Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1866-02-20
What VIII You Have?
BY Rev. JAMES W. ALEXANDER, D. D.

The following vivid sketch was intro
duced by the late DR.. Alexander into his
"Letters to Workingmen." He writes
iatbe character of workingnah
After days work of copying, I was
under the Notifying necessity of wait.
ing an hour in the sap-room of low
tavern to secure the services of q mail
guard, who was, to carry parcel for my
employer amid the smoke, the splitting,
end the clatter of a crowd of inn-haunt-
ers, could not but find some subjects
for reflection
eE The presiding genious of the bar was
. hloated, whiskered young man, whom
had long known as the abandonedson of
deceased friend. I sighed, and was
silent. Ever and anon, as squads OF two
or three approached his shrine to receive
aud empty their. glasses, and deposit
their sixpences, heard the short formu-
Ia of the bacchanal minister: What
aviu you haves brandy? gin2 punch2
What sciU you hGrer And the victims
! severaiIy made their bids for a : small
Ter" a cock tail, a sling, or julep, as.
the case might be.
"Me thinks can answer this ques-
tion," said / TO my self, and | cast a
glance around the murky apartment
And FIRST to the young shoemaker who,
with pair of newly finished boots, Is
asking for grog. "What viii yon haveY
YouEg man, you will soon have an empty
pocket i assva,r la .nAaaAH sgNAaE a
There comes my neighbor, the book
binder. His hand shakes as he raises
his full glass. Ali Shannonl / dread
TO say it, but you will have the palsy
The glasses are washed out, not
eleansed, in the slop,tupl under the bar
shelf Now fresh bevy comes up, cigar
in hand. Gentlemen, what will you
have1' mIschooseato supply the answer
Tor myself thus: The baker there will
have an Gpoplery or sudden fall in the
shop. The tailor in green glasses will
have, or, rather, has all ready, CON
sumption And ! fear that the three
idlers in their train will have the next
epidemic that shall sweep off our refuse
drunksrds.
Sorry am to sac in this den Mr.
Scanning, the cooper Not to speak of
himself, l have reason to believe that
both his grown sons are beginning to
drink He looks about him suspicionsly,
Now be has plucked up courage. He
takes whisky. You will have pair of
drunken sons.
That young fellow in the green frock-
coat and colored neck-cloth is a mus-
clan, man of reading, and the husband
of lovely English woman. He takes
his glass with the air of Greek drinking
hemlocksf Yon will have a heartbroken
wife
What is that lad of fifteen going to
the bar? He is; and he losses off his
glass of cognae with an air. You will
have an early death
The old man that totters out of the
door has, doubtless, come here to drown
his grief His last son has died in pris-
ON, from the effects Of brawl ! in the
theatre. The father has looked unntter-
able anguish every sober moment for two
years Wretched old mani You will
have the halter of suicide
must take the rest in mass, for it is
Saturday night, and the crowd increases
The barkeeper has an assistant in the
person of pale, sorrowful girl. Two
voices now reiterate the challenge:
What soiU you haUes phdt sUiH you
h0ves
Misguided friends, am greatly afraid
you viii have a death-bed sCithoUt hope.
As walked home across the common,
I thought thus: And what will he
have, who, day after day, and year after
year, doles out the DEVILS bounty to his
recruits, and receives the sixpences, as
it were, over the coffins Of his victims p
You, to say the least, hardened tempter,
will have the recollection of your deeds,
and the risioh Of their eternal results.