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

placing the Bible on the top of her table, a.
mongst a miscellaneous collection of worn
out busters; and tattered grass-cloth wait
ing to be mended.'
That night the master of the Grapes. |
could not sleep more than once be fancied
he smelt fire; and after going into the un-
occupied rooms, and peeping through the |
keyholes and under the doors Of thase that
were occupied, he descended to the bar, and
finally entering the bar parlor, took his day
book from the shelf, and placing the candle,
sat down, listiessly turning over the Ies1ea.
but the togsS tah hlle ssEQuld hQt q aatle,
raisiA to remove the obstruction, Mfath-
ew saw a large family Bible. Pushing a.
way the day-bOoks he opened the sacred vol
ume.
e It opened at the 23d chapter Of Proverbs,
and, as ifguided By, sacred light, his eyes
fell upon the 29th verse and be read:
Who hath wo? who hath sorrow who
hath contentious2 who hath babling? who
hath wounds without cause who hath red
ness of eyes?
They that tarry long at. the wine they
that go to seek mixed vine.
Look not thou upon the wine when it is
red, when it giveth its color in the cup,
when it moveth itself Alright.
AT last it biteth like a serpent, and sting
eth like an adder
He dashed over the leaves in fierce dis
pleasure, and, as if of themselves, they fold
ed back atthe 5th of Galations Envyings,
murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such
like: Of the which | tell you before, as
have also told you in time past, that they
which do such thingsshall NOT INHERIT THE
KINGDOM OF COP.
New and Old, New and Old, muEmur-
ed Mathew to himself am condemned
alike by the Old and the New Testament
He had regarded intoxication and its conse-
quences heretofore as a great social evil
the futtering rags and the feshless bones Of
the drunkaEd and his family, the broils, the
contentious, the ill-feelings, the violence,
the murders wrought by the dread spirit Of
alcohol had stood in array before him as So
cial crimes, as social dangers; but he did
notcall to mind, if he really knew. that the
Word of God exposed alike its destruction
and its sinfulness. He was one of the many
who, however good and moral in themselves,
shut their ears against the voice Of the char
mer, charm he ever SO wisely and though
he often found wisdom and consolation in Q
line of Watts hymns, he rarely went to the
Fountain of living waters for the strength
ening and refreshing of his soul. He turn.
] ed over the chapter and found on the next
strip of paper in the careful hand Of one tc
whom writing was evidently not frequen
occupation.
Proverbs the 23d chap" For the drunk
ard and the glutton shall come to poverty
and drowsiness shall clothe man with rags.
l Corinthians, 9th chap. 10th verse" No
thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor re
vilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the king
dom of God"
"Again that awful threat!" murmure
Mathew "and have l been the means
bringing so many of my fellow-creatures III
der its ban ?"
l Samuel the 1st chap And Eli sal
unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken
put away thy wine from thee Luke FL
And take heed to yourselves, lest at an
time your hearts be overcharged with su
feiting, and drunkenness, and cares of tn
life and so that day come upon you un
wares
CAV, THAT DAY. repeated the landlord
that day the day that must come
Ephesians, 5th chap And be not dy9t'
with wine, wherein is excess; but be fill
with the Spirit Proverbs, Goth chap.
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is ragln
and whosoeveri is deceived thereby is not Wis
III al IN f1aIn hI
and mingIeth strong drink to his destructaoi
He rose from the table, and paced up a.
down the little room: no eye but His W
seeth all things looked upon the ea1nestnt
and agitation of that man no ear but
All-hearing heard his sighs, his half-mutt
ed PRAYER to be strengthened tor good.
said within himself: Who will council !
in this matter ?-to whom shall fly for sy
pathy ?-who will tell me what l ought
do?-how remedy the evils l have broug
on others while in this business, even WI
nv heart was alive to its wickedness ?
: had nofriend to advise with-none who wo1
do aught but laugh at and ridicule the il
: of giving up a good business for conscien
= sake but so it was that it occurred to h
You have an Immortal Friend. take cour
! of Him-pray to Him-learn Of Him; tr
= Him; make His Book your guide; and op
ing the Bible he read one other passage
e Keen innocency, and take heed to the h
d that IS right, for that shall bringa man pc
: at the last .......
e Pondering on this blessed rule of life
e simple and so comprehensive, he turned .
& the pages, repeating it over and over ag
- until he came to the first fy-leaf, Whel
10 were written the births, marriages, and del
l. ,lor ho
- belonged and therein, second on the list
IL saw in a stiff, half-printed hand, the nan
"a EMMA HANDY, only daughter of James
Id Mary Jane Handy, born so and so, mar
e- at such date to PETER CROFT!
Emma Hanby'-born in his native
be lage; the little Emma Handy whom he
no loved to carry over the brooks to school
ne whose side in boy-love he had sat in the m
ows-for whom he had gathered fowe
whose milk-pail he had so often lifted
ay the church-style-whom he had loved q
an never could or did love woman since-W
: be would have married, if she, light-he;
girl that she was, could have loved the
i'm yellow, awkward youth, whom it was
pastime to laugh at, and her delight tc
m : Daddy'-was she then the wife-the
VI soiled, tattered, worn-out, irsulted, brC
spirited wife of the drunkard Peter Gro
1t seemed impossible; her memory had
is such a sunbeam from boyhood up the
the ner of his nature-the dream that often
In to him by day and night. While pa
.. the parochial school, when the full tt
girls rushed from its heat into the thicl
air, his heart had often beat if the ril
ana laugh of merry child sounded like the
led he once thought music and he would
Tres to see if the girl resembled the voice tn
self called his early love.