The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1869-09-02
TFor the News.
NV Confession,

~ EOI tHe BOOu OF humanity ana pdrtlcu-
ly for the benefit Of the unfortunate part ol
i, the human family, there has been estab-
lished the precedent of publishing to the
world certain confessions, Illustrating the
}, sin and folly of becoming the slaves oi
degrading habits, and giving way to the
/. base passions, as a consequence of which,
murders are committed, drunkards are
made, and a vast amount of physical and
moral suffering is inflicted on the better
classes of society, as well as the unfortu7
nate victims themselves. De Quincy has
published the "Confession Of an Opium
Eaters" noted criminals have from time to
time published their confessions Of the
number of crimes committed, also the de-
tails Of their lives, how they were led step
by step, through the various shades of
crime, until the final act which led to their
detection and the sudden cutting short of
their career by the gallows.
These confessions at the point of death
or total degradation, have direct tenden-
cy to deter others from the commission of
crime, and perhaps arrest some unhappy
mortal on the downward road to ruin.
Hence, have been constrained to publish
a confession of my experience as a Whis-
ky Drinker, with the hope that it may be
the means Of saving some unfortunate per-
son who has become addicted to the perni-
cious habit of drinking Intoxicating Il
quors, or Of causing some neaO beginner to
stop and reflect before taking the last step
that may lead to moral degradation, de-
pravity and ruin.
was Is years old when I drank my
first glass. It was only sweet wine, and
I thought it perfectly harmless. Surely,
thought I, there can be no harm in glass
Of wine; it looks so mild, so gentle, so
harmless But ah, 1 did not see the demon
lurking In the bottom of that glass Of
sparkling wine, ready to seize and drag me
down to deep despair.
That was the first step IN a long career
ofreckless dissipation, from which was
only saved by the convicting power of AL
mighty God, who brought me, an humble
penitent, to the foot of the Cross.
From drinking wine I soon learned to
drink whisky, brandy, and other intoxica-
ting liquors. For long time I thought,
as thousands of others have thought, that
would never become a CIT-uHkGrd. No, not
I. could drink or let it alone, just as
felt like it, and often said that when I
found that whisky was getting the upper
hand of me would quit it. But alas for
poor, frail human naturei did not quit
when 1 could. would not believe that
whisky was getting The upper hand ofme.
So slowly, surely and steaIthily, was the
monster serpent entwining himself around
me, that was perfectly unconscious of the
terrible fact. Not until had brought
myself completely undor the dominion of
my appetite did 1 realize the dreadful stu
alton that had placed myself in, and the
humiliating truth flashed upon me that I
was at last drunkard, and was so con
sidered by my fellow-men.
I made many frantic efforts to reform,
but all my attempts in that direction
seemed. useless. Drinking had become a
second nature, and after trying for weeks
and even months, to shake off the terrible
monster, would give up in utter despair,
and again would plunge into the Lethean
stream of dissipation, ia the vain hope Of
forgetting my woes. At last, after years
ofmisery and despair, after experiencing
all the horrors of a drunkard's life, and
barely escaping drunkards death, I was
.saved-saved by the grace of God-saved
through the merits OF crucifed Redeemer,
who was ableto save even the thief upon
the cross. It was only by the power OF
the religion of the meek and lowly One,
that I was enabled to break the chain that
bound my very soul to the hideOus mon
ster that was. dragging me down to IA
drunkard's Hell. ....- ...-.. x
All, my dear young man you that are
just learning to drink Intoxicating liquors,
could you but lift the veil of the future and
see the misery, the degradation, and all
the evils that follow in the train of a
drunkard's life, you would dash the in
toxicating bowl from you as you would
cup Of poison You may hatter yourself
upon your powers of self control; you may
think that you can drink or let it alone,
just as you lille-that you can govern your
appetite; but remember that thousands of
others have aattered themselves in the
same way, who are now filling drunkards'
graves. Donot hug to your bosom the
delusive hope that wine is harmless, for,
like the tabled viper, it will turn and in
fiict deadly sting on him that caresses 1t.
Do not pride yourself on your self-con-
troll, and run the dangerous risk of expert
meuting with alcohol, for just in proportion
as the habit of drinking grows upon You,
Just in the same ratio does the power Of
selfcontroI decrease. Many promising
mind and .bright!intellect has unfortunate
4 " been wrecked upon this very rock
drifting swiftly, but almost impreceptibly,
on to destruction, ere the terrible danger
flashed upon the besotted brain; and yet
the unfortunate fnebriate considered him
self strong in his self-control, safely en-
trenched behind the resolution made in
starting out, of not becoming a drunkard.
"BOund on-a voyage Of awful length,
! ... And dangers little known,
..--. A stranger to superior strength
..-, Man vainly trusts his own,"
and thus relying imagines himself safe.-
But man is too prone to become the slave
of a vicious appetite, and therefore should
not trust himself in the way oftemptation.
Naturally weak and irresOlute-the pur-
poses of to-day woven with much pains in
to his plans, tomorrow finds them vanish
ed into thin air Some foe to his good in
Eteutfons finds out his weaker part, and,
with the seductive Invitation, "let's take a
HCtIe something to drink" he descends a
step lower to perdition. -.
In conclusion, let me say to those that
have not yet formed the habit of drinking,
Iifyou would profit by the sad experience OF
another, and would wish to escape from
I IL