The Coming Man Will Drink Wine, etc. 



26? 



see ;i display of the much-landed^ emi- 

 nently practical turn of mind of our 

 people, and in which, for raj part, I 

 have but a limited confidence. I grant 

 that where there is a dollar to be made 

 or saved, the e3'e of our people is then 

 very practical, for like the Jews of 

 old, their real and true worship is the 

 golden calf; but on this question of 

 temperance our "eminently practical " 

 people have shown a lamentable lack 

 of practical abilit}'. What would we 

 think of a doctor who uj)on a case of 

 yellow fever could find nothing tetter 

 than to order the drug stores to be 

 closed and the patient rubbed over 

 Avith chalk ? Would we not say that 

 he was nothing but a quack — a true 

 know-nothing? And yet this is the 

 only plan which our temperance men, 

 our common councils, our legislatures 

 have been, in their sapient wisdom, 

 able to devise. A truh' practical doc- 

 tor would first endeavor to find out 

 the cause of the disease, and having 

 found it, would wisely but fearlessly 

 dose his patient^ no matter how bitter 

 the physic; he would then, if not ar- 

 rest, at least circumscribe the spread 

 of the contagion. Closing drug stores 

 and w^hitewashing the sick will never 

 cure jaundice or j'ellow fever. 



But these tipplers, however, are not 

 dipsomaniacs. The genus drinker con- 

 sists of two species : ho who with in- 

 tervals of common sense, relieved at 

 Avorst with short fits of delirium, still 

 puts a good face on aifairs, and con- 

 ducts himself on the whole pretty 

 tairly ; and he who, hy a peculiar con- 

 dition of brain, sinks under a chronic 

 and uncontrollable appetite for intoxi- 

 cants: this last is the dipsomaniac 

 proper, as I understand it. In my 



rambles around this small ball of dirt, 

 so small that I forget the great quan- 

 tity that would be necessary to make 

 up the size of the gigantic lantern 

 around which it revolves, I have known 

 men, good-hearted to a fault, intelli- 

 gent, endowed with some of the best 

 gifts of nature; blessed with peace- 

 able, kind-heai'ted, handsome wives, 

 around whom Avere grouped numbers 

 of beautiful children, such as must 

 compose the kingdom of heaven; some 

 of them almost grown up, able to un- 

 derstand and see their father's weak- 

 ness : yet these men, possessed of a 

 warm heart, of an intelligent brain, 

 able to draAv burning tears from your 

 eyes when speaking of family, child- 

 ren, and the duties of a father, too 

 often forget their own duties whilst 

 speaking of those of others. They 

 lacked the essentials — firmness and 

 decision of character; their brains 

 were not complete. In the sincerity 

 of an earnest friendship, I could al- 

 most, had it been in my power, have 

 done anything to cure them of a crav- 

 ing that thus limited their manhood. 

 It is upon such men, I consider, that 

 the whole power and influence of so- 

 cieties like the Good Templars ought 

 to be brought to bear; in the per- 

 formance of such a noble task these 

 associations would remain within pure 

 and legitimate bounds, and no sane 

 man would object to their existence. 

 Thus limited, I do not know but that 

 to-day I would be read}- to confide a 

 few acquaintances to their brotherly 

 care; when the time comes I shall see. 

 Meanwhile, there is no doubt but so- 

 ciety has a dutj- to perform towards 

 those helpless beings, whilst at the 

 same time legislating for its own pro- 



