Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-12-29
4 Soul in Deadly Peril.

A Soul in Deadly Peril.
l will relate q circumstance which /
occurred to me some years ago, the re- |
suit of which made deep impression I
on my mind. / was not then a teetO- ]
taler-wOuld that / had been but I /
conscientiOusly, though enormously, |
believed in the health-restoring prop |
critics of stout (strong beer.
a hard-wOrking, industrious, God |
fearing man, teetOtaler of some years
standing, suffering from an abcess in
his hand, which had reduced him very
much, applied to me for advice. 1
told him the only medicine he requir-
ed was rest; and to remedy the waste
going on in his system, and to repair
the damage done to his hand, he was
to support himself with a bottle of
stout daily. He replied: 81 cannot
take it, for L have been some years a
teetOtaler." ''Well,n L said, "if you
know better than the doctor, it is no
use applying to me-" Believing, as l
did then. that the drink would really
be of service to him, urged him to
take the stout as a medicine, which
would not interfere with his pledge.
He looked anxiously in my face evil
pently weighing the matter over in
his mind, and sOrrowfully replied -
doctor, / was a drunken man once
I should not like to be one again."
He was, much against his will, pre-
vailed on to take the stout, and in
time he recovered from his sickness.
When he got well, L, of course, prais-
ed up the virtues of stout as a means
l. s,t, L, -
ever to be thankful: and rather lee
/ tured him on being such a fanatic
/ that's the word) as to refuse taking q
bottle of stout daily to restore him to
his former health.
| L last sight of my patient for some
months; but, am sorry to say that
on one fine summers day, when driv-
| ing through one of our public thor
ough-fares, L saw poor, miserable,
/ ragged looking man leaning against
/ the door of a common public-hOuse,
drunk, and incapable of keeping an
erect position. Even in his poverty,
/ drunkenness, and misery, discover
ed it was my teetotal patient whom /
had, not so long ago, persuaded to
break his pledge. ] could not be mis-
| taken. I had reason to know him well
/ for he had been a member ola Metho-
dist church; an indefatigable Sunday
! School Teacher, a prayer-leader,
! whose earnest appeals for the saliva
/ ton of others had often listened to
with pleasure and edifieatiOn. l i'm
mediately went to the man, and was
/ astOnished to find the change which
| drink, in so short time, had worked
/ in his appearance. With manifest
surprise, and looking earnestly at the
poor wretch, / said, ''S-, is that
yOu?n With a staggering reel and
| clipping his words, he answered /;
"Yes, it's me Look at me again.
[ Don't you know me ?'' "Yes, L know
you," 1 said, land am grieved to see
( you in this drunken condition. l
thought you were a teetOtaler ?'-
| With a peculiar grin upon his cOun-
/ tenanee, he answered: Il was before
/ took your medicine" 81 am sorry
I to see you disgracing yourself by such
I conduct. L am ashamed of you. u
ROusing himself as drunken people
will at times, to extraordinary effort,
he seofhngly replied: Didn't you
send me here for my medicine ?" And
with a deliriOus kind of ehuckle,
he hiecupped out words I shall never
! forget. Doctor, yolT medicine cured
/ Hly body, but damned ma soul ~
| Two or three of his companions,
I hearing our conversation, took him
under their protection, and | left him.
! As l drove away, my heart was full
of bitter reflections, that | had been
the cause of running this mans pros
| poets, not only of this world but of that
l which is to come. You may rest as
sured did not sleep much that night;
the drunken aspect of that man
haunted me, andI found myself weep
ing over the injury had done him.
L rose up early next morning and
went to his cottage, with its little gar
den in front, on the outskirts of town
where had often seen him with his
wife, and happy children playing
about, but found, to my sorrow, that
he had removed sometime ago.
At last, with some difficulty, 1 found
him located in low neighbOrhoOd,
not far distant from the public house
he had patrOnized the day before
Here, in such home as none but the
drunkard could inhabit, l found him
laid upon a bed of strOw, feverish
and Frustrated from the previous days
debauch, abusing his wife because she
could not get him some more drink
She, standing aloOf with tears in her
eyes, broken down with care and grief,
her children dirty and clothed jim rags,
all friendless and STEPPED in poverty
What a wreck was there
Turned out of the church in which
he was once an ornament; his religion
sacrificed his usefulness marred his
hopes of eternity blasted, now poor,
detected slave to his passion for drink,
without mercy and without hOpe!-l
talked to him kindly; reasoned with |
him; succored him till he was well, |
and never lost sight of him or let him
have any peace until he had signed !
the pledge again.
It took him some time to recover (
his place in the church, but / have !
had the happiness OF seeing him re- /
stored. He is now, more than ever, a !
devoted worker in the church, and the /
cause of temperance is pleaded on all /
occasions. Can you wonder then. that /
1 never order strong drink for q pa
tent nOw?-[ DR.. M,RrOe, of Hull, /
England ]