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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 //^ EUBTJLIA : An ESSAY ON TEMPERANCE, FKOH AN HISTOBICAL, MORAL, SOCIAL, AND PHYSICAL ' POINT OF VIEW. ■T JOHN STEPHENSOjtf, - HOdPITAI, SSBOKAXT, IOtH BsiOADB, BOYAL AbtiLUEBT. %m& Mm ^ximt ^UvtA W^Aft g, '^MM.W., " itt Mtttis biUi Kwu v^vu n r»Uw ccnMcUntts trsniibmtni' mignU lum oyorttt M«Mbo." lr- I ¥* r*T»%T»trr^T^ Pontrtal : '^Y JOHN LOVELL, ST. i^ICBOLAS aTEEET, /\ • 1863. I n Q A4. "• : I I I " I ' f I St4- I i » n EUBULIA : ^. nr. d f^ ^9 AW ESSAY ON TE3IPEPtA.\CE, FROM AN HISTOEICAL, M(^RAL, SOCIAL, AND TIiYSICAJ POINT OF VIEW. BY JOHN STEPHENSON, Hospital Seegeant, IOth Brigade, Eoyal Artillep.v. Itui isttm grinrf g^lfetl '^o^ge g. ^.&M3., On Tuesday, 18th August, 1863. *' 3n omnis faitrt snos qnisqne a «ttuB ronscitnta tnn»fa£r»n<« soaui* ,1 ?\ Pontrcal: PRINTED BY JOHN LOVELL, ST. NICHOLAS STREET. 18G3. / -1 vs» Cc i CAPTAIN ANDREW ORR, ^opl girtiUtrn, as a ZaV.m ai lEstccm ant» 'Feneration, Jor Ijis gistinpuisbcb a«t» liibefatlgahU ^uborii in grcmoting ^fi totll as fox lis i.altei aniy Jlnlmaritii Efforts in the §m$m ai goping feis ntosri toil', it mart pmion» tban ^it&ts smb gaooar. ©h^ Author, ^77^^ i PREFACE. It may be consiJcrftd by some that these prefatory remarks are (juite unnecessary ; and such opinion would indeed be correct, did not the circumstances under which the following pages have been brought to the notice of the public, require an explanation. This Essay, if such it may be called, was composed for the entertainment of the members of the Princr Alfred Lodge, British American Order of Good Templars, without the sligh:est idea of its publication having been entertained. The members, however, considered that it might be the means of attracting the public mind to the great subject of Temperance, thereby eliciting the support of more able pens in the advancement of the Temperance cause, and thus delivering mankind from the demoralizing influence of an insidious evil. Under these circumstances, and at the earnest solicita- tions of several friends, I consented to commit this protest against the use of '' Intoxicating Liquors " to the Press : 6 sincerely trustin- that the realization of these objects may in some nicasurc be attained. Should these pa-cs be the means of turning' one unlbr- tunate individual from the paths of drunkenness ; or of awakenin- in the minds of un cnlii^htcned and benevolent Pnhllr the idea of a Temperance Hall to adorn the City of Montreal, and afford a refuge from the eviU of intoxication ; or in any way conducing to the propagation of the principles of Temperance, the author will feel himself amply rewarded. J. STEPHENSON. ^ Montreal, 3rd September. 18G3. ESSAY ON TEMPERANCE. ^ The word Temperance may be defined as the due regu- lation of the passions of the human mind. Bu^ it is usually understood to convey to the mind the idea of mod- eration — abstemiousne-sH— freedom from excess in eating and diinking. Br/ however variously the word may be defined, and to whatever purpose it may be applied, the modifications which it must of necessity undergo, can only exist in degree ; and any attempt at definition can but at least be unsatisfiictory and imperfect. The significat- ns which usually attach to the word may be arranged under the following heads, viz. : — 1 . Temperance in eating. — The quantity of food required to sustain the system, and to convey a sufficient amount of nutriment for the formation of new material, to replace that which is lost by the constant waste which is going on in the animal economy, depends entirely upon the nature and quality of the food taken, and on the constitution of the individual ; as well as on the condition of the same person at different times. The amount required for one man, would be accounted altogether inadequate for the sus- tenance of another, differing in habits, conotitution, and manner of living. 2. Temperance in the use of intoxkattng liquors. — Va- rying according to the degrees of temperament and physical organization. Thus a man of a nervous excitable temper- ament, would not be able to coc'^ume so large a quantity as a man of a phlegmatic temperament, without showing symptoms of intoxication. Neither would a man of a de- i 8 h- Militated constitution, bo able to withstand the habitual use of intoxicating drinks without evincing signs of their evil ellccts. 3. Timjicrance in dress. — Freedom from unnecessary show or gaudiness — wearing nothing but that which is plain, and absolutely indispensable for the comfort and well-being of the body. 4. Temjycmncc in living. — Abstain from luxury — avoid entering into con+.racts which are likely to entul upon you expensive habits; or practices requiring unusual exertion, eitlrn- of body or mind ; or any procedure causing an un- necessary cxpenditu e of time and means; or a sacrifice of principles to immoderate desires. Many other instances might be cited, but would, I think confer no beneficial results on the great cause of Temper- ance. The foregoiiig remarks, of course, will vary according to the position, means, andothcr contingent circumstances of each individual case. That which would be considered temper- ate in a rich man, would h' accounted the utmost extrav- agance in a man who earns b^ tl e sweat of his brow only fifteen or twenty shillings a week. The man who occu- pies a high pdsition on the social scale, may commit ex- cesses with impunity, which would .stigmatize the poor man with Mie meanest epithets of vice and sensuality. Thus you will observe the innumerable meanings that may be attached to the word Temperance, depending entirely upon adventitious circumstances. It is hoped that it will be clearly understood that these definitions are not at all arbitrary. They can only be re- ceived when viewed in a popular light, on the ever varying balance uf public opinion. a ^ < 9 V The primary force of the word, as has been already stated, consists of moderation. But to a(hipt it to our present