The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-02-27
Moderate Drinking.

With a few exceptions, it :" the mod
crate drinker that forms the drunk
ard. He processes to have great firm
ness of mind, he claims to have some
stability about him, he fully believes
he can stand any and all attacks Of the
enemy, and it may be possible that
one out of ten escape without any fatal
injury to himself. But what response
bility rests on that one, what great
mischief has he caused? He has in
vited others to drink who did not pos
sess that firmness and stability of
which he so proudly boa. is. He has
insisted on his neighbor to take drink
with him, friendly drink, when that
neighbor has already taken one HARM
less drink too many. He judges of
the firmness Of others by his own; n
though he may have stood safe n
unframed, yet, how many by trying to
follow his example have been led to
degradation and ruin. He is a great
stumbling block to the complete Sue
cess of the temperance cause; he con-
tinueS to boast of his stability, and a
great many who see and near him try
to govern their action by his, they
think he can stan firm, why not they?
In this way they commence drinking,
first drinking moderately. which grad
ually increases until it has shattered
their nerves, impaired their intellect,
destroyed their energy and ambition,
their firmneSS is gone, they are a COM
plete wreck, they feel themselves going
down a precipice with open eyes, they
see their destruction and have no
power to stop it. and yet feel it all
the wa enanating from themselves;
they see all Goodness emptied out Of
them, and yet not able to forget a time
when it was otherwise, and they can
only wait for the night of death to
close over them full of misery and Woe.
If the moderate drinker is a man Of
business. he holds forth an example
to those who are employed by him to
drink of the deadly draught-if he is
a man Of a family he is a model for
his children, for it is natural for the
children to try to initiate their parents
If a man of high standing in society,
so much the worse. for those who look
to him for a pattern of morals, will
also copy his vices-and let him be
what he may, or where he may it will
be all the same for there will be some
who will copy from him to their sor-
row.
The moderate drinker is a danger
Gus mar to society, n to himself.
The first lesson of all beginners in in
~toxlcatlOn, were as moderate drink
ers, but by cultivation they have be-
come to be professed drunkards and it
will be so with almost every moderate
drinker who continues in the habitual
use of liquors.
Gould the spirits Of all the depart
ed drunkards who have existed be
aroused from their deep slumbers. and
summoned to appear before us, that
they might answer the question, what
made you drunkafds ?-they would
raise a cry hat would alright the
earth and stound the heavens-which
would pierce the Utmost soul of every
consumer of Intoxicating liquors-and
make him stand aghast, while terror
and dismay would seize upon him, and
large drops of wretchedness, agony
and despair would ooZe from every
pore-and the shrieking reply would
echo and re-echo through the vaults
Of Heaven moderate drinking, mcder-
ate drinking"
D. C. ALDRIDGE.