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Cover of Select Temperance Tracts

Select Temperance Tracts

Written by American Tract Society

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Temperance

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About this book

"Select Temperance Tracts" by the American Tract Society is a collection of writings focused on the moral implications and detrimental effects of alcohol consumption, most likely created in the mid-19th century. This compilation primarily addresses the societal impact of alcoholism and the call for temperance, arguing against the use of ardent spirits from various perspectives, including medical, religious, and social viewpoints. Each tract within the collection serves to raise awareness about the risks associated with drinking and promotes a movement towards sobriety. The opening of the text introduces readers to the negative consequences of consuming ardent spirits, detailing the immediate and chronic effects on the human body and mind. It discusses various symptoms of drunkenness, as well as long-term health issues linked to intemperance, such as liver disease, jaundice, and mental deterioration. The text warns against the dangers of forming an appetite for alcohol, emphasizing the moral responsibility of individuals and society to abstain from its use. Through vivid representations of the destructive nature of drinking, the tracts aim to persuade readers to adopt a lifestyle of temperance for their personal well-being and the health of their community.

Reading guide

Themes, characters and key ideas in Select Temperance Tracts, written by Chaptra AI.

  • about 8 hours
  • intermediate
  • didactic
  • earnest
  • somber

"Select Temperance Tracts" by the American Tract Society is a pivotal collection from the mid-19th century, designed to vehemently argue against the consumption of alcohol, particularly 'ardent spirits.' Through a series of persuasive writings, the collection meticulously details the devastating medical, social, and moral consequences of intemperance, aiming to awaken public consciousness and promote widespread sobriety. It frames alcohol consumption as a societal scourge, leading to individual ruin, family distress, and national decline, urging readers towards personal virtue and collective reform. The tracts employ a didactic and urgent tone, combining medical observations, religious appeals, and social commentary to advocate for total abstinence as the only path to personal well-being and a healthy community.

“Ardent spirits are a poison, destroying both the body and the immortal soul.”

Key themes

The Destructive Nature of Alcohol
This theme is the foundational pillar of the entire collection. The tracts meticulously detail how alcohol consumption leads to severe physical ailments (e.g., liver disease, mental deterioration, general debility), profound social degradation (e.g., poverty, crime, domestic abuse), and spiritual ruin (e.g., loss of moral compass, estrangement from God). It is presented as an insidious poison that corrupts all facets of individual and communal life.
Moral Responsibility and Personal Virtue
The tracts strongly emphasize individual agency and the moral imperative to choose temperance. Drinking is framed not merely as a habit but as a profound moral failing, a sin against oneself, one's family, and God. Individuals are held personally responsible for their choices and for setting a virtuous example. This theme underscores the importance of self-control, discipline, and the cultivation of upright moral habits as essential for personal and societal well-being.
Societal Health and Collective Welfare
Beyond individual suffering, the tracts argue that intemperance is a grave threat to the very fabric of society. It is presented as a primary cause of increased crime, widespread poverty, public disorder, and a general decline in national productivity and moral character. The call for temperance is thus elevated to a civic duty, essential for the stability, prosperity, and moral progress of the community and the nation as a whole.

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