Permanent temperance documents, of the American Temperance Society. Vol. I.

Date:
1835
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Permanent temperance documents, of the American Temperance Society. Vol. I. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    barrier to that tide of drunkenness which was sweeping through the land. Judge Hale, after twenty years’ observation and experience, had declared, “That if all the murders, and manslaughters, and burglaries, and robberies, and riots, and tumults, die adulteries, forni- cations, rapes, and other great enormities, which had been commit- ted within that time, were divided into five parts, four of them would be found to have been the result of intemperance.” The Sheriff of London and Middlesex had said, “ That die evil which lies at the root of all other evils, is that, especially, of drink- ing ardent spirit; that he had long been in the habit of hearing criminals refer all their misery to this, so that he had ceased to ask the cause of their ruin, so universally was it effected by spirituous liquors.” And Mr. Poinder, in an examination before the Commit- tee of the House of Commons, had testified, “ That from facts, that had fallen under his own observation, he was persuaded that, in all trials for murder, with very few, if any exceptions, it would ap- pear, on investigation, that the criminal had, in the first instance, de- livered up his mind to the brutalizing effects of spirituous liquors.” And similar was the testimony from others. John Wesley had declared, and published to the world, “ That the men who traffic in ardent spirit, and sell to all who will buy, are poisoners general; that they murder his majesty’s subjects by wholesale; neither does their eye pity or spare. And what,” said he, “ is their gain ? Is it not the blood of these men ? Who would envy their large estates, and sumptuous palaces ? A curse is in the midst of them. The curse of God is on their gardens, their walks, their groves; a fire that burns to the nethermost hell. Blood, blood, is there; the foundation, the floor, the walls, the roof, are stained with blood. And canst thou hope, O man of blood, though thou art clothed in scarlet, and fine linen, and farest sumptuously every day, canst thou hope to deliver down the fields of blood to the third generation ? Not so—there is a God in heaven ; therefore thy name shall be rooted out. Like as those whom thou hast destroyed, both body and soul, thy memorial shall perish with thee.” The Friends had prohibited their members from engaging in the traffic in ardent spirit, and discountenanced the use of it as an immorality. Yet such was the power of ardent spirit to blind the understand- ing, sear the conscience, and harden the heart, that, notwithstanding these, and other similar testimonies from physicians, jurists and divines, many were engaged in the traffic ; some who professed to be Christians, who had covenanted to do good, and good only, as they had opportunity, to all, were making, and, for the sake of gain, were furnishing to all who would purchase, that which tended to ruin them, and their children after them, for both worlds. And so de-
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