The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1868-11-10
A Temperance Story.

l once heard DIR. Day relate the occur
renee which praduced in his mind the
conviction that drunkards could be res
cued from the domination OF their NOR
bid appetite. One evening, when he
came home from his work, he heard that
certain Jack Watts, the sot of the
ncighhorhood was starving with his wife
and three children. After tea he went
to see him In treating his first patient
Albert Day hit upon the very metho:
lie has ever since pursued, and SO l beg
the reader will note the manner in which
he proceeded. On entering his
cottage he was as polite to him, as con-
siderate of his dignity as head of the
household, as he could have been to the
first man of the village. Mr.. Watts.
said he, after the usual salutations, II
hear you are in straitened circumstances
The man who was then quite sober, re
piled: q am my two youngest chill
dren went to bed crying for food, and
had none to give them. spent my last
three weeks over there pointing to
grog shop opposite, land the bar keeper
said to me as he took the money, said
he Jack Watts, you're fool and SO
am Here was . chance for o fine
moral lecture. Albert Day INDUCED in
nothing Of the kind. He said, Mr..
Watts, excuse me for few minutes -
and he went out, returning soon with a
basket containing some flour, pork, and
other materials for supper. "Now, Mrs
Watts, cook something and wake your
children up, and give them something
to eat. I'll call again early in the morn
ing. Good night"
Perfect civility-no reproaches-no
lecture-practical help of the kind need
ed and at the time needed. Observe,
too, that the man was in the condition of
mind in which patients usually are when
they make the confession implied in enter
ing an asylum. He was at the end Of
+ his tether. H, was-to use the langu-
age of the bar room-''dead beat"
When Mr.. Day called the next morn
! ing the family had had their breakfast,
and Jack Watts smiled benediction on
{ the man whom he had been accustomed
/ to regard as bis enemy, because he was
| the declared eremy of Jack Watts en-
I envy. Now the time had come tor a
| little talk Jack Watts explained his
!. circumstances, he had been out of work
/ for a long time, and he had consumed
all his substance in drink Mr.. Day
listened with respectful attention, spoke
to him on various plans for the future
dollars worth of wood chopping TO do
Then they got upon the liquor question
Tn the sottened, receptive mind of Jack
Watts, Albert Day, deposited the sub
He spoke to him kindly, respectfully
hopefully, strongly; Jack Watts mine
was convinced; he said he had done with
drink forever He meant it, too; ano
thus he was brought to the stage on tn.
road to delverance
In this particular case, resting frou
labor was ont Of the question and un
necessary, for the man had been resting
too long already, and must need to work
The wood was chopped. The dollar tt
be paid for the work at the close of tn.
day, was fearful ordeal for poor j &C k
living fifteen yards from a bar room. Mr.
Day called round in the evening, pait
him the dollar without remark, fell int
ordinary conversation with the family
and took leave. John stood the test
not cent of the money found it's way
into the till of the bar keeper. Mex
morning Mr.. Day was there again, and
seeing that the patient was going OF
well, spoke to him about the future, ane
glided again into the main topic, dwell
ing much upon the absolute necessity o
total and eternal abstinence. He got tn,
man place, visited him, held him up
fortified his mind, and SO helped him t.
complete and lasting recovery. Jacl
Watts never drank Again. He died
year or two ago in Maine, at good age
having brought up his family respect
ably Parton, in Atlantic Monthly.
The American Express Company ant
the Merchants Union Express Compa
ny, have become consolidated under til,
!, name of the American Merchants Unior