Hannibal journal. (Hannibal, Mo.) 1853-1853, 1853-05-06
.THuRES nm SGRRHl, AND FKxRTS Tm HAN"

So said, tho reader will reoollect, POO,
drunkard Of Mr.. VIM Prentice aud his barrel
Of rum. "There's the barrel, and there's the
man, that made me drunk and sent me to ysur
jail"
And 90 may multiiudss say Of ruasclling as
the cause Of their suffering. Mr.. Rumseller'
indulge your fancy, or rather your reeOlleSuOn'
q little.
Visit some home, the tenant Of which ia.
been for years your customer. Once IN good anu
happy circumstances, that family are now
plunged in poverty, disgrace and ruin, Inc
wife Is bFoken-hearted--th children are IN rags
-Squalid misery broodS there--and, what IS
worse than all, he who was once the protector
Of that peaceful and plentiful home, now OFTEN
comes to Il, In It's desolateness, raging maniac
Whence comes all thisp Wa might 60 to your
shop and say, "theres the barrel, and there's the
man" that have done il.
Just step over to that opposite house. There
lies man who has broken limb. Who broke
Up All, he could point at ysu, and say "theres
The man "anS H he could 70 to your shop he
could say, "thers's the barrel"
Now 20 little farther on, and we will enter
the dwelling Of Mr.. A., one Of your best custo-
mers. Mrs. A sits there binding shoes. She
has done this and other kinds Of work for years,
to support her little family, while you have put
all Of Mr.. A. earnings into your drawer for
rum AtheF words, for poison. Ask that
poor wo. why she works so hard, why her
cheek Is so wan, why she signs SO often as she
plies her needle. You know the reason. She
has often prayed you with tears in her eyes, Ia
sell her husband no more rum; yet, whenever
she thinks Of your shop, she can say, "there''
the barrel, and there's the man" that are th'
causes Of all our wo.
See that ragged and ShoeleSs boy running along
the street, Troops Of such boys could cay
"there's the barrel, and there's the man" thai
have torn our clothes and covered us with filth
and sent us out TO disturb and corrupt the com
munity by our noise and our oaths, our rOgueTy
quarrsls and petty thefts.
There goes Mr.. G. staggering along,
thought he had signed the pledge. Yes, 20,
cay, with rumseller's sneer, but he has broke
it.. But howp You need not tell me. II wa
you with your barrel, that tempted him 10 breal
that pledge. Well, let US turn down this lane
and go into the miserable howell at the end OF il
There lies customer Of yours with the horror
Of delrium tremens. As you enter the door h
: looks aghaSt, and cries out, "theres the man,
that sent these devils here to torment me, and 2
to his shop, and "lhere's the barrel" that
keeps them in.
Do you remember your customer, Mr.. B.
d that hung himself, or your other customer, Nj
n D., that went straight from your shop, and Ge
\ into the river and drowned--er the wife of on
y other customer, who was murdered by him afte
II drinking your rump If their ghosts could ris
!" and visit you, they would freeze your littl,
!. cruel, mOney-loving soul with horror as the
said, "'There's the barrel, and there's the mai
e that killed u.s."
These are but few Of the multfOrm evils {
which it can be said, "lheree the barrel, an
r there's the man" that have produced them. An
y yet the rumselers have the hardihood, in Ii
face Of oil these results Of their business, still
: stand by "the barrel" and deal out ruin an
~ misery over the community, Let every frien
g Of temperance, then, as, he sees these results
q point the finger at these men and say, "Thers
g The barrel and hsrE'S The man." GNorwic
n Spectator.