requireniei -, and to clothe it in a garb suitid to our wants and necessities, we must divest it of all contin- gency, and behold it in the un(|ualitied sense of fatal dh- stinena frora even/ thing that ean intoj-icate. It will then become the most important word in our vocabulary, as it is the first on the UKJtto of our noble lastitti.fion. Temperance then is the important subject with wliich we are about to deal ; whose Temple we must iiuard from profanity, and whose Altar must be held inviolate. Tem- perance is the word that ought to bo stereotyped on every tongue, and indelibly engraven on e\ery lieart. Temper- ance is the lofty barrier against the myriad evils of intoxi- cation ; and behind which repose the blessings of political prosperity, the fruits of social enjoyment, and the unal- loyed rewards of religious truth. Herein is a safe retreat from the abominable vici hat liave so long desolated the fairest regions of tho earth, and tarni.-hed for .so many ages the noblest iron: of God's ineffable creation ; and re- tarded for nearly nineteen centuries the diffusion of tho Gospel of Jesus Christ, and perverted the truth of his divine origin. The history of intemperance affords us sctlemn and av.'fui warnings auainst the use of intoxicating beverages; and points out on every page the frailties of man, and his proneness to evil; as well as his ingenuity and perseverance in the investigation and pursuit of knowledge, as a means of gratifying his sen.sual appetites. The earliest records (f' drunkenness are to be fouml in the sacred Scriptures. In the Dth chapter of (leiiesis we read how "Noah planted a vineyard, and he dra:ik of the B 10 winOj and was drunken." The " curse of Canaan " was the lamentable result. AltliouL:;h this is the carKosc men- tion of this loathsome vice, yet there is little doubt but it was known and practised long prior to this date. Tn *ho 20th verse of the same chapter, the expression of the words, " And Nouh began to be an husbandman, and planted a vineyard,' would lead us to believe that the office of the husbandman, and the use and properties of the vine, were not unknown to him : and that, probably enough, he car- ried the knowledge of these facts with him from the ante- diluvian world; and it may not be taking too much at a hazard to suppose, that drunkenness was one of the many evils which instigated the wrath of the Almighty to de- stroy, ^^ith such signa" vengeance, both man and his wicked- ness beneath the overwhelming waters of the flood. This supposition will receive additional support, when we con- sider that wine originally must have consisted of only tlie simple juice of the grape or palm tree, and consar^uently did not possess intoxicating properties ; and thai it was not until the important discovery of the phenomenon of fermentation, either by accident or experiment, that it ac- quired that pernicious and seducing (quality. And if we be permitted to ttike as our guide the exj)erience of suc- ceeding ages, we may fairly conclude that wine was in use for a considerable neriod before this eventful discovery was made. Fermentation, it will be understood, is that process whereby the substance named alcohol is produced. This process is very obfilv >••!!!!!.•!♦!'!! \>.\ hia death ; and with hiui fell the first Assyrian empire. 14 Sennacherib's debauched and tyranical conduct, obtain- ed the scorn and contempt of liis whole nation, the conse- quence of which resulted in his death, by the hands of his two elde-t sons. Behold, also, the unparalleled fate of Nebuchadnezzar, kin^::; of Babylon, who was reduced from the highest pin- nacle of worldly greatness, through pride, nursed by the pol- luted streams of intoxication, to the level of the beast, and compelled to eat the grass of tlie field. Cyrus, perhaps the wisest and greatest prince of which anti(|uity can boast, fell a \ ictim to this vice during the latter part of his life ; and by his example unconsciously sowed the first seeds of destruction of that vast empire which he himself had founded, and raised to such a pitch of grandeur by his wisdom and the extent of his conquests. This will afford a valuable illustration, worthy to be remembered, of that portion of Scripture, wherein it is stated that, *' the sins of the parents shall be visited upon the children." And herein was the corruption of Cyrus fully iidi rited by his son, Cumbysis, wlio was one of the basest tyrants that ever polluted this world with crime. Language fails to paint his abominable deeds, — the slayer of a brother, — the murderer of a sister, w^^o had pre- viously become his wife. lie, who caused ni abers of the higliest noblemen of his c-untry to be buried alive ! besides other horrible assassinations ; and whose drunk- enness exceeds the bounds of credibility, ought ever to be looked upon with horror and detestation, and .should be set up as a \varning to all future ages against the use of intoxicating liquc rs. riiilip, king of Macedonia, is another debasing example 15 of thi?, disgnstinj^ evil. Indeed his whole life presents a continued series of debaucheries. During the celebration of his marriage with Cleopatra, an altercation ensued between his son, Alexander, and Attains, the uncle of the bride. Philip, highly incensed at the interruption of the feast, drew his sword and rushed upon his son ; but, being so niuch overcome with wine, he fell ; thus affording the guests an opportunity of interced- ing. Al xander, seeing the predicament of his father, and, in the heat of passion, forgetting the duty he owed him, both as sovereign and parent, exclaimed in the foUuw- in^ derisive terms, " Men of Macedon, behold the man who is preparing to pass from Europe into Asia i he is not capable of passing from one table to another without fall- ing." Under similar circumstances, when celebrating, with unusual magnificence and splendor, the marriage feast of his daughter, he received his death wound by tiic hand of the assassin. Through having repudiated the repeated demands for justice, of one of his