VOL. XII. NO. 10. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



125 



LAWS 



•WHICH AUTHORISE TRAFFIC IN ARDENT 

 SPIRIT AS A DRINK MORALLY WRONG. 



The American Temperance Society, at tlie com- 

 mencement, took the ground that to drink ardent 

 spirit is morally wrong; and in their Reports they 

 have exhibited the reasons which demonstrate its 

 truth. Millions in this country have embraced 

 this truth, and are now acting under its influence. 

 Its influence has also been extended to other coun- 

 tries, and great numbers in foreign lands are imi- 

 tating our example. 



The next position taken by the Society, was, 

 that it is wicked to make ardent spirit, or to furnish 

 it to be drunk by others. This too they accom- 

 panied by legitimate and abundant proof; and it 

 has been embraced; as whole counties in which it 

 is now a violation even of human law to sell it, 

 and of a thousand churches in which there is not 

 a man who prosecutes the business, and thousands 

 of other churches that are struggling to throw oil' 

 the mighty incubus, abundantly testify. It is 

 shown also by the existence of more than six thou- 

 sand Temperance Societies, embracing more than 

 a million of members ; pledged to abstain from the 

 drinking of ardent spirit, and from the traffic in it, 

 and also to use all suitable means to cause this to 

 become universal. The means by which such a 

 result may be expected, is the universal convic- 

 tion that the drinking of ardent spirit, or the fur- 

 nishing it to be drunk by others, is sin; an offence 

 against God, and injurious to the temporal and 

 eternal interests of men. Whatever tends to pro- 

 duce this conviction tends to promote the Tempe- 

 rance Reformation ; and whatever tends to prevent 

 the one, tends to hinder the other. Perhaps noth- 

 ing now stands more in the way of producing this 

 conviction, and causing it to become universal, 

 than the fact, that the traffic in ardent spirit is au- 

 thorized by law ; and thus receives the sanction 

 and support of legislation. This is- a public testi- 

 mony to the world that the sale of ardent spirit, 

 and of course the drinking of it, are right ; a fun- 

 damental and fatal error, destructive in its effects 

 to the life that now is, and to that which is to 

 come. The next thing to be accomplished there- 

 fore, is, by the universal diffusion of information 

 and the exertion of kind moral influence, to pro- 

 duce throughout tho community the conviction, 

 that the laws which authorise the traffic in ardent 

 spirit as a drink, by licensing men to pursue it, are 

 morally wrong ; opposed in their influence to the 

 laws of God ; and that the public good, instead of 

 requiring that some men should sell ardent spirit, 

 utterly forbids that this should be done by any ; 

 and that no men or body of men who understand, 

 or have the means of understanding this subject, 

 can be instrumental in making such laws without 

 the commission of sin. And as such laws are 

 morally wrong, they never can be politically right, 

 or beneficial, or expedient. While Jehovah li\es, 

 righteousness, and that alone will exalt a nation ; 

 tin in any form, and especially if sanctioned by 

 law, will be a reproach and a nuisance to any 

 people. That this is plainly and strongly the 

 case with the traffic in ardent spirit, and that the 

 laws which authorise it are morally wrong, and in- 

 their influence opposed to the will of God, is mani- 

 fest from the following considerations, viz : 



I. Ardent spirit is a poison, and the drinking 

 of it is not needful or beneficial to men. Even 

 the moderate use of it is positively hurtful ; and is 

 a violation of the laws of health and of life. Of 



course no man has a natural right to furnish it ; 

 or to wish for laws which shall authorise him to 

 do it. And no man acquainted with the subject 

 can be instrumental in making laws which shall 

 authorise others to do it, even in a savage state, 

 without guilt. Such laws would legalize sin, and 

 violate the law of Ciod. 



II. No man acquires a right to make such 

 laws by entering into society ; and no body of men 

 by lie establishment of civil government. The 

 only legitimate ol iject of government is to pro- 

 tect, and to benefit the community. It has no 

 right, any moie than individuals, to injure that 

 community ; or to pass laws which authorise 

 ethers to do it. And if it docs, it violates the 

 divine will ; and the individuals who compose 

 it, will, at the divine tribunal, and ought at the 

 bar of public opinion, to be held responsible 

 for the effects. The personal responsibility of 

 each individual for the influence which he exerts, 

 is in no case merged in the general mass ; or 

 swallowed up and lost in the responsibility of the 

 body. Each one is bound by obligations which 

 he can never throw oft", in whatever situation or 

 capacity he may act, to honor God, and do the 

 greatest- good of which he is capable to mankind. 

 In no case has he a right to injure others or be 

 instrumental in making laws which will authorise 

 them to do it. It would be having a right to do 

 wrong, which carries on its face evidence of false- 

 hood. 



