THE MORAL STATUS OF ALCOHOL. 371 



imprisoned soul can soar, down to the depths where Phlege- 

 thon rolls hissing, the influences of that intoxication may be 

 traced ! 



Would you do away with holy love, for the reason that 

 it may degenerate into evil? Would you make humanity 

 loveless by abolishing the ladies 1 Let us feign an ideal state 

 of things, such as would result from the abolition of alcohol, 

 whether pure or mixed. By way of preparing a suitable 

 arena of thought, it is necessary to propose and answer, each 

 for himself, one plain straightforward question, ' Is man made 

 for the world, or the world for man T It seems the former ; 

 a point which if it were oftener borne in mind, much of God's 

 seeming injustice in dealing with mankind would disappear. 



From the very nature of man's condition and tenure of 

 existence, individuals are naturally selfish. Should anything 

 seem to go wrong with the career of any particular man, he 

 is prone to repine, affecting to see some imperfection in the 

 ways of God's dealings with humanity. Would it not seem 

 that mere individuals are of small account in God's dealings 

 with creation? that they must be remorselessly sacrificed 

 from time to time, to promote some grand behest? a wise 

 perfect behest doubtless, if the human mind were only com- 

 petent to grasp the purport of it. 



In early spring, almost before winter has ceased to deck 

 the earth with silver gauze-work of morning frost, my apricot- 

 tree blooms with a very galaxy of blossoms ; of these, so soon 

 as the days of trouble have gone by, hardly a tithe remain 

 to set into apricots. Were apricot-blossoms sentient things, 

 each fallen one might (human individual like) complain of its 

 destiny, clamouring to have remained. Yet my gardener tells 

 me it is needful that the sacrifice take place, for the welfare 

 of the tree, to perfect the number that turn to fruit. He 

 demonstrates the force of his belief in this sacrificial need, by 

 plucking yet other blossoms which nature's blights have left. 

 Friends, what of this? Is the case not suggestive? Can 



