Vandalia Whig and Illinois intelligencer. [volume] (Vandalia, Ill.) 1832-183?, 1833-07-31
WEDNESDAY, JULY 81, 1888.


lity and pleasure around him.-Enviable
condition! Would to God he had thus
continued,-he would have cared for
her who had conhded erinterests to him.
and whom he had sworn at the altar to
cherish until death-he would have led
his children in the paths of virtue and
religion, (which would have qualified them
for usefulness in society, and placed them
in condition that would have enabled
them to administer to their parents that
solace, which, in their declining years
they would have needed. He would
still have been the comfort of his rela
tons and friends, and an honor to the
community. But alas! how changed
the scene-a rdent in his feelings, and
generous in his disposition, he was liable
to many temptations, which men of a
different temperature of mind escape
He began to taste the social glass; not
that he had any relish for it, but his
friends would insst-every body drank,
and it was fashionable-he did not like
to be singular or appear fastidious-he
could not refuse to crafty his friends, e.
ven tho it were at some sacrifice of taste
and feeling. By degrees he grew fond
OF the poison, and by degrees he became
lntemperate--he neglected his business
and his affairs went to decay, and to COM
Plete his ruin, he became gambler
Those fends in human shape, led him
on by false inducements, until the last
remnant of his mighty fortune is swept
from him and transferred to others who
perhaps, deserve the gibbet or halter.
His friends, discovering the fatal tenden-
cy of their influence, become alarmed
they plead, entreat and demonstrate with
him; but it is all in vain, he is now
confirmed drunkard they can only
weep over the mighty ruin which they
have wrought, and leave him to his fate.
His parents, broken hearted, have sunk
into premature grave,-his wife, ema-
ciated and Responding, his childre rag
ged and squalid and ignorant, are cast
upon the cold charity of the world. In
stead of the splendid mansion, he once
possessed, he now occupies some rude
cabin, which shelters him and his wretch
ed family from the snow storm or the
summers scorching sun;-he is useless,
nay worse than useless, he is pest to
all around him-all the finer feelings of
his heart are dead-he is lost to shame
he will frequent the flthiest grog
shop or most loathesome sink of vice,
in order to procure supply of the poi
son that thus destroys him-his credit is
lost and he will lay thousand plans to
obtain one drink, and if he cannot sue
coed by fair means, he watches his op.
portunity--throws his honesty to the
winds, and pliers gill of whiskey!-
yes gill!L,detectedin the act, he stands
apoor guilty culprit, liable to ignominious
Observation-Disclosures harrows up his
soul, he seizes upon fatal weapon and
rushes uncalled into the presence of his
God; or if some small remnant of Virtue
still fingers in his bosom, and he cannot
consent to steal, yet he will resort to any
means short of theft to procurea supply, u
when fully drunk and compelled, thro'
hunger or some other cause to retire, he
pursues the staggering tenor of his way,
through rain and mud and filth to his
wretched howell; there he meets weep
ing wife and children starving for bread;
he utters horrible imprecations, too
shocking to repeat, he falls upon his bed
of straw, he foams and rolls like one pos
sessed by legion of eUil spirits, until his
paroxysm is over and he is able to rise a.
gain. This sceneis repeated from day to
day, until exhausted nature can endure
no more, and he becomes sober-in death.
This is no unreal picture; with the
addition or subtraction Of few circum-
stances, it is the case of every common
drunkard around us. They have not
yet completed the drama-they are still
alive and Fastening to their dreadful Ca
tastrophe. Another company are rising
up to fill their places, as they have filled
the places of their predecessors; the ranks
are kept full and increasing, through the
agency of grog shops, which are estab-
lished in every village, as nuisances
where drunkards are TO be raised up BY
dozens. Is it strange then, that the chris
tian and philanthropist and 1.-THE friends
of morality, should raise their voices and
put forth their mightiest energies to stay
the desolating flood, which, like a river of
burning laua, threatens to deluge our be-
loved country? Nay, rather is it not
strange that one individual should be found