III. The authorising of men by law to traffic 

 in ardent spirit as a drink, is inconsistent with the 

 temperance of the community. Temperance is 

 the moderate and proper use of things beneficial, 

 and it is abstinence from things hurtful. Ardent 

 spirit being one of the hurtful things, temperam 

 with regard to this, is abstinence — perpetual, en- 

 tire, universal abstinence. But by authorising men 

 to sell it, and professing to do this for the public 

 good, legislators declare that to buy and drink it 

 is right, and useful. This is not only false, but 

 promotes intemperance. To use a thing which is 

 in its nature hurtful is intemperance, no less really 

 than to use a beneficial thing to excess ; and is 

 often more injurious; especially when the use of 

 it, as in the case of ardent spirit, even in small 

 quantities, tends to a constant increase. To teach 

 the doctrine then by legislation, that it is right to 

 drink it, in any quantity, is to promote inten pe- 

 rance ; to inculcate a doctrine which tends to form 

 intemperate appetites, and which lies at the foun- 

 dation of a great portion of all the drunkenness in 

 the world. It does immense injury in another 

 way, by increasing the difficulty of convincing 

 men that to drink ardent spirit, or to furnish it to 

 be drunk by others, is sin. Many see no differ- 

 ence between what is legal, and what is right. 

 With them, the standard of right and wrong is 

 human law. If a thing is legal and they wish to 

 do it they take it for granted that it is right. Show 

 that it dishonors God, and destroys men, and is 

 therefore wrong, they meet you with the fact that 

 it is legal, and therefore conclude that it is right ; 

 and thus they ward off the conviction, which they 

 would otherwise feel, of its enormous wickedness 

 and guilt. They tell you that it is allowed by 

 law ; that they have gotten a license and paid for 

 it ; that this is a land of liberty ; and begin to 

 clamor about their rights to increase the taxes, de- 

 moralize the character, destroy the health, shorten 

 the lives, and ruin the souls of men ; or else, 

 which is more common, contend in opposition to 



facts that their business does not do this. " If it 

 did," say they, " legislators would not license it. 

 They know what is right, and as they have made 

 laws, authorizing it, and as they expressly say, for 

 the public good, it is right, legally, and morally 

 right for us to continue to sell it, — all its conse- 

 quences," which they acknowledge are tremen- 

 dous, " and all that temperance people say to the 

 contrary notwithstanding." This, were legislators 

 right in authorising the traffic, would be true ; and 

 it would present a barrier to the triumph of Tem- 

 perance, which would be absolutely and forever 

 impregnable ; and it would roll the bunting cur- 

 rent of desolation and death over man to all 

 future generations. And the fact that legisla- 

 tors, as well as rum-sellers and rum-drinkers act 

 as if it were right, and as if the public good re- 

 quired that some men should continue the traf- 

 fic, presents one of the greatest obstacles to the 

 progress of the Temperance Reform. It prevents 

 in the minds of thousands, the conviction of the 

 demoralizing character, the deadly effects, the 

 enormous injustice, the gross oppression, the high 

 handed immorality, and the tremendous guilt of 

 that desolating traffic. Were it not for the ram- 

 parts which legislation has thrown around it, the 

 pressure of public indignation, as light and virtue 

 increase, and facts are developed, would sweep it 

 away ; or sink it into the abyss from which its 

 fires, smoke, and stench, would no more escape 

 to annoy and desolate the earth. — [To be continued. 



From the Genesee Farmer. 

 VEGETATION. 



The celebrated Dr. John Mason Good, when 

 writing on the different stimulants contained in 

 the atmosphere which are beneficial to vegetatioB, 

 says, "Ammonia is a good stimulus, but oxygen 

 possesses far superior powers, and hence without 

 some portion of oxygen few plants can ever be 

 made to germinate. Hence, too, the use of cow 

 dung and other animal recrements, which consist 

 of muriatic acid and ammonia; while in fat, oil, 

 and other fluids, that contain little or no oxygen, 

 and consist altogether, or nearly so, of hydrogen 

 and carbon, seeds may be confined for ages with- 

 out exhibiting any germination whatever. And 

 hence, again, and the fact deserves to be exten- 

 sively known, however torpid a seed may be, and 

 destitute of all power to vegetate in any other sub- 

 stance, if steeped in a diluted solution of oxygen- 

 ated muriatic acid, at a temperature of about 46 

 deg. or 4S deg. of Fahrenheit, provided it still 

 possess its principle of vitality, it will germinate 

 in a few hours. And if, after this, it be planted 

 as it ought to be, in its appropriate soil, it will 

 grow with as much speed and vigor as if it had 

 evinced no torpitude whatever." 



In the latter part of 1S26, I received several 

 packets of seeds which had come from the Cape 

 of Good Hope and New South Wales, with part 

 of which I made several efforts on various plans 

 to cause their vegetation, but I was invariably un- 

 successful. The residue by chance were put in 

 my trunks, and there remained until the fall of 

 1828, when I first read Dr. Good's method. I 

 immediately made the experiment, and with the 

 greater part I was perfectly successful. 



Alexander. Gordon. 



(X/^Mr. B. Nason of this town, raised the pres- 

 ent season, 81sV bushels of Oats per acre — 3 acre* 

 in the piece. — The <Age, Augusta, Me. 



