TEMPERANCE.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXII, Issue 42746, 11 July 1905, Page 1

TEMPERANCE.

By Refokmer.)

From an article entitled u Oinology ” in the “ Cincinnati Medical Repertory,” by S. McKinley we learn that a group of twenty six men, some years ago travelling over a western plain, on a track dimly visible by day, lost their direction when overtaken by darkness. The weather, very cold in the afternoon, became more so as the evening advanced Though well provided with food clothing, and plenty of whiskey they had no wood or other fuel to make a fire. , The occurrences of the night are given in the language of the only physician who accompanied the expedition. He was a man of good strong, hard sense, with - quite creditable medical attainments, considering the limited opportunities he had for securing ' them, which consisted in reading the domestic practice M- Cunn, Ewell and Thomas. He' knew no more than them books could convey; but to his credit he knew all they could impart'. He had only heard of, but had never , seen a medical college. . V. Addressing the men, he saidf^;: “As we can’t get wood, bpjj§?! 1 we must keep warm, or atleasfe alive, through the powers. Of;j Madam vis Medicatrix Naturae'. ■' She is all right in any weather, if we don’t clog her up, and pucker her forces. If I have got any medical knowledge at all, I am going to use it to-night, and the first thing I begin with - is this: I am as fond of whiskey as any man dare be, but by the i gods, the man that gets drunk to night to keep warm, won’t, see daylight. When the great Gcd of the universe made man the boss work of the earth, he made all other things firsthand the elements too, nut to rule over him and to kill him; but to hunker down to his wants. But boys, whiskey was scored out of that bill of fare. The vis Medieatrix Naturae is the highest of all other things, and if she aint splintered up by our own folly, she will ride safe through any storm. We have got to keep stirring round or huddle up in the straw of the waggons, as many of us as can cram in together. Each one will keep the other warm ; we must all eat as much as possible; but whiskey aint the thing. * This is what I told them all; but very few minded me. I didn’t taste a drop, nor did Carter or Finley. We took off our boots and overcoats, and then got on the straw, and put our blankets over us and our overcoats on the top of them. We were only cold, but. did : not suffer or freeze. Clark, Reilly, and Tanner were very cold, and we heard them yelling nearly all night. They suffered very much, but were not frozen ; they drank very little whiskey, but they took several thin drinks in the run of the night. Seven other fellows that drank a good deal had their toes and ' fingers scorched, but they got over it in a few weeks. Six of the boys that drank pretty strong were badly frozen, and never got over it; and four that got very boozy were frozen so badly that they died three or four weeks afterwards. But Hutchison, McElroy, and Me Alp in were sti:f dead by daylight. They got dead drunk, and as they did not make a fuss, the other boys thought the whiskey was keeping out the cold, so they drank the stronger. I tell you, sir, they all suffered just according - as they took in the whiskey ; those that got drunk, froze dead;. those that drank less, : but too , f much, died after a while; those /| that drank only moderately will j feel it as long as they live, and ibuse that took only thin drinks Werewell nigk shutujE