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.