New-York daily tribune., 1842-10-06
THE DRUNKARD's BIBLE.

THE .DRUNKARD'S BIBLE.
" Mr.. President" said short, stout man, with
a good -humored countenance, and ford com
pexion rising as the last speaker took his seat
90 have been a tavern-keeper.
AL this announcement there was a movement
through the whole room, and an expression Of in
creased interest.
s.Yes, Mr.. President, he went on, Z" l have been
a ,avern-k eeper and many a glass have / sold t6
yoa and to the Secretary there and TO dozens of
others that see here '-glancing around upon the
company.
THAT 5 a fact broke in the Presdent-many
a gin-toddy and brandy-punch have taken at your
bar. But times are changed now, and we have be-
gun to carry the war right into the .enemy's camp.
And our war has not been unsuccessful, for we
have taken prisoner of the rlm-seller's bravest
generals But 90 on friend W, let US have
your experience
.sAs to my experience Mr. President, > the
ravern-keeper resumed, % in rum-selliDg and
drinking-for have done good deal of both in
nv day-that would be rather too long q story 10
tell tonight and one that had much rather for
get than relate 1t makes ne tremble and sick at
heart, whenever ! look back the evil ] have
done. / therefore snstlaily look ahead with the
hone2 Of doing some good TO my fellow
. But there is one incident that will relate. For
wife aud several small children, came regularly,
almost every night, TO my tavern and spent the eve
ming in the bar-roon. He came drink, of course,
and many dollar of his hard earnings went into my
ill. At last he became Il perfect sot-workins
scarcely one-fourth Of the time, and spending all
he earned in liquor. His poor wife had TO take
in washing to support herself and children, While
ne spent his time, and the little lie could earn,
my bar. But his appetite for liquor was 50 strong,
that his week earnings were usually all gone by
Tuesday or "Wednesday, and then / had 10 chalk
up score against him, to be paid oil when Satur-
day night can.c. The score gradually increased,
until it amoustcd to three four dollars, over his
regular Saturday nights pay, when refused to sell
him any more liquor until it was settled. On the
day after had refused TO sell him, he camc in with
a neat mourning breast-pin, enclosing some hair
no doubt | lhoug ht--of deceased relative. This
he offered in paynen, of what lc owed. | accepted
it, for the pin | saw at once worth double tile
amount Of my bill. ldid not think, or indeed care
about the question, whether he the owner or
not; | waited my own, aud in my selfish eager
ness TO get my own, hesitated not to take little
more than my own
II laid the breast-pin away, and all things went
on smoothly for n while. Buthe gradually got be-
hind again and again cut off the supply Of liquor.
This time he brought me pair of brass andirons,
wiped off the score against him. At last he brought
large family bible and took that toc-thnking,
no doubt, | could sell it for something
'.On the Sunday afterwards having nothing to do
for used TO shut up my bar on Sunday, thinking it
was not respectable to sell liquor on that day
opened this poor drunkard S family Bible, scarcely
thinking of what was doing. The frat place that
turned to was the family record. There 1t was
stated that on a certain day he had heen married
TO Emily had known Emily when was
a Young man very well, and had once thought Sc
riously of offering myself to her in marriage
remembered her happy young face, and suddenly
seemed to hear the tone of her merry laughter
Poor creature. I sighed involuntarily as q
thought of her present condition crossed my mind,
and then with no pleasant feelings turned over the
next leaf There the record of the birth OF four
children the last had been made recently, and was
in the mothers hand
"a / never had such strange feeling as now came
over me- felt that | had no business with this
book But tried to stite my feelings, and turned
over several leaves quickly. suffered my eyes 10
rest upon an open page; these words arrested my
attention;
sWiue is mocker strong drink Is raging whose Is de-
ceived thereby is not wise
This was Just the subject that, under the feel
ings then had wished to avoid, and SO re.
farred to another place. There read
Who hath babblns Who hath redness eyes They that
arry long the wine. A, last it beth like serpent, IL
stngeth like Gp adder
9: felt like throwing the book from me. But
once more turned the leaves, and my eyes rested
upon these words;
Woe unto him who sye;h his neghbor drink; thai
put;eSt the bcttle To him and makest him drunken
81 closed the book suddenly, and then threw !,
down. Then for half an hour paced the room
backwards and forwards in a state of mind such
as / never before experienced. / had become
painfully conscious of the dirstul evils resulting
from intemperance, and still more painfully con-
scious, that had been willing Instrument IN
the spread of these evils / cannot tell how much
suffered during that day and pight, nor describe
the fearful coafict that took place in my mind
between the selfish love of the gains Of nv calling
and the plain dictates oil truth and humanity i
about o'clock, / think, on that evening,
that opened the drunkard's Bible again, with a
kind of despairing hope that ! might find some.
thing 10 direct me. opened NJ the Psalms and
read two or three chapters, As read on wi,hou
finding anything that seemed TO apply directly Il
my case, felt an increasing desire TO abandon n,
calling because it was injurious 10 my follow
men, After had rcsd the Bible, re,ircd TO m
bed but could not sleep. am sure that durin
sthae night though oil every drunken man to who's
| had sold liquor, and TO ali their beggarcd fam
lies ln tho brief sleep that obtained, dreame
that saw a long lot of tottering drunkards, wit
their wives and children in rags. And a lou
voice said :. who hath done this
The answer, in st;l! louder voice, dirScsed
lelr, to me, sllote upon my ear like q peal
thnnder-
q Thou ar, the man.
From this trosbled slamber awokc to slee
no more that night In the morning the last an
I Tba N