noblemen, for an injury received from Attains, uncle of Philip's wife, and the companion of his convivial enjoyments, ho fell a victim to his own wickedness and injustice. While surrounded by his guards, in the midst of his whole nation, at the very acme of his ambition, and covered with the praises ♦»nd joyous acclamations of len thousand tongues, the dag- ger of Pausanius reached hiiu, thus ending his career of glory and of vice. Alexander succeeded to the throne, thus vacated by the io-nominious deatli of his father, and soon excelled him in vice, as he surpassed him in military renown, lie fre- uiieiltiv iuQuigCi iii iiiS uei>aUviiei"iCii ivi pUtUitix uayo 16 tojrothcr; and prided himself on beinp^ able to exceed hi? con) pan ions in t' esc abominable pleasures. The circum- stances reiatintr to his death will sufficiently show how en- tirely lie was abandoned to this accursed practice. History represents iiim as '' for ;ver solemnizing new festivals, and perpetually at new banquets, in which he quaffed with his usual intemperance. After having spent a whole niiiht, and part of the followinu' day in carousing, a second entertainment was proposed to liim. lie went accordingly, and there were twenty guests at table. lie drank to tjic health of every person in the company, and then pledged them severally, lie then called for Hercules' cup, which held .st.r hotth's ; it vras filled, and the whole of it drank by him to a certain Macedonian, named l*roteus, whom he afterwards pledged again in the same enormous bumper. lie had no sooner swallowed it than he fell upon the floor."' '• Here, then.' cries Seneca, (in his de- scription of the fatal effects of drunkenness,) "is this hero, invincible by all the toils of prodigious marches, by the dangers of sieges and combats, of the most violent ex- tremes o^'heat and cold ; here he lies, conquered by his in- temperance, and struck to the earth by the fatal cup of Hercules.'' In this conditiim he was seized with a fever, of which he die;^ shortly afterwards. !::^ome suspect that he was poisoned ; and no doubt he was, but with that poison which has killed so many thousands besides him, to wit — the unhallowed cup of intoxication. And, here, again, you will observe, are to be traced the pernicious conseqr ences of this insidious evil. That all- destroying eneu-y, which removed this great conqueror from the scene of his immense conquests, had long been .ijUi.in.iiii oixix uesoiaiiuu liiiougiiuul ills wiioic uumuiions. 17 The vast volcano, fed from a thousand streams of unhallow- ed pleasures and malignant vices, was already ripe for de- struction. His sceptre had scarcely fallen from his hand, — his spirit had barely escaped from its earthly tenement, ere the seeds of dissension began to spring up. The throne, from which he had dictated laws to half the world, began to totter amidst civil discord and internal bloodshed. The specious bubble soon burst with terrific violence, and his bloated remains lay inhumed beneath the ruin of his mighty empire. How is it possible for any man, to contemplate these events without being filled with the utmost consterna- tion and the deepest horror! Let us imagine to 'Ourselves a man, occupying the highest position which mortals can attain, — possessing sovereign authority over the dearest rights of man,— the giver of laws to millions of his follow creatures, who are glad to obtain the slightest token of his favor by bestowing utx)n him Divine adoration, — thus lowering himself beneath the level of the brute, — forsaking all pretension to virtue and morality, — totally abandoning himself to the most horrid scenes of drunkenness and dissipation, and holding out rewards for his subjects to follow his example. Herein are centred the most appalling acts of debauchery and the blackest dyes ofproflmity — virtue polluted — religion dishonored— Divine Majesty insulted— the scat of the Most High usurped by the most debased, besotted mortal, that ever bowed the knee at the shrine of Bacchus, Were this the only exam- ple we have, of the evil conscrjuences of intemperance, is it not enough to contenin forever the use of •ntoxicatinL'- jKiuors : and make ev^rv lunnsn •J ■■•-■--—•■■-= very name ? 18 The Romans were also much addicted to intemperance ; and were subject to all the loathsome vices consequent on its practice. Vitellius obtained possession of the throne throu<,'h his notoriety for debauchery and other vicious j.ropensities. On one occasion, after gainin':; a cclebr.;teu victory over the Gernuins, '• ho conducted himself in the most odious and de-radini^ manner, llcgardless of the dead, he held several feasts, of the most extravagant description, on the fit'ld of buttle, where himself and his debauched compan- ions gratified their intemperate lusts. Such conduct, how- ever, soon disgusted the people, who conspired against the obnoxious tyrant, and put him to a disgraceful death." " Lucius Vitellius gained possession of the c'.ty of Terracina, in consequence of the intemperance of its inmates. AVhile the soldiers of Vitellius and Vespasian were butchering each other the people were at one time savagely exulting in the bloody exhibition ; and at another actively engaged in riot and debauchery." " The whole city," says Tacitus, •' seemed to be inflamed with frantic rage, and at the same time intoxicated with bacchanalian plea^-ures. Rome had thrice seen enraged armies under her walls, but the unnatural security and inhuman indifference that now prevailed, were beyond all example." The conquest of our own country by the Romans, more than nineteen hundred years ago, soon converted the ancient simplicity of our ancestors into luxury and vice. Tacitus relates, in his life of Agricola, that, '• from the Britons using the language and dress of the Romans, they •1 -1 1 1 i_ :..-:i..,i.^ il,^;.. In TTii vir>Q tVioir nnv- nrOCceuCu, Dy UCgrcct^. lu xiiiiii'>.v; m^ii. i-_-^---.i !• ■ , £■-- ticos, their baths, and sumptuous entertainments." 