he will confess it is not the taste
for which he drinks. Intemperate drinking is ever the result of what has
been misnamed _temperate drinking_. "Taking a little" when we are too
cold, or too hot, or wet, or fatigued, or low-spirited, or have a pain
in the stomach, or to keep off fevers, or from politeness to a friend,
or not to appear singular in company, etc., etc., or as is sometimes
churlishly said, "when we have a mind to."

And here I shall step aside a little from the main argument, and attempt
to _explain_ the _effects_ which _temperate drinking_ has upon the
animal system; and how it leads to ruinous drunkenness, BY A LAW OF OUR
NATURES, certain and invariable. The nervous system, as I have said, is
that department of our bodies which suffers most from stimulants and
narcotics. Although the circulation of the blood is increased, and all
the animal spirits roused by alcoholic drink; still, the nerves are the
organs that must finally bear the brunt and evil of this undue
excitement. Thus we see in the man who has been overexcited by these
stimulants, a trembling hand, an infirm step, and impaired mental vigor.
The _excitability_ of our system--and by this term we mean that property
of our natures which distinguishes all living from dead matter--is acted
upon by stimuli, either external or internal; and it is by various
stimuli, applied properly, and in due proportion, that the various
functions of life are kept up. Thus a proper portion of food, and drink,
and heat, and exercise, serves to maintain that balance of action among
all the organs, which secures health to the individual. But if an agent
is applied to the system, exerting stimulant powers exceeding those that
are necessary for carrying on the vital functions steadily, an
excitement ensues which is always followed by a corresponding collapse.
This principle is clearly illustrated by the stimulus of alcohol. If a
person unaccustomed to its use receives into his stomach a given
quantity of distilled spirits, it will soon produce symptoms of
universal excitement. The pulse increases in frequency; the action of
all the animal functions is quickened; and even the soul, partaking of
the impulse of its fleshly tabernacle, is unduly aroused. But this is of
short duration, and a sinking, or collapse, proportioned to the
excitement, soon takes place, with a derangement, more or less, of all
the organs of the body. The stimulus repeated, the same effect ensues.
We