Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1851-05-30

many dollar of his hard earning went into
my till. At last be became perfect sot-
working scarcely one fourth Of the time, and
spending all he earnedin liquor. His poor
wife had to take in washing to support her.
self and children, while he spent bis time
and the little he could make at my bar
But his appetite for liquor was so strongy
that his weeks earnings were usually gone
by Tuesday or Wednesday, and then l had
to chalk up score against him, to be paid
off when Saturday night came. zp
This score gradually increased. until Il,
amounted to three or four dollars over his
Saturday nights pay, when l refused to-
sell him any more liquor until it was settled
On the day after had thus refused him, be
came in with neat mourning breast pin,g
enclosing some hair-no doubt, 1 thought,
of a deceased relative. This he offered IN
payment of what he owed. accepted it;
for the pin | saw at once was worth double
the amount of my hill / did not think.
nor indeed care about the question, wheth-
er he was owner or not l wanted my own,
and in my selfish eagerness to get it, hes
itated not to take little more than my own
L laid the breast pin away, and all these
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 of brass andiro1s,
and pair of brass candlesticks, and l took
t them and wiped off the score against him.
At last he brought large family Bible. and
took that too-thihking, no doubt, that l
| could sell it for something.
On the Sunday afterwards, having moth
ing to do, for used to shut my bar on Sun
days, thinking it was not respectable to sell
liquor, | opened this poor drunkard's family
Bible, scarcely thinking what l was doing:
/ The first place l turned to was the family
: record. There it was stated that upon 4
certain day, he had been married to Emily
r -. had known Emily, when (
was young man, very we'll, and had once
r thought seriously of offering myself to her
n in marriage, | remembered her happy young
face, and seemed suddenly TO hear a tone
t of her merry laughter.
= Poor creature 7 l sighed involuntarily,
i as thought Of her present condition cross
ed my mind-and then with no pleasant
n feelings | turned over another leaf There
: was the record of the birth of her four chi.
g dren; the last had been made recently and
a was in the mothers hand
| never had such strange feelings as now
4 came over me. l felt that had no bust
ness with this book but tried to stiHs
@ my feeling, and turned over several leaves
d quickly. As I suffered my eyes to rest up
' on an open page, these words arrested my
/ attention.
: Wine is mocker, strong drink is rag
! ing; whose is deceived thereby is not wise.'
le This was just the subject that under the
At feelings then had, l wished to avoid, and
r SO | referred to another place. There
! read.
! WHO hath woe7 Who hath sorrow i?
: Who hath wounds? Who hath babbling {?
Who hath redness of eyes; They that tar
! ry long at the wine. At last it biteth like
: serpent, it stingeth Ike an adder
" l felt like throwing the book from me !;
Z but once more turned the leaves, and my
3 eyes rested upon these words
,e Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor
N drink that puttest the bottle to him and
a makest him drunk
n L Iclosed the book suddenly, and threw it
Il down. Then, for half an hour, paced tho
n room backwards and forwards in a state of
g mind never before experienced. had be-
ys come painfully conscious of the direful evils
n resulting from intemperance, and still more
n painfully conscious, that | had been a will
r. ing instrument in the spread of these evils.
| cannot tell you how much 1 suffered du-
ring that day and night, nor describe the
fearful conflict that took place in my mind,
between selfish love Of the gains Of my
n, calling and the plain dictates Of truth and
a humanity. ltwas about nine clock think
er on the same evening that Iopened the drunk
p ards Bible again, with kind of despairing
hope that | should meet there, with some
e thing to direct me. opened at the psalms
X and read two or three chapters. As i read
on, without finding any thing directly to my
case, felt an increased desire to abandon
lss my calling, because it was injurious to my
Iy fellow-men.
zee After | had read the Bible, retired to
~. bed, but could not sleep. am sure that
Mt, during that night l thought of every drunk
We en- man to whom l had sold liquor, and O.
lg- all their beggared families. In the. briel
he sleep that obtained, dreamed that saw
7ar long line Of tottering drunkards, with their
for wives and children in rags. And loud
IL voice said:
nd Who hath done this 2 ~.
The answer in a still louder voice, direc-
It, ted, felt, to me, smote upon my ear like a
el- peal of thunder
Thou art the man
be From this troubled slumber awoke tC
me sleep no more that night. In the morning
te the last and most powerful conflict came
lrt, The question to be decided, was