Smyrna times., 1867-12-11
A SHOT AT THE DECANTGR.

There is a current story that Quaker once
discovered a thief in his house, and, taking
down his grandfather old fOwling piece, he
said, Friend, thee had better get out of the
way, for [ intend to fire this gun right 1chere
thee stands" With the same conSiderate
spirit we warn certain gooG people that they
had better take the decanters Oft their tables,
for we intend to aim a Bible truth right W here
that decanter stands. 1t is in the wrong place
1t has no more business to be there at ~ than
the thief had to be in the honest Quaker
house. We are not surprised to find decan-
ter of alchohOic poison on the counter OF
dram-shop, whose keeper is licensed to sell
death by measure; but we are surprised to
find it on the table or the side-bOard Of one
who processes to be guided by the spirit and
teachings of God Word That bottle stands
right in the range Of the following inspired
utterance of st. Paul; 1t is good neither to
eat flesh nor to drink ,0ine, nor anything ,chere-
by the brother stumbteth." " This text must
either go out of the Christian Bible or the
bottle go off the table. The text will not move
and the bottle must
The passage itself is so clear that it can
hardly admit of a cavil or doubt. 1t teaches
the holy and benevolent principle that abStln-
ence from things that are naturally hurttul to
others, is a Christi IN expediency that has the
grip of moral duty.
1t would be easy to prove unanswerably that
alcoholic beverages are injurious to those who
use them. The famous athlete, Tom. Sayers,
was once asked by gentleman, suppose
that when you are training, you use plenty Of
of beefSteaks, and London porter, and pale
ale?" The boxer replied, In my time have
! drunk more than was good for me but when
| have business to do, there's nothing like
water and dum-bells" After retiring from
business" he took to drink and died like IA
sOt. Cold water made him a Samson; alcohol
laid him in his grave.
The inherent wrong of using intoxicating
drinks is twO-fod. First it exposes to danger
the man who tampers with it; for no man was
ever positively assured by his Creator that he
could play with the s. adder that lies in a
wine cup without being stung by it. Second.
it puts IA stumbling-block in the way of him
whom we are commanded to love as ourselves.
Now, on the same princ ple-not of self
preservation merely, but Of avoiding what is
dangerous to Others-what right have to sus-
tain those fountain heads of death from which
the drink poison is sold? What right have |
to advocate their license, to patrnnize the traf
fic, or even in any way to abet the whole Sys-
tenn of drinking alcoholic stimulants at home
or abroad? Ii a glass of wine on my table
will entrap some young man, or some one who
is inclined to stimulantS, into dissipation, then
| am thOughtleSsly setting trap for his llie
| am his tempter. | gave the usage my sane
ton, and to him the direct in'lucement to par
take of the bottled demon that sparklGs so Sc
ductively before him. If he goes away from
my table and commits some outrage under the
effects Of the stimulant, | am, to certain de
gree, guilty of that outrage. | gave him tht
incentive to do what otherwise he might have
left undOne The man who puts the bottle t.
his neighbOrs lips is accountable for wha
comes from those lips under the influence o
, the dram, and is accountable too, for every
outrage that the maddened victim of the cuI
may perpetrate during his temporary insanity
1t is an old fashioned total abstinence tina
we are pleading for. We ask it, ask it, a
Paul did, for the sake of those who stumble.
: Oh, those stumblers! We dare not speak o
2 them 1t would touch many of us too tenderly
: 1t would reveal too many wrecks that angel
E wept over 1t would open tombs whose char
g table green turf hides out OF sight what man
a survivor would love to have forgotten
e would recall to me many college TREND VIII
0 went down at midday into blackness of dark
G ness.
t And to-day | see this social curse comm
: back into houses into our streets, into on
daily usages of life with redoubled power
{ Would that every parent was prOhlbltor
y law " to his family Would that every pulp
+ and every platform would thunder forth tn
: old warning cry, Look not on the wine whe
: it is red, when it giveth its color in the cup
for at last it biteth like Il serpent and stinget
like an adder" At the last at the LAST
# But, oh i who can tell when that . last " sha
= ever end When will the victims last groa
j. be heard When will the last horror Seiz
- upon his wretched soul?