268 



The Grape Culturist. 



trol our destiny as much, at least, as 

 what we learn in schools, read in news- 

 papers, or hear from pulpits. 



What shall we drink? It will not 

 answer in these days, with the deplor- 

 able results we have before us of the 

 evils of Avater-driuking on one hand, 

 and the evils of spirit drinking on the 

 other, to point to the springs and brooks, 

 riveis and lakes, saying, "-Share with 

 the frogs and tishes, and four-footed 

 beasts, the abundant washings of the 

 earth's surface ; there is enough for 

 all." 



We live in a dry climate, and under 

 moral conditions exciting and exhaust- 

 ing to body, brain and nerve. That 

 climate and those conditions have al- 

 ready, in the absence of any proper 

 corrective^ created a national tempera- 

 ment that responds with excessive sen- 

 sibility to every exciting cause. The 

 pale, bony woman, who paralyzes her 

 in sides with unstinted draughts of 

 liquid ice, and the restless, nervous 

 man, who consumes his with draughts 

 equally unstinted of liquid fire, are 

 types alike of our wretched conditions 

 as a people. Dilution will not save us. 



Says my scientitio friend, Doctor : 



" A low dew-point (dry air) and Repub- 

 lican institutions are inconsistent with 

 the long duration of our race." 



Now, we don't want to pull dow'u 

 Republican institutions, nor can we 

 raise up the too low dew-point. We 

 must raise red wine, then ; and this 

 can be done, I will endeavor to prove, 

 as easily and cheaply as in Burgundy, 

 where it is to be had of good quality 

 for four, five, and six cents a bottle. 



Taken in the quantity of a quart 

 daily for every adult, and a pint daily 



. for each child, we may expect the fol- 

 lowing results : It will slightly stupefy, 

 and thereby soothe and quiet ; gently 

 elevate, and thereby promote gayety, 

 and chase anxiet}" and care ; warm the 

 heart, and at the same time stimulate 

 the flow of ideas, whence will come 

 sociability, politeness and toleration, 

 elegance and good taste. It will pre- 

 vent and cure dispepsy, the most Amer- 

 ican and the least French of all diseases 

 that scourge the world ; in fine, by vir- 

 tue of its tonic and stimulating proper- 

 ties, touch ever}^ weakness for which 

 tonics and stimulants are prescribed 5 

 not, however, as a medicine, to lose its 

 power with use, or be followed by reac- 

 tion, but as a continuing condition — a 

 habitual alimentation, like pure air, 

 nourishing food, exercise, and proper 

 clothing. 



[We fuU}^ agree with the senti- 

 ments expressed in the above, with 

 the single exception that wo do not 

 wish to see wine come down so six 

 cents a bottle; nor do we need it. 

 With the immensely better wages the 

 American laborer earns, he can atford 

 to pay more liberally for his daily 

 drink and provisons. But let him be 

 enabled to obtain a bottle of light wine 

 at fifteen to twent}' cents, inclusive of 

 bottle, and he can afford to drink it 

 dail3\ AVheu we pay our vineyard 

 laborers $20 per month and board, we : 

 cannot afford to sell our wine at twenty. \ 

 five cents per gallon. But let the price . 

 of wine be proportionate with the | 

 wages. Six cents per bottle is as high j 

 a price to the poor French or German j 

 laborer as twenty-five cents would be [ 

 to the American workman. — P^d.] 



