Page:Dialogue between John and Thomas, on the corn laws, the charter, teetotalism, and the probable remedy for the present disstresses (sic) (1).pdf/6

 to drink is something like beginning to smoke or snuff, it is fun at first, but truly it often grows earnest, as we mony a time see; and I think, for my part, its far better to let it alane a'thegither; and I think is the duty of every patriot and every Christian to give no countenance to these vile things; and every man that drinks intoxicating liquor is only assisting to support 40,000 men who break every Lord's day, by destroying the bounties of Providence, by converting them into a most destructive and pernicious drink. And I think that a man that would not gie up the use o' a thing that is baith useless and unnecessary, for the sake o' his suffering fellow creatures, is nae man ava.

T. Ye really gang a great length wi' your teetotalism, ye seem to think it will be a general salve for a' the distresses and sufferings with which we are afflicted; but I doubt, John, tho' we were a' teetotlars the nicht, it wadna better our condition a bawbee, in the present awfu' state o' things; we're gae an' weel teetotal'd the noo, and that sair-against our wills.

J. Nae thanks to you for that kin' o' teetotalism, that's no the genuine principle; besides, I am sure, if we were a' pledged, and sterling to the cause, we wad soon see different state o' things, for I am quite convinced it wad be a general salve for a' our distresses. In the first place it would prevent 45 millions bushels of good grain from being destroyed every year, which would have a great tendency to cheapen our food, enabling us to manufacture our goods at a cheaper rate, and to cope with other nations, and completely put a check to the evil workings of the Corn Bill; and besides all this, the miseries and crimes, the misfortunes and calamities, the lunacy and suicide, the Sabbath desicration and a thousand other evils would almost entirely vanish from among us.

T. Really John, ye seem to hae't a' by the back, and I must confess, there's a good deal o' truth in what you