Year: 1868

WILL THE COMING MAN DRINK


NINE3


Most unique among temperance d0cu-
ments Is one, under the above title. written
by James Parton, and published in the
/ August number Of the 4HoHGc HoaHh
Leaving the moral and religious aspects Of
the Temperance question to the considera-
tion Of others, Mr. Parton Diseases it on
purely physical grounds Assuming as true
no doubtful or disputed positions, presum
ing to settle no point on which doctors-of
Diyiaity or Medicine-dissgree. resting his
argument entirely upon phenomena patent
to all whose habits Of observation and study
are such as to entitle them to the possession
of opinions on the subject, be makes out a
case. against even the moderate use Of spir-
ituous and Intoxicating liquors, which we
believe TO be unanswerable. and which can
not be without beneficial influence upon very
many young men who are hopefully locking
forward to a life Of successful activity.


MF Parton's Utopiau age is that in which
man shall thoroughly understand the laws Of
bis physical being aud his coming man
Is he Who with an intelligent knowledge Of
these laws, shall strive, in obedience %
them, to oattain the highest type of physical
and intellectual manhood. He believes that
reasoning men, when asked to relinquish a
pleasure, or what they believe to be a
pleasure, need ong to be convinced that II
is best they should By and by lie says,
we shall all comprehend that when a per
son means 70 reform his life, The very first
thing for him to do-the Jhiug preliminary
and most iudispensable-wiI be to cease
violating physical laws When this time
comes, people will notsubmit to be poisoned
with vitiated air in public assembly-rooms,
they will tear up the benches, if necessary;
they will throw things on the stage; they
viii knock hole in the wall; they will hare
the means Of breathing, or perish in the
struggle; they will not allow their children
to be killed of BY thousands BY the dis
eases of CHILDHOOD" lso-caHe6l which arise
from lung poison; and they viii not indulge
in vine or strong drink.


We all know that excess is hurtful but
each man expects 10 be moderate We all
know that adulterated liquors are injurious.
but each fatters himself that he obtains the
pure article. rs the thing itself pernicious?


pure vine taken in moderation? good
beer? genuine old Bourbon?" This question
Mr. Parton undertakes to answer. We
cannot follow him through bis very able and
lucid argument and illustration; but will
briefly state few Of bis conclusions


Alcoholic liquors cannot be aoarishDreat,
in the ordinary accapmtjon Of that word,
because the quantity Of uutritiye matter IN
themis SO small. IT, therefore,
these beverages do US good, it is not By
Supplying the body With nourishment.


Nor can they aid digestion BY assisting
to decompose food. Several ex-
periments have been made with a view to
ascertain whether mixing alcohol with the
gastric juice increases or lessens its power to
decompose food, and the results of all Of
them point to the conclusion that the alco
hol retards the process Of decomposition.
a little alcohol retards it little, and much
alcohol retards it much. It has been proved
by repeated experiment, that any portion Of
alcohol, however small, diminishes the pow
er Of the gastric juice to deeompose.


Nor is It a heat producing fluid. On
the contrary it appears. in all cases, to
diminish the efficiency of the heat-producing
process. Most Of US, who live here in the
North, and who are occasionally subjected
to extreme cold for hours at time, know
this by personal experience; aud al the
Arctic voyagers attest il.