Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866, 1865-11-29
THE DRUNKARD'S HOME.
a LIFE SKETCH.
BY CHERRY BLOSSOM.


picture of wretched misery, blightcd hope
and ruined character do these simple word,
portray What tales of inconsolable woe
and heart-rcnding misery might the drunk
ard home reveal In what pathetic terms
could it tell Of the victims first halfregret
full step in the path OF degradation and DIES.
tructiOn. and its consequences; Of his bitter
4 repentance and determination, so soon TO be
forgottcn-to turn away from the poisoned
chalce; Of his gradual attention to the fiat,
tering, insidiOus tongue Of the tempter, and
again, his degrading submission to the
yoke of the despotic tyrant and his return
home in a bcastly state of intoxication; OF
the low wall, the suppressed sob, the scald-
ing tear, and muttcred prayer of the loving
wife, and the frightened glanccs Of the chill
dren, who huddle together in a sheltered
corner, and can not comprehend the scene
! which Is being enacted All this might it
/ tell and how much more.
We say it with a feeling OF deep humilia-
I'tion, that in this cultivated age, drUndard S
! homes are far too numerous on our broad
prairies and in our blooming valleys.
! Wherever we turn we find them staring US
/ in the face, and upbraiding us for our len
iency to King Alcohol. In our cities we
( find them in the darkened courts and amid
/ the haunts of sin and vice.
In our villages we find them, bearing In
/ their diIapidated condition the evidence of
all the degradation, misery and poverty
which they truly contain. Out on our
beautiful prairie, in the midst Of Heavens
tokens Of plentcOus bountics TO sinful man.
We find them, with all their attendant mis-
cries. Are not such scenes q blot Oh the
fair fame Of our country, and the good
name Of our people; and is there single
being who has the welfare Of suffering hui
manity at heart who will speak a word for
them?
Not long since We visited drunkard' S
home What our mission was it mattered
not-that It was not one of idle curiosity
be assured The house had once been q
handsome cottage, but, by neglect, and the
ravages Of time, it was now dilapidated
ruin The paling which had once surroun-
ded the garden, was torn away in many
places, and awayed back and forth in the
evening breeze. The gate had long since
disappeared and we entered what | remem-
bered had once been beautiful flower gar
den. But how changed Now there was
lCL1luS klclLIC " u6uOlC IudG UiAl5 SDOJ
once blOomed with the floral emblems of love
and purity and was once rcdoIent with the
sweet perfume Of the many-scented flowers
Rank weeds grew in undisturbed luxuriance,
and, rs they nodded in the breeze, they
seemed to convey to us an impression Of the
misery, ruin and sin which lurked here and
even made their existence known in the
decay which was visible around
The house, as We have said, was dilap-
idated ruin: but how inadequate are these
words to convey a true sense Of that ruin
rs. beheld by Us. The clap-boards were
hanging of, swaying TO and fro, with q
melancholy sound, which struck terror to
our hearts, and make Us think if we were
not amid the ruins Of Il city Of the dead.
Crumbling fragments Of chimney were
visible above the root, and the debris which
Law scattered around, informed us what had
been its fate. The windows were broken,
and some Of the openings were filled with
old clothes, while others were unbarrcd to
the storms that beat. Even the moss-cov-
cred well show signs OF decay; Its windlass
was broken, and the old irOn-hOOped bucket
no longer held the sparkling fluid from the
tount. Oh, had it been OftcnCr used, these
signs Of ruin and misery would never have
existed. In our excited Imagination every
thing around seemed tainted with the pesti-
IentiaI breath Of decay. Even natures
works did not have the same freshness in
our eyes; the grass-hopper's song was a
1ucl from the death-bed. and the drcary
moan Of the wind, as it swept around the
ruins Of a once happy home, sang 4 dirge
of misery! misery
We knocked at the door OF I'll, house,
and feeble Come in was tho answer.
As we crossed the threshold we ca i hur-
ried glance around the room. and we invOl-
UNFAIRLY rccoiled from the picture Of desti-
tuition and misery which was unveiled to
our gaze. We can not find words TO dcs-
cribC the despairing look worn by the in
mates, and the perceptiblc air Of deepest
suffering which yelled their faces, and I'M
consciously upbraided Us for having so long
neglected TO visit this place, putting it off
by saying, 3" 1t is only drunkard's home"
The contents Of the room were pine
table, & single chair, and few cooking
utensils. No bedstead was there, but in the
farther corner Of the room was straw
mattrass and 4 cOverlet.
Two children We're in the room; the
eldest, . little girl with blue eyes and golden
hair, was about eight years old, and the
other, boy, might have been six. Their
large, wisttul eyes gazed up into ours, as we
entered, with such an expression Of sUbdued
sadness that We found it impossible TO keep
back the tears, though we made an effort 70
greet them with an encouraging smile.
They seemed so wise and dignitied in their
misery, hut want haggard want, was visi-
bic in their cmaciated faces, which, in their
death-like paleness and spiritual beauty,
seemed rather TO belong to inmates Of the
spirit-Iand than to worldly forms. Thor
clothing consisted Of few scrupulOUsly
clean, though battered garments.
All this wesaw as wo crossed the threshold;
but we looked for some other occupant, and
there was another. Away in the corner,
beneath the coverlct, we heard broken
voice welcoming Us. That voice, sounding
Is if il were from the tomb and that skclc
ton form we can not recall them without
a shuddcr. Who would have recognized in
that wasted form her who had been the
belle Of the village? And it was 50; but
how changed, the once sparkling eye was
now 50 Sorrowtul and sunllcn; the once
golden curls were now, in the prime OF life,
thickly threaded with gray; the once soft,
yelycty checks and smooth brow were now
turrowcd over with many a line of care
the once beautiful form was now reduced 10
skeleton frame; and the once sweet, soft
voice sounded like one from the tomb
And this was the wife and mother,
Her eyes sparklcd with a pleasant light
~ he. ls,sFn 1ytaI h,li