Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1854-10-18

/ have done this-this has been my doing.
He might have consoled himself u the-argu-
ment, that if Peter Croft had n0s drunk at
g the Grapes" he would have &ank some
where else; but his scared conkelsnce nelth-
er admitted nor sought an excns and alter
an hour or more Of earnest sfayer, with
sealed lips, but . soul bowed down, at one
moment by contempt for his nfrnlity of pur-
pose and at another elevated by strong re-
solves of great secrifce, Matthew carrying
with him the Druakard's Bitle, sought his
bed. He slept the feverish, unrefreshing
sleep which SO frequently sueee ds strong
emotion He saw troops Of psot Akards5
~Ssear-ayed TessshkliEsg, .slFsssss ssSetaIoEs
/ pDIntIng at Am with theIr shaNsllg hESgerss
while, with pestilential breath, ehey demand
ed, "who had sold them poison" Women,
oo-drunkards, or orunkards' wives-in eth
er case, starved, wretched creatures, with
scores of ghastly children, hooted him so he
passed through caverns reeking of gin, and
hot with the steam of all poisonous drinks
He awoke just as the dawn was crowning
the hills of his childhood with glory and
while its munifcent beams were penetrating
the thick atmosphere which hung as veil
before his bedroom window. To Mathew
he:sunbeams came like heavenly messen-
gers, winging their way through the dark
ness and chaos of the world for the worlds
1lSuG anu lll0. lie 1ou u6V0F UuOuSlG vi bldG
before; but he thought of it and felt then,
and much good it5did him, strengthening his
good intent. A positive food of light poured
in through pane Of glass which had been
cleaned the previous morning, and played
4 upon the cover of the poor Drunkard's Bible.
lMathew bent his knees to the ground, his
heart full of emotions the emotions of his
early and better nafnre- -and he. bowed his
head upon his han and prayed in honest
7Iresolp and earnasE zeal The burden of that
8 pray a from between his lips
Ein<murmurs swe the murmurs of living
waters, was God would have mercy up
on hinA and 81 % hinn ii the right path, and
make him. ngoTthy as he was, the means
of grace to othersto be Gods instrument
: for good To his fellow creatures /; TO minister
!; to the prosperity, the regeneration of his
own kind. Oh, if God would but mend the
) broken vessel, if hewould but heal the bruised
reed, if he would but receive him into his
{ flock Oh, how often he repeated, "God
give me strength! Lord strengthen me p
q And he arose. as all arise aftek steadfast
strengthened prepared to set
about his work. now quote hlis own ac-
count of what followed Il
had,' he said, fixed in mn mind the
/, duty Twas called upon to perform | saw it
; bright before me. 1t was now I'll ear to me,
! whether turned to the right or - the left
there it was, written in letters pf light. I
: went down stairs, unlocked the ttreet door,
/ brought ladder from the back df my house
to the front, and with my own hands, in the
grey soft haze of morning | tore k.down the
7 sigp ef my disleyalty to. 8 rood eaaae. Tbs
) umph was achieved. I then d aeu TO my
Z cellar, locked myself in, turnesePS the taps,
and broke the bottles into the torn chts of pale
ale and brown stout, which foaTFed around
: me. Never once did my determi9 ation even
7. waver. ] vowed to devote the re4lainder of
u my life to the destruction of alcoh,l, and to
II give my power and my means to r; claim and
g. succor those who had wasted theiHsubstance
8 and debased their characters bdheath my
roof felt as freed man, from whom fet-
ID ters have been suddenly struck OFF; sense
OF of manly independence thrilled through my
D. frame. Through the black and tSpeking arch
of the beer vault l looked up to Heaven; 1
i'd asked God again and again for strength of
AZ purpose and perseverance which I had hith-
= erto wanted all my latter life. While called
~ respectable man, and an shonest publ
lr- can,' I kneac that | was acting falsehood,
us and dealing in the moral-perhaps the eter-
Ia nal-deaths of many of those careless drink
ers, who had sorrow and torment, and quar-
. rels and wounds without cause even while
|, who sold the incentives to torment, and
nE quarrels and wounds without cause, knew
ed that they bit like serpents and stung like
- adders' What knave had been! erect.
lg, ing temple to my own responsibility, on
e. the ruins of respectability in my fellow-crea
or, lures talking of honesty, when was indu-
~. cling sinners to augment their sin by every
nd temptation that the fragrant rum, the white
'ho faced gin, the brown bouncing brandy, coulG
ess offer-all adulterated all untrue as myself
oil do fhoir ,o1
;er- lures, by downright and positive fraud talk
lie ing of honesty, as if had beer honest go
me ing to church as if were pfactical Chris
m tian, and passing by those l had helped tC
to make sinners, with contempt upon my liu
ght and a Stand by, am holier than thou il
hen my proud heart, even at the tine was indu
tie cling men to become accessories to their owl
uld shame and sin, and the ruin of heir families
dea Bitter but happy tears ofpentence gushet
ice from my eyes as the ocean q intoxcatin
i'm, and banefuI drinks swelled, ami rolled, an
neil seethed around me. Iopened fle drain, an
rust they rushed forth to add to the impurity G
e. their power is past; they viii never NOR
ing turn the staggering workman inb the streets
eace or nerve his arm to strike dowt the wife G
child he is bound by the law of God and ma
}, SO to protect never more send thdself-inficte
back fever of delirium tremens throukh the swe
ain, ling veins never drag the last Fhilling frol
rein the drunkard's hand; never hore quenc
aths the fire on the cottage hearth, or send tt
had pale, overworked artisans children to a su,
t, he PEERLESS bed never more bliser the lips
ne woman, or poison the blood if childhood
and never again infict the SATURDAYS headach
rried which induced the prayerless Sunday. Ava
away would that had the piwer to so s
vii adrift all the so perverted ppduce of Il
had malt, the barley, and the graps sof the world
b1 AS my excitement subsidized lfelt still mo
II resolved the more / calmed d dyn, the firm
,rs became was as paraltic recoveril
ogor the use of his limbs as blinl man restore
~ ~ ba to sight The regrets and ddbts that hi
hon SO often disturbed my mind, gthered ther
I'D selves into mighty power, no to be subdu
! toIl by earthly motives or earthly reasoning.
' ha, felt the dignity of mission Il would be
= ooIl Temperance missionary to te end of u
30 20" Idays. | would seek out thI worst amor
- those who had frequented 'tR Grapes Al
G. nour counsel and advice-theearnest cou
boon sci and the earnest advice of apurely dis
~os terested man-into ears SO ldg deaf to
20 nc voice of the charmer. | was free man,
ss;nc longer filling my purse witt the purcha
a. e money of sorrow, sin and de4h. | owed t
: o;tr sinners, confirmed to lead thl old life of
= in nv house, owed them tonement. Z
Isnng what did not long to do fd that poor E
1Tateh ma? When thought of Hr, of her or
,ot 10 cheerfulness, her once inpcenee, her or
'''' - beauty, could have cursedhysef. Sudd