Part 27

“Shall the Maine question now be put?” is the great inquiry that agitates the country, and stirs, in all true hearts, a lively affirmative. The _people_ are “ready for the question.” Graham himself is ready, and having in times past been a good judge of the various brands, he believes that one and all corrupt and destroy the brain and conscience. So he is down upon King Alcohol and his cohorts. We do not propose to give a temperance _lecture_ upon the present “interesting occasion”—but if any body can read the following ode by Brown—the accomplished translator of Spanish literature, and feel no misgiving about Rum, his sensibilities are fire-proof. “The English language contains nothing more forcibly and terribly eloquent than this unique lexicon of horrors.”

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ODE TO RUM.

BY WILLIAM C. BROWN.

“Oh, thou invisible spirit of Rum! if thou hadst no name by which to know thee, we would call thee—devil.”—Shakspeare.

Let thy devotee extol thee, And thy wondrous virtues sum; But the worst of names I’ll call thee, O, thou hydra monster, Rum!

Pimple-maker, visage-bloater, Health-corrupter, idler’s mate; Mischief breeder, vice promoter, Credit spoiler, devil’s bait.

Almshouse builder, pauper maker, Trust betrayer, sorrow’s source; Pocket emptier, Sabbath breaker, Conscience stiller, guilt’s resource.

Nerve enfeebler, system shatterer, Thirst increaser, vagrant thief; Cough producer, treacherous flatterer, Mud bedauber, mock relief.

Business hinderer, spleen instiller, Wo begetter, friendship’s bane; Anger heater, Bridewell filler, Debt involver, toper’s chain.

Memory drowner, honor wrecker, Judgment warper, blue-faced quack; Feud beginner, rags bedecker, Strife enkindler, fortune’s wreck.

Summer’s cooler, winter’s warmer, Blood polluter, specious snare; Mob collector, man transformer, Bond undoer, gambler’s fare.

Speech bewrangler, headlong bringer, Vitals burner, deadly fire; Riot mover, firebrand flinger, Discord kindler, misery’s sire.

Sinews robber, worth depriver, Strength subduer, hideous foe; Reason thwarter, fraud contriver, Money waster, nations’ wo.

Vile seducer, joy dispeller, Peace disturber, blackguard guest; Sloth implanter, liver sweller, Brain distracter, hateful pest.

Wit destroyer, joy impairer, Scandal dealer, foul-mouthed scourge; Senses blunter, youth ensnarer, Crime inventor, ruin’s verge.

Virtue blaster, base deceiver, Spite displayer, sot’s delight; Noise exciter, stomach heaver, Falsehood spreader, scorpion’s bite.

Quarrel plotter, rage discharger, Giant conqueror, wasteful sway; Chin carbuncler, tongue enlarger, Malice venter, death’s broadway.

Household scatterer, high-hope dasher, Death’s forerunner, hell’s dire brink; Ravenous murderer, windpipe slasher, _Drunkard’s lodging, meat and drink_!

Well—what are the arguments of the opponents of the “Maine Law!” We have heard them—having been present at the grand gathering of Distillers, Rum-sellers, and Drinkers at Tripler Hall, on Friday evening, the 27th of February. About as precious a set of “jolly fellows” as we ever saw in all our life, were there assembled to listen to the advantages of dying by slow poison. We give a picture, which sets forth the point and moral of the matter.

This was the pith and marrow of the whole affair. “Rum was”—Well, what? Why—“Rum!” Every body was enlightened and saw clearly. There was not a shadow of doubt about the matter. Its character was not in the least altered—it was the same devil, only painted a little red—not at all improved either, by the artists—in fact, Mr. Camp made him rather more hideous by attempting to make him a facetious, jolly sort of a devil, without any evil quality, but much given to poetry, philosophy, and particularly, mechanics. His _inventive_ powers, however, were not brought out quite as clearly as Mr. Camp’s own, who, with a fine delivery and sonorous ring of voice, did all that it was possible for man to do in a bad cause—still he did not _do_—at least, not the majority there assembled. The whole affair was a horrible jest—it was—Yes! it was a Rum-joke—and nothing else.

No one was hardy enough to attempt to _prove_, that Rum ever made a great man greater—or improved the mental calibre of a small one. Ever warmed the heart of a miser to do an unrepented act of generosity—or enlarged the soul to permanent and consistent acts of lofty heroism for the welfare of mankind. Ever filled the cottage with smiling faces and happy hearts, permanently—shed plenty upon the tables of the poor, or made a wife happier or children more respected—ever, in short, carried any thing but a concealed curse in its bright bubbles and brilliant hues.

We came away with no change of opinion as to the deleterious effects of Rum as a beverage. Taken either at the social board, with jolly good fellows, or among wits, poets and philosophers—it carries the same horror on its front, the same death in its smile. Even the sounding-boards, from which the notes of Jenny Lind floated out, almost divinely, gave no music to the voice of Rum’s advocate—the best joke had a croak—and the laughter a horribly consumptive sound.

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“THE SOCIAL GLASS.”

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“JOLLY GOOD FELLOWS.”

“We wont go home till morning, We wont go home till morning, Till daylight doth appear.”

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“A SPIRIT-KNOCKER.”

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SWEET SUNNY ISLE.

OR “MY BOYHOOD’S HOME.”

Sweet sunny Isle! my native land! How dear thou art to me, Were all the world at

my command, I still would cling to thee. My boyhood’s home could I forget? Though I might be forgot; For those I love are living yet, In that dear cherish’d spot. For those I love are living yet In that dear cherish’d spot.

Sweet sunny Isle! though now a man, Wherever I may roam, My heart I know it never can Forget my boyhood’s home. One only hope one only care Next that of Heaven above, That I might once again be there— Once more with those I love.

Those kindred hearts, those loving friends, And all my boyish pets, Would welcome me and make amends For all long past regrets. But ah! I fear ’twill never prove Again my happy lot; Then all I ask of those I love, One thought—“Forget me not.”

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Transcriber’s Notes:

Table of Contents has been added for reader convenience. Archaic spellings and hyphenation have been retained. Obvious typesetting and punctuation errors have been corrected without note. Other errors have been corrected as noted below. For illustrations, some caption text may be missing or incomplete due to condition of the originals available for preparation of the eBook.

page 364, children where the ==> children were the page 372, and author’s were ==> and authors were page 404, read in Saronis’ Musical ==> read in Saroni’s Musical page 405, Rappresentatione del Animo e del ==> Rappresentatione di Anima e di page 405, Cavaliere, of Rome, ==> Cavalieri, of Rome, page 405, title “_Dell Animo e del_ ==> title “_Dell_ _Anima e di_ page 405, of Cavaliere. But it ==> of Cavalieri. But it page 414, feet, are not ==> feet, they are not page 440, those horrid Affgaun’s ==> those horrid Affgauns

[End of Graham’s Magazine, Vol. XL, No. 4, April 1852]