19 And from this source flowf d fast the innumerable streams of vicissitudes %nd revolutions, that have conducted our country, from that stage of barbarian simplicity, through all the trials and struiXLdes which have attended her, to the position she now occupies amonir the nations of the earth. And deeply is it to be regretted that — though our fore- fathers have always stood foremost on the blood- stained field of liberty : — however truly and devotedly they have contested the dearest rights oi man : — however bravely fought or nobly fell, in the sacred cause of truth and religion, and the glorious freedom we now enjoy ; — they have ever been enslaved to the most debasing habits of intemperance, implanted first in our native soil by the '* all conquering arms of Rome." The history of England but too clearly proves the ex- cessive inten\perance of our own countrymen in all ages. AVilliam of 3Ialmesbury states, in relation to the Anglo- Saxons, that " the nobility were much addicted to lust and gluttony ; but excessive drinking was the common vice of all ranks of the people, in which they spent whole nights and days without intermission." King Edmund I. perished by the hand of the assassin, in the midst of his courtiers, who were so much intoxi- cated as to be unable to render him any assistance. The drunkenness carried on in the English camp, pre- vious to tae battle of Hastings, is quite proverbial ; and was evidently thu principal cause of their defeat. On the night before the engagement, the English gave themselves up to the enjoyment of tlieir '"' cups," and the camp re- sounded with the voice of riot and inebriate mirth ; thus afibrding to the more temperate Normans an easy oou- ^w»\^v» 20 Tn the yoar HOG, London was infested by a band of bur<:l;irs! and assassins, 'Ivinti:; in a state* of tlie basest ruffi uii m and debauclicry, and threateninL,- the city with destruction. Tlie most violent outraj^cs were committed by these licentious druiilcards. l*e<^ple were murdered in the streets d^iily. Houses »vere broken into and pillaj^ed in tht; middK' (if daylight ; and intemperance of the most disii;ustinir character reigned over the city. Numerous examples of the extent and character of the vicious practices of intempi. ranee, and its demoraliziu'^ consequences, throui;h a lon;j; serioe of ni^es, both in Enizland, and indeed in every country on the face of the <;lobc, mii:;ht be adduced ; but would only be a repetition of the horrid scenes, and dei^radini;; liabits, already enu- merated, and to which mankind have ever been addicted. The foreL:;oin;j; illustratiotis will sufficiently prove to any reasonable and just thinkiii'- man, that intemperance is the jireatest curse that ever afflicted thii hiunan race; and that whoev^er possesses the least sentiment of philanthropy, or whoever is endowed with feelings of morality and religion, and, consequently, has at lieart the welfare of his fellow- man, either in this life or that which is to come, shoald never taste the unhallowed cup of intoxication ; but ought to unite his strongest efforts and his most earnest prav»rs, for its total expulsion from the face of the earth. It is the destroyer jf empires, and the dethron^.- :" kings: — it creates jealousy and dissension among states- men, and is the generator of sedition among the people : — it desecrates the altar of Divine worsliip, and sows the seeds of corruption in the church: — it crowns our magisterial benches with dishonor, and tills our cao^ , with infamy and crime : — it 'r — V,:.,l I, ".r-.r\™. .".;:- c-.r-.A K- - -.+V. - -. K 21 ( infidelity into the nuptial vow :- -if blights the fondest hopes of the parent, and alienates the affictiim of the child: — it contaminates the dearest emotions of man's bosom, and dries up the sacred fountain of woman's love; — it vitiates the noblest faculties of the mind and instils into the body the f^erms of disease and mortality. In line it converts everything that is pure, virtuous, and honorable, into that which is corrupt — depraved — base. Before proceeding further with these mclanchoi - reflec- tions, it will pcrluips be interesting to make a few lemarka on the origin and history of intoxicating li(|uors. The ancients mau - use of "must'' or " unfomiented wines," which consisted of the simple juice of the grape, palm-tree, pomegranate, and some other frillr,. Such were the refreshing and innoxious drinks, obtained direeily from the natural products of tlie earth, by those people who dwelt beneath the sunlit skies of eastern climes. Such were the pure fountains, from which, in olden times, man refreshed his body, without bewildering his hraui by the fiery fumes of intoxication. And well had it been for man- kind had those simple habits never been departed from. But the growing appetite for luxury soon discovered means to pervert the designs of Divine wisdom and goodness, and to convert the generous and beneficent sources of nature into those of sensuality and vice. In addition to fermen- tation, by which process wines acquired intoxicating pro- perties, the pernicious practice of adulteration was had recourse to, which but too plainly demonstrates the fearful abyss of im aorality and intemperance towards which man was fast hastening. The ingredients, used by the ancients in adulteration, were both various and injurious; and ;>11VACVA uuu yjkxx J vj UAvii/v^ viivou ^(xaai\juo wilOlCUV lllttll 22 renders himself depraved and contemptible, but also to sow the seeds of physical debility and premature death ; and thus give birth to innumerable disea-es, •which, before, were unknown to the professors of Medical Science, and which have increased both in number and variety at every step in the progress of the abominable habit of intemperance ; the principal of these were, pitch, rosin, the berries of the pine or cypress, and the shavings of the cedar-wood and southern wood, bitter almonds, turpentine resin, and various aromatics such as spikenard, fleur-de-lis, myrrh, cardamoms, cassia, saffron, sweet-scented flag, melilot, &c. Another painful illustration of the demoralizing