CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE 



more visible, and the vice itself might become less frequent 

 Few vices want an apology , and drinking has not only its apologies 

 but its praises : for, besides the appellation of &quot; generous wine,&quot; 

 and the numerous songs, some in very elegant and witty language, 

 from the pens of debauched men of talents, drinking is said to be 

 necessary, in certain cases at least, to raise the spirits, and to keep 

 out cold. Never was any thing more false. Whatever intoxicates 

 must enfeeble in the end, and whatever enfeebles must chill. It 

 is very well known, in the Northern countries, that, if the cold be 

 such as to produce danger of frost-biting, you must take care not 

 to drink strong liquors. 



361. To see this beastly vice in young men is shocking. At one 

 of the taverns at Harrisburgh there were several as fine young men 

 as I ever saw. Well-dressed, well educated, polite, and every 

 thing but sober. W T hat a squalid, drooping, sickly set they looked 

 in the morning ! 



362. Even little boys at, or under, twelve years of age, go into 

 stores, and tip off their drams ! I never struck a child, in anger, 

 in my life, that I recollect ; but, if I were so unfortunate as to 

 have a son to do this, he having had an example to the contrary 

 in me, I would, if all other means of reclaiming him failed, whip 

 him like a dog, or, which would be better, make him an out-cast 

 from my family. 



363. However, I must not be understood as meaning, that this 

 tippling is universal amongst gentlemen ; and, God be thanked, 

 the women of any figure in life do by no means give in to the 

 practice ; but, abhor it as much as well-bred women in England, 

 who, in general, no more think of drinking strong liquors, than 

 they do of drinking poison. 



364. I shall be told, that men in the harvest field must have 

 something to drink. To be sure, where perspiration almost 

 instantly carries off the drink, the latter does not remain so long 

 to burn the liver, or whatever else it does burn. But, I much 

 question the utility even here ; and I think, that, in the long run, 

 a water-drinker would beat a spirit drinker at any thing, provided 

 both had plenty of good food. And, besides, beer, which does not 

 burn, at any rate, is within every one s reach in America, if he will 

 but take the trouble to brew it. 



365. A man, at Botley, whom I was very severely reproaching 

 for getting drunk and lying in the road, whose name was JAMES 

 ISAACS, and who was, by the by, one of the hardest workers I ever 

 kfrew, said, in answer, &quot; Why, now, Sir, NOAH and LOT were two 

 &quot; very good men, you know, and yet they loved a drop of drink.&quot; 

 &quot; Yes, you drunken fool,&quot; replied I, &quot; but you do not read that 

 &quot; Isaac ever got drunk and rolled about the road.&quot; I could not 

 help thinking, however, that the BIBLE SOCIETIES, with the wise 

 Emperor Alexander and the Holy Alliance at their head, might as 

 well (to say nothing about the cant of the thing) leave the Bible 

 to work its own way. I had seen ISAACS dead drunk, lying 



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