaker
brother, refrain from the use Of alcoholic
stimulants totally, and their course de-
serves the commendation which belongs to
s%elf.control and self-sacriHce prompted by
so altruistic a motive.
Ofcourse, moderation generally Is inciden.
tai to increasing refinement. Simple good
taste requires it, and accordingly profanity
and all sorts of violence of speech, of self
assertion, and of boisterous behavior have
fallen under reproach. Moreover, medicine
has stepped in to demonstrate that habitual
incompetence is a disease, or tends to the
production of a disease, which may require
restraint like any other insanity. Con-
sequently a disposition to onsume alcohol
immoderately invites sinister suggestions
which reasonable men do not care to pro-
woke in themselves or in others.
Such is the growing feeling touching
temperance among cultivated and reason
ing people in New York, and we as
sumo that in Philadelphia there is the
same sentiment. So far from indicating q
tendency in favor of prohibition, 1t indi-
Gates rather that the temperance question
is solving itself in the natural progress of
society, and hat State prohibition is as
unnecessary as 1t has proved impracticable
and provocative of the very evils 1t sets out
to remedy.
In other words, tho world is getting
better and wiser as 1t grows older, and the
improvement extends throughout civilized
society.