effects of intemperance may be witnessed in its relation to the feasts and religious ceremonies of the ancients. And with horror and detestation are we compelled to state that these impious practices are not alone confined to the mystic rites of heathen mythology. In more recent times, and in coun- tries blessed with the sacred light of the Gospel, have these odious scenes been porpctra^'cd, and the solemn worship of the Almighty been polluted, by bacchanalian riot, wanton- ness and gluttony. Athanseus slates that, ''' These luxurious entertainments were occasionad by devotion to tlie gods ; and the people imagined they were obliged to get drunk in honor of those ^Ifeless deities, whom they worshipped with all the fanatic zeal of misguided and idolatrous enthusiasm. As the heathens increased the number of their gods, so also was the number of their festivals increased, until at hist these debasing ceremonies were looked upon as so many opportunities o.^ gratifying the sensual appetites, and as a means of indulging to excess in every species of debauchery i^ud vice. 23 During the festivals, held in honor of Bacchus, the god of wine, Plato asserts that he has seen the whole of the city of A-thens drunk at one time. The feasts, called the Anthesteria, continued three days, during which time the most disgusting scenes of drunken- ness took place ; and r^'wards were held out as inducements to excessive debauchery. Similar ceremonies existed among the Romans, in which tho greatest drunkenness prevailed, and the basest acts of immorality were committed. Indeed the whole of the nations of antiquity were ad- dicted to these unhallowed practices ; and their idolatrous worship principally consisted iu the most lascivious and debasing scenes of intemperance. The Jews themselves were frequently led astray into these abominable vices ; and forgot an\idst their intemperate habiis, " the God of Israel." During their journeyings in the wilderness, when Moses was absent, " they made for themselves false gods," and propared a feast to offer sacri- fice to the golden calf, which \n;is made from the earrings worn by the people, and set up, as an object worthy of Divine adoration, in place of the true God, — - the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt." Such were the depths of wickedness and moral darkness into which the ancient world had fallen. Infatuation had usurped the place of reason ; religion had given way to fanaticism, and the ceremonies of Divine worship were super- seded by the obscene rites of Bacchus and Cotyto. And the moderns are as deeply cngulphed in these abo- miiuible dobiiuoherics as wore the ancients. These drunken festivities are thus described in one of 24 our English histories : " The secular clergy are no enemies to the pleasures of the table, and some of them contrived to convert gluttony and drunkenness into religious ceremonies, by the celebration of " Glutton Masses," as they very pro- perly termed them. These glutton masses were celebrated five times in a year, in honor of the Virgin Mary, in this manner : Early in the morning, the pcopl. of the parish assembled in the church, loaded with ample sturcs of meats and drinks of all kinds. As soon as the mass was ended, the feast began, in which the clergy and laity engaged with equal ardor. The church was turned into a tavern, and became the scene of excessive not and intemperance. The priests and people of diflFerent parishes entered into formal contests, which of them should have the greatest glutton masses, that is, which of them should consume the greatest quantity of meat and drink, in honor of the Virgin Mary." Sir John Chardin states, concerning the Christian churches in Persian Georgia, that "no men are more addicted to beastly drunkenness than the Georgians, in which filthy practices they indulge with more freedom, because it is so common, and not looked upon as scandalous. The church- men will be as drunk as otlicrs ; and it has been remarked by the Catholicos or Patriarch of Georgia, that he who does not get drunk at great festivals, such as Easter and Christ- mas, cannot be a good Christian, and deserves to be ex- communicated." The religious ceremonies of the Danes and Anglo-Saxons, present the same debasing practices ; and it is said, that during their festivals thej used to drink large draughts of intoxicating liquors to the honor of Christ, the Virgin IMary, and other Saints."' William of Malmesbury relates, that King Edward I, was 25 murlerou at a f -t luld in honor of St. Aiigustin, the English apostle. Tin's event occurred in Puckle church, Gloucestershire, A.I>. 94G. The kintr, with all his nohles and courtiers, were so much intoxicated as to be unable to oflFer any resistance to ♦he daring rei' '.^ss'.^ii.e'.^ (>r ;>.vo!!!!! of fiiiwevs. ' " Gal 11, who lived in the second ceuturv of the Christian 29 era, alludes to distillation as a means of cxtraeting the aroma of plants and flowers," " Gcbir, who lived in the 7th eentury, describes very accural ly the prnc ss of distillation by the alembics per descensnrium et filtrum, in his work entitled, Liber Inves- tigation is 3Lmisterii." " The first spirit known in Europe was made from grapes, and sold, both in Italy and Spain, as a medicine, under the name of alcohol. The Genoese made it from grain, and sold it at a very high price, undjr the name of aqua vita\ or water of life.' This, if we take the authority of Yillanova, happened during the thirteenth century. But we have every reason to believe that alcohol was known long pri'U- to this period. Its name, which is from the Arabic, would indicate its origin to have taken place among that people. Some of our lexicographers, however, are of opinion, that the word alcoliol, is from the oriental word kahala, which signifies to paint with a preparation of antimony. The femaL^s of these countries still stain their eye brows with this powder. The name was ap})lied not only to this but to other fine powders, and also to highly rectified spirit. The introduction of