The North-Carolina standard., 1842-11-23

! and spending all he earned IN Ilquor. f1lS poor
wife had to take in washing to support herself and
children while he spent his time and the little he
could make at my bar But his appetite for IL
quor was so strong, that his weeks earnings were
usually all gone by Thursday or Wednesday, and
then had to chalk up score against him, to be
paid off when Saturday night came. This score
gradually increased, until it amounted to three or
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 thus refu-
sed him he came in with a neat mourning breast
pin. enclosing some hair-no doubt thought of
deceased relative This he offered in payment
! of what he owed Iaccepted it, for the pin saw
at once was worth double the amount ofmy bill
did not think or indeed care about the question:
whether he was the owner or not; wanted my
Town. and in nv selfish eagerness to get my own
! | hesitated not to take a little more than my
own. .-
Il laid the breast pin away, and all things went
on smoothly for while. But he gradually got
behind hand again. and again l cut off his supply
of liquor This time he brought me pair ofbrass
andirons and pair of brass candlesticks, and
took them and wiped off the score against him
At Inst he brought me large family Bible, and
took that too-thinking no doubt could sell it
for sonething.
"On the Sunday afterwards, having nothing to
| .lo-for uscd to shut my bar on Sundays. think
that day-L opened this poor drankard's family
Bible, scarcely thinking of what | was doing
The first place turned to was the family record
There It was stated, that, upon certain day, he
had been married to Emily - | had known
Emily when | was young man. very we'll, and
had once thought seriously of offering myselfto
her in marriage remembered her happy young
face and seemed suddenly to hear tone of merry
laughter
s:.Poor crcature' 1 sighed involuntarily as
thought of her present condition crossed my mind
and then with no very pleasant feelings turned
oyer another leaf There was the record of the
birth of four children; the last has been made re-
Gently, and was in the mothers hand.
II never had such strange feelings as came
over me. | felt that had no business with this
book But tried to stife my feelings, and turn
ed over several leaves quickly. AS suffered my
eyes to rest upon an open page, these words ar
rested my attention
"'Wine is mockcr, strong diink is raging
whose is deceived thereby is not wise
"'This was Just the subject that under the feel
ngs | then had, 1 wished to avoid, and so l refer
red to another place. There | read
-"sWho hath woe2 Who hath sorrow2 Who
hath wounds? Who !lath babblng? Who hath
rc1ncss of eyrs2 They that tarry long at the
wine. At the last it bitelh like serpent it sting
eth like an adder
'I ftft like throwing the book from me. But
once more l turned the leaves, an1 my eyes rest
ed upon the words
"'Woc unto him that givcth his neighbor drink
that puttest the bottle to him. and makest him drunk
en-
~ closed the book Suddenly, and threw it down.
Then for half an hour paced the room backwards
and forwards in state of mind such as never
experienced. l had become painfully conscious of
the direful evils resulting from nemperance, and
still more painfully conscious that had been will
ling instrument in the spread ofheSe evils. lean
not tell you how much I suffered that day and
night nor describe the fearful conflict that took
place in my calling and the plain dictates Of truth
and humanity. 1t was about nine o'clock, think,
on that evening, that opened the drunkard's Bi-
Die again, with a kind of dcspairng hope that
should meet there with something to direct me- |
topsncd at the Psalms, and read two three chap
ters. As read on, without finding anything that
seemed to apply directly to my cause, felt an in
creasng desire TO abandon my calling, because it
was injurious to my fellow-men. After | had
read the Bible, retired to bed but could not sleep
am sure that during that night thought of eve
ry drunken man to whom sold liquor, and ofall
their bcggarctl families. In the brief sleep that
obtained, dreamed that | saw long line of tot
tering drunkarls, with their wives and children
in rags. And loud voice said, who hath done
thisP
"Thc answer, in still louder voice. directed |
felt to me, smote upon my car like heavy peal
of thunder
"'Thou art the man!
From this troubled slumber awoke to sleep
no more that night In the morning the last and
most powerful conflict came. The question to be
decided was
"Shall open my tavern, or at once abandon the
dreadful traffic in liquid poison?
"Iappily, decided never again to put to any
mans lips the cup of confusion My next step
was to turn the spgot of every keg or barrel o.
spirits upon the floor My bottles and decanters
were likewise emptied. Then came and signed
your total abstinence pledge, and what is better
never rested until had persuaded the man whose
Bible had been of so much use to me, to sign the
pledge likewise
"And now Mr. President, am keeping, at my
old stand a temperance grocery, and am making
restitution as fist possible. There are at Ieas
half a dozen families that my tavern helped tc
make poor anl wrctched, 10 whom furnish {
small quantity of groceries every week, in many
cases equal to the amount that used to be spent al
my bar for liquor. -Four of my Oldest and bes
customers have signed the pledge by my pcrsua
sion, and | am not going to rest until every mar
that helped to ruin is restored to himself, his f,
mily, and society"