Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-07-22

recently, and was IN the mother s lap.
81 never had such a strange feeling as
now came over me. / felt that had no
business with the book. But | tried to
stife my feelings, and I turned over sew
eral leaves quickly. l suffered my eyes
to rest upon an open page; these words
arrested my attention.
"'Wine is mocker, strong drink is ra-
ging; whose is deceived thereby is not
wise.
"'This was Just the subject that under
the feelings then had, wished to avoid,
and so | referred to another place. There
| read
"Whohath woe +! Who hathsorrow
Who hath wornds9 Who hath babbling!
Who hath redness of eyes? They that
tarry long at the wine At last it biteth
like serpent, it stingeth like an adder
"I felt like throwing the book from
me. But once more turned the leaves,
and my eyes rested upon the words:
"'Woe unto him who giveth his neigh
bor drink that puttest the bottle to him
and makest his drunken
81 closed the book suddenly, and then
threw it down. Then for half an hour |
paced the room backwards and forwards
in a state of mind such as I never before
experienced. had become painfully
conscious of the direful evils resulting
from intemperance, and still more pain
fully conscious, that had been willing
instrument in the spread of these evils.
| cannot tell how much suffered during
that day and night, nor describe the
fearful conflict that took place in nv
mind between the selfish love of the gains
ofmy calling, and the plain dictates of
truth and humanity. 1t was about two
o'clock. think, ON that evening that
opened the drunkard's Bible again, with
kind of despairing hope that I might
find something to direct me. opened
at the Psalms and read two or three
chapters. As I read on, finding many
things that seemed to apply to my case, |
felt an increasing desire to abandon my
calling, because it was injurious to my
fellow men. After had read the Bible,
I retired to my bed but could not sleep.
| am sure that night thought of every
drunken man to whom had sold liquor,
and to all their beggared families. In
the brief sleep that obtained, dreamed
that | saw long lot of tottering drunk
ards, with their wives and children in
rags. And loud voice said "who hath
done this g
1.-The answer in still louder voice,
directed, [ felt, to me, smote upon my
ear like 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 con-
fiict came. The question to be decided
was:
"Shall | open my tavern, or at once
abandon the dreadful traffic in liquid poi
SON.
"Happily, | decided never to put to
any mans lips the cup of confusion. My
next step was to turn the spigot of every
keg, of every barrel of spirits, wine, beer,
or cider, and let the contents escape on
the floor. My bottles and decantcrs were
likewise emptied. Then | came and sign
cd 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
fast as possible. There are at least half
a dozen families that my tavern helped
to make poor and wretched, to whom |
furnish small quantity of groceries ev-
cry week, in many cases equal to the
amount that used to be spent at my bar
for liquor. Four of my oldest and best
customers have already signed the pledge
by my persuasion, and am not going to
rest until every man that | helped to
ruin, is restored to himself, his family,
and society,""
A round Of hearty applause followed
his address, and then another of the re-
formed drinkers took the floor.