such a powerful stimulant as alcohol into the manufacture of intoxicating li(|Uors, as might have been ai.'ticipated, ch.mged the whole aspect of intem- perance, and imparted increase*! virulence to the evils arising from its efiects on the physical condition of our race. Many were the euloglums poured forth on its virtues and sanative properties, and it was considered to be the universal panacea which bad so long been souj^ht for in 30 vain by tlic alchymists. Liilly, a follower of Villanova. believed it to bo " an enianutioii of Divinity, sent for the physical renov ition of mankind." And many other ab- surd notions W3re entertained concerning; it. But though it was at first kept secret, and only used as a medicine, its power of gratifying the sensual appetites soon became known, and under various modifications it became the universal beveraire. Its evil effects however soon besan to develope themselves, and serious apprehensions were entertained concerning its ultimate results; and laws were enacted, both in England and Ireland, prohibiting its manu- facture, liut these were as iransient as +hey were ineffec- tive in arrestins'- the progress of intemperance, and its concomitant evils, which have so deeply debased the highest intellectual faculties, and infected the human system with innumerable malignant diseases. This paper being inter, ded moro to show the evil conse- quences of intoxicating liquors, than to present a detailed historical account of the origin, varieties, and properties, of ihesc beverages, I shall thciefore proceed to adduce the authority of medical men relative to its effects on the animal system. " It has been ascertained that in men peculiarly erposed to the temptation of drinking, the mortality before thirty- five years of age is twice as great as in men following similar occupations, but less liable to fall into this fatal habit. It has also been shown that the rate of n)ortality among per- sons addicted to intemperance is more than three times as great as among the population at large. At the earlier periods of life the disproportion is still greater, being five times as great between twenty and thirty years o*' aire, and four times as great between thirty and fifty. The annual \ 81 destruction of life, amon;^: persons of decidedly intempe- rate lialtits. has Inen estimated at upwards of^^OOd males, and 700 females, in a population of nearly 04, ('00 males, and upwards of 11,000 females, addieted to int«.mpc-rance. The greater number of these deaths is due to delirium tremer.s and diseases of the brain, and to dropsical attec- tions sujierveninu on disease of the li\er and kidneys." It has been stated by a hiirh authority that '" if we lAow VO years for the usual aue of man, and oO pulsations in a minute for the common measure of pulses of a tempe- rate person, the number of pulsations in his whole life, ^ould amount to 2,207,520.000. If by imemperance he force the blood into a more rapid motion, so as to give 75 pulses in a minute, the same nundjer of pulses would be completed in 50 years. His life by this nieans would be reduced It years." Dr. Hufeland r-marks with regard to the circulation of the blood, that, " a slow uniform pulse is a strong sign of long life and a great means to promote it," and that " a principal cause of our internal consumption, or spontaneous wasting, lies in the continual circulation of the blood. He who has a hundred pulsations in a minute may be wasted far more quickly than be who has only 50. Those therefore whose pulse is always quick, and in whom every trifling agitation of the mind, or every additional drop of wine, increases the motion of the heart, are unfortunate candidates for longevity, since there whole life is a continual fever." Here it will be seen that whatever increases the circula- tion of the blood by unnatural means, tends to injure the hcaltliy action of the several organs of the body, and to d^.i.,.^.. il...i U.-,- ,.. .,..,1 ^l,vK«., + ri -.oTT^'Viilif^: TrViir>]n «Tinnlr1 Ubliwv lii.iL iiUiiiiUiJV .;i:u. vi-_iiv.^5.v_ ,.'_ij-i:- ^ exist throughout the whole system. The alcoholic stimulus 32 is most potent in producin.: tliis dcloterious ofT(>ct. Tlio uniiati al action which is excited })y this powerful stiniidant, and the sudt^L'n pliysieal (h'jtre-sioii which ensues on the dissipation of its exhihiratinicct than all the arguments that can be advanced on the therapeutical eft'ects of alcohol, and will enable those who a.c uiiaj(juaiuted with j,h '^io.'ogy to perceive at a glance, what a slight disturbance of these functions will derange the whole system, and thus lay tht; foundation of innumerable diseases which drag so many thousands to untimelv graves. '• J,)i(iKSTioN. — It is }iow irener;d1\- i^v.derstood and admit- ted that waste of material is a condition of vital action; so that the slightest movement of the body, the most evanescent thought, the most transient exertion of the will, is accompanied by a loss of substance, which loss of sub- stance is due to the deatii of certain particles of the organ concerned in the vital action. The consequence of this death of the minute constituent parts of the frame is that they fall under the control of chemical laws, arc resolved into cou:pounds unfitted to support life, and must be removed from the bod^ by one or other of the excreting organs. The sum of the daily waste of the several parts of the body, therefore, is determined by the sum of its daily actions and exertions, mental and bodily." 33 According to "Dr. Prout, *' when the food is taken into the stomach, it under^'oes two change.'