Monongalia mirror. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1855, 1854-04-15

Ia t- "
| and unsung, and letinfamy there spread
her sable plume, and fling its blackness
DER drunkard's tomb-Drink body
blighting-spirit damning liquor.
More than fifty thousand drunkards
die every year in the United States,
from the direct effects of alcohol. This
is no loose guess. always stick to my
text, and fro close to the mark, when
u drive in an argument. clinch it with
the proof. | base my estimate upon
the other register of old King Alcohol
himself. have by me now list of
one hundred and thirty-fve men, who
died regular drunkards in the short Pc
riod of sixteen years, in my native coun-
ty and the lower edge of the next coun-
ty in Maryland. In my list are minis
tiers, ass.leaders, doctors, lawyers,
planters, farmers, mechanics, and Ia
borers. In my native county one hun
dred and twelve men died regular drunk
ards in sixteen years, seven per annum,
or one to every four hundred aud forty
four inhabitants; at the same rate our
present population oftwenty-three mill
ions, gives us fifty-one thousand drunk
ards killed every year from the direct
effect of alcohol, to say nothing of the
indirect effect of liquor in producing dis
ease and shortening the period of hu-
man life. l know all about alcohol
the diseases it produces, and how it pro-
duces them-because it is my business
to know; and fearlessly say, and defy
a successful contradiction. that the side
s,abs-by blows-the indirect effects of
alcohol, kill more than die regular drunk
ards. have drank Madeira out of sill
yer goblets with the proudest in the land,
and bolted awful bad whiskey with
rum swilling skunk in dirty doggery.
| have wandered about and lived in va
rious parts of Maryland, and l have
seen just as many grog.shops and drunk
ards as | ever saw in my native county.
| have lived in FIVE States, and Travelled
in twenty others, and have seen more
men drink rum and become the deris-
ion of fools elsewhere, than | ever saw
in my native county. My estimate,
therefore, is not only perfectly correct
as far as it goes, but it is actually Under
tho truth.
Fify.one thousand men (more than.
died at Gamma or at WATERLOO killed
every year in these United States, by
ALCOHOL "He that hath ears 10 hear
let him hear" and let this awful figured
fact fall on his startled ear like the SOL
emn warning of a death-bell, and let
each say for his own souls sake, Oh!
God-shield, Oh! shield me in the hour
Of temptation from the fiery sting of al
cohol. Oh? let me not die the death of
drunkard, nor let my last end be like
his. Like the deadly simoom that sweeps
across the desert, blighting and blasting
all before its path, the more deadly ST.
noon of alcohol sweeps over our beau
tiful land, and the high and the low, the
proud aud the humble, have withered
and died before its burning breath.
Like broad streams ofmolten lava pour
ing its devouring fire.aood down the
vine.clad hills of sunny Sicily, from
'Etna's breast Of fame. the lava,aood
of alcohol rolls over this western Holy
land. And all that is fair and beautiful
in life-and all that is high and honora-
bic in socie,y-and all that is sacred
and holy in domestic life-have been
overwhelmed in its death-dealing devas-
tatiOn."