Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-05-11
The Bar.keeper's story.
BY 8. A. MOTT.

A few years ago I was stopping for {
| time IN village in the central portion O
New York State, and during my stay {
| series OF meetings were started under TIT
supervision of Elder Jacob Knapp, thu
Baptist Revivalist After a period thu
interest became very marked and spread
in all portions Of the town. Business fol-
some days was entirely stopped, to give
| the people the better opportunity Il
seek their souls salvation. Prayer meet
| ings were instituted in various parts Of
the town; and finally noon prayer-meet
ing was begun in the bar-room of the
principal hotel. The hotel keeper not
only made no objection but even encour.
aged and assisted those who attended and
carried on the meeting.
One OF the results of the prayer.meet.
ing was the delivery of Temperance ser.
mon, by Elder Knapp in which he related
various incidents which had passed under
his own observations, tending to illustrate
his subject; and among others gave the
following narration.
ga rumseller rose one night in my con.
gregation and said: I have sold liquor
for many years. have been the cause OF
much ruin and degradation, of great sor.
row and misery. Only yesterday man
bought liquor at my bar, went out and
started for home. He had gone but q
short way when he fell and broke his leg
He was taken up and brought into my
sitting-room. His leg was found to be SC
badly broken, that amputation became
necessary. The surgeon was brought and
very soon the operation was performed
AS looked at the limb, after it was re-
moved I thought sThat is your work"
have done mischief among every class.
One day few years since, young man
came into my bar-room and demanded
brandy. knew him. He was from one
of the most respected families in town.
He was graduate of a college, man of
ability, of wealth, of refinement and OF
great promise. He demanded liquor.
felt that ought not to let him have it ;
but wanted his money and so 1 poured
it out. Soon he returned and asked for
another glass of brandy. Again felt |
ought not to let him have it, yet again for
his money poured it out to him. Soon
he returned again for the third time, and
though felt again compunctions of con-
L
stuff and he retired.
"Soon after having occasion to go out
to my bar room, as | went toward the
barn / saw my customer leaning against a
post. AS approached him he shuddered
and appeared frightened, and at the same
time cried out, Don't hurt me J don't
hurt me I told him I wouldn't, per-
suaded him to go into the hotel, took him
up to spare room in the second story
and put him to bed"
81 thought no more about him. The
next morning friend of his came In and
made inquiries concerning him. Some
thing within me, can't tell what is was,
made me