^, which he cliarac- terizes as reduction and conversion. The one consists in tlie formation of a liomogcneous pulp ; the other is a chemical action by which the several staminal principles are converted into substances similar to those whicii enter into l]\c formation of the blood. In the healthy subject both these processes are perfc Hy performed ; but in dis- ease they are liable to derangement. -' The reducing power of tlie stomach may be increased, while the converting power is diminished. In these cases large ([uaatities of food a~^ taken, but the body remains thin ; the products of digestion pass ofl' witho'it assimilat- ing with the system, or in rare instances, e.itering the blood, are discharged unchanged by the kidneys. On the otl 3r hand, the reducing power of the stomach may be diminished, giving rise to various forms of dyspepsia. If the converting power at thi same time remain intact, the patient may gain flesh ; if it bo diminished he grows thin. The reducing functions of the stomach may be impairc.l by over repletion, by the excessive use of lif' every man to avoid that which is liki'ly to injure his healih or character; and more eapecially tlie pernicious habit of intoxication, whicli, bc- sidt!S hci\]>s the cause of all diseases havin2; thei'- ori'jln in the or;:;iiis of digcstio.i, is the Iruitful .source of nnjst of the inflammatory diseases of the brain, heart, lunirs, liver, and kidneys ; the uk.,- t prominent of which are '' delirium tremens," iiiHammation of the heart and it.s membranes, pneumouiii md consumption, rheumatic affections and drt/psy ; which, if they do not lead to inunediate death, leave the' patient in such a debilitated condition, both men- tally an-l bodily, a3 ntver to be able to regain his former state of healt'x. " Alcohol is the intoxicating pripciplo of all spirituous liquors, ar.d in moderate doses acts as a general stimulant, exciting ])articularly the vascular and nervous systems : in somewhat larger dos',o it produces the well-known eflfects of intoxication ; and in excessive doses it acts as a power- ful narcotic poison, rapidly causing death, preceded by slow pulse, contracted pupils, and coma." Were this the only destructive principle existing in intoxicating liquors, the evils of intemperance might possibly be somewhat miti- gated. But wlion we take into consideration the awful fact, that, in addition to the above powerful poison, these liquors arc adulterated with some of the mr i virulent poisorx? that nature can produce, — such as henJock, nux vomica, and one of its alkaloids, strychnia, opium, tobacco, and many others, — we are utterly paralyzed, and wonder that more mischief is not the result of such pernicious Lubitu. 35 Let us pause, crc wc conclude our reflections on the rav- ages of this awful calamity, and take a retrospective view of Ha fearful cl isequences. We have seen how it led to the declension of ^he great empires of old, and how they were c.)nse((uently swept away and buried beneath the ruins of their own wickedness. Wc look back with awe the <'randeur and monuiuental wonders of ancient on Egypt, with all her learning and philosophy, now peratc and conse(iuontly more powerful neigh- bors. You will thus be enabled to pass in review the pan- orama of the ancient world. The empire of the Assy- rians made way for that of the "Habylonians ; wliich at length forme.l the basis of the ^redc-Persian. This again soon fell beneath the more powerful kingdom of the Greeks, and which was ultimately blended in the universal domin- ion of Rome ; whose vast empire, after many ages of trials and struggles for liberty, like all its predecessors, split on the rock^of its own intemperance, and on its ruins rose the present kingdoms of Europe. And it may easily be shown that the fate of families and individuals, who arc addicted to intemperance, is precisely the same. Nothing but misery and degradation mark their course through life ; and poverty and disease hasten them on 'j a premature grave. And it may oe pooitivoiy as- 36 sertcJ, and without fear of cnntradiction, that few men wlio have been addicted to iiitcinpcrate habits, have ever risen to eminence in tlieir professions, and whose names have never adorned the pap;c i)f science and pliilosophy ; thus irrefrajr"' *•' -vinq the evil effects of intemperance on the intelK . taculties. These facts are at once clearly and indubitably established by reference to the history of philosophy. Had Sociates, Plato, Aristotle and many others been addicted to this fatal habit, their names would long since have been buried in oblivion ; and their great systems of philosophy, whose principles even now, after an interval of twenty-four centuries, remain unshaken, and form, in the present day, tlu' basis of all philosophical en- quiry. And in modern times, had such names : s Kepler, Galileo, Nnwton, and Baron Xapier been tarnished with this pestiferous evil, \rhere would now have been our know- ledge of mathematical and physical science ? Had such been the case, those l;iws which pervade the whole system of nature, and retain the planets in tlieir orbits,— many in- ventions and improvements in mathematics, such as the discovery of the binomial and other important theorems ; the improvements on the resolution of numerical e(juations ; the invention of the differential calculus ; the application of the principles of conic sections to istronomical investi- gation ; and the wonderful invention of logarithms, mi'^-ht havi- still remained undiscovered, and without which the present advanced state of the science of chemistry, natural philosophy, and astronomy, could not have been attained; and the various improvements in navigation, commerce and other branches of industry, and the mighty results of the steam engine, and electric telegra])h, might have yet been coucealed beneath the veil of undeveloi)ed genius. 