Elliott, "but I hold to it on the ground of an eternal fitness
of things. Wine is good, and was given by God to make glad the
hearts of men, and is to be used temperately, as are all other
gifts. It may be abused, and is abused daily. Men hurt themselves by
excess of wine as by excess of food. But the abuse of a thing is no
argument against its use. If a man through epicurism or gormandizing
has brought on disease, what do you do with him? Deny him all food,
or give him of the best in such quantities as his nutritive system
can appropriate and change into healthy muscle, nerve and bone? You
do the latter, of course, and so would I treat the case of a man who
bad hurt himself by excess of wine. I would see that he had only the
purest and in diminished quantity, so that his deranged system might
not only have time but help in regaining its normal condition."
"And you think this could be safely done?" said Mr. Ridley.
"That is my view of the case."
"Then you do not hold to the entire abstinence theory?"
"No, sir; on that subject our temperance people have run into what
we might call fanaticism, and greatly weakened their influence. Men
should be taught self-control and moderation in the use of things.
If the appetite becomes vitiated through over-indulgence, you do not
change its condition by complete denial. What you want for radical
cure is the restoration of the old ability to use without abusing.
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