Brother Jonathan's Cottage; Or, a Friend in the Fallen (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1854 edition. Excerpt: ...pilgrimage on earth--now, as the firmament of knowledge seems well nigh cloudless, and studded over with ten thousand lights in the different departments of our physical, intellectual, and moral nature; now that the geologist reads each successive page of the globe's history, from the center to its circumference, with a skill approaching infallibility--now that even the ' heaven of heavens' is yielding up its secrets before the spiritual ken of man--it is no time to be framing apologies or originating excuses for a sin so flagrant in its constitution and so hideous in its outlines as is the rum traffic." " I'm free to admit," said Mr. Hulburt, " that the traffic has done much injury to mankind in all ages; but not as much, I opine, as men have been wont to attribute to it. I grant its effects are beastly; but for that very reason, we are inclined to color those deleterious effects too highly." " If all those," replied William, " who have been prematurely ushered from this life into the next, from the days of Noah down to the present era, through the direct or indirect influence of intoxicating drinks, were to return again to the earth, what area would encompass them? Would the earth itself contain the immense throng 1" " Tour calculations surprise me, William, certainly," said Mr. Hulburt. " Not more than the sophistry of your argument, my respected sir, surprises me." "I have custom, though you may have reason on your side," said Mr. Hulburt, who felt that he had been kicking against the pricks. " Custom is often a poor argument, but reason never; and shall an American bow to custom rather than to reason? Could such a course have advanced us to our present commanding position? " replied William energetically. " My son, what'U you have--a glass...