37 f We have likewise beheld the numerous ills that this vice has entailed upon religion, and has in all ages impeded the labors, and frustrated the designs of those engaged in +'• ? propagation of Christian duties. It has withered the most sacred bonds of friendship and domestic happiness, and surrounded our hearths with every species of physical and moral evil — every shade — every dye — constituting the dark catalogue of vice and the most loathsome complications A' disease. And how deeply have the pernicious influences of in- temperance penetrated into an our political institutions. Hence the very soul of the state has become contaminated, and her vital energies corrupted. Her laws, which should be mild and beneficent, are often converted into tyranny and oppression. The rights of her most faithful citizens are infringed ; justice becomes another name for violation and crime, and amidst the groans of expiring liberty is laid the foundation of internal discord and foreign war- fare. Such are the origin and development of the deep-rooted and wide-spread political evils that have arisen out of the debasing habits of intemperance. Who dare presume to deny, but for the habit of this malignant vice, the numer- ous evils which have aflBicted humanity, might not have been avoided, and the horrors of sedition and the devastating calamities of war, might not have perished with the causes which gave them birth ; and the narration of the glories and misfortunes of the battles of Marathon and Sa'amis, Cannae and Waterloo, might never have fallen to the lot of the historian. In conclusion, it is sincerely hoped, that these observa- tions will sufficiently prove the evil effects of intoxicating 38 liquors, and wnl nmply demonstrate the urp^cnt and absolute necessity for their total disuse as a beverage. On this great transition must eventually hinge the welfare of indi- viduals, and the prosperity and stiiT^'lity of nations. Let each of us exert our utmost efforts to extirpate tliis fatal enemy. Let us put forth our united zeal and persever- ance, and enter into this arduous undertaking in tlie true spirit of philanthropy ; and by the blessing of that ineff- ably great Being, from whom emanates all purity and truth, wc need not despair of success. The accomplish- ment of this great object will require no mean sacrifice, and no small amount of fortitude. But the bles-in2:s to be enjoyed on the final destruction of this baneful custom, will fully compensate the privation and toil, by which this end is to be attained. But to effect the total and permanent overthrow of intemperance, the strong arm of the law must be engaged, and the manufacture and sale of all intoxicating liquors must be entirely prohibited by an act of legislation ; except as they are used in the arts, and as a medicine : and not till then can we hope to see the annihilation of this inveterate evil. For such is the depth of man's moral degradation, and the deep-seated influence this vice has acquired over him, that the voice of temperance liiids no awakening response amidst the enslaved passions of intox- ication. Therefore the only certain mode of procedure consists in a prohibitory law, and by thus destroying the source of intoxication, these pernicious evils would be entirely eradicated. Yet after all these proofs of the destructive properties of alcohol, and the calamities that it has entailed upon man- kind, some men will advocate its US'" ; and on the flimsy 39 \ argument, tluvt, because it exists, it must liavo been sent for the benefit of man, and by Almighty fiat man i.s cnm- pelled to use it. The same may be said of any other poison, such as opium, strychnia, &c., highly beneficial remedies in disease : but in a state of health, poisonous. Alcohol dues not exist in any natural state. It may, there- fore, be said to be purely an invention of man ; since it CO lid not exist, but for man's intervention, in arresting that process of nature by which it is produced. This pro- cess is termed "vinous '' fermentation, which (being unin- terrupted; must inevitably pass on to the " acetous," from which vinegar is derived, and this again to the " putrefac- tive." Hence it will be seen that alcohol is the product of man's ingenuity, and cannot be produced bv any natural means. The belief, therefore, that alcohol exists in nature ready formed, and on which rests its claim to the high pounding title of " good creature of God," is entirely falla- cious, which a ver slight knowledge of chemistry will satisfactorily prove. The elements of which it is composed are widely diffused throughout the whole kingdom of nature ; but there4s not the slightest proof of the existence of alcohol. Alcohol, acetic and oxalic acids, olive oil, and many other substances, consist of the same elements ; but no one wouH be so absurd as to assert that alcohol Is present in these substances. INIany other instances are alleged in support of this invidious practice The miracle performed by our Saviour, at the marriage of C ma, which consisted in turning the ..ater into wine, is set up as an example of thi- description. The words of St, Paul, " drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often inti'-mi- ties," is urother stronghold of the advocates of alcoholic 40 stinuilant^s. la reference to Christ's miracle, its object is plainly and decidedly pointed O'u. in the words, " my time is not yet come; which expressly declares the divine nature of our Redeemer, whici. is all that was intended by this miraculous performance, and no^ as is -enerally believed for the purpose of supplying the guests with wine, i^.nd in relation to St. Taul's 'njunction, it can only apply to those who are olck; and in no way sanctions the use of wine or other intoxicating beverages by any persons in a healthy condition. Let all Christian believers beware how they pervert the language of the sacred Scriptures, lest it may appear that they seek to gratify the passions more than to convince the reason and iudirnient. r^eply impres^t^l with the truth of the principles incul- cated in these observations, and sincerely hoping they will be the means of working some little good among mv fellow- men, and inducing more able pens to enter this great con- test for the emancipation of mankind from the thraldom of intemperance and all its demoralizing consequences, I would earnestly impress on the minds of those who may have an opportunity of reading these pages, that temperance is the only source whence we may derive true happiness in this life, and the only means whereby to obtain admission to the unmingled joys of that life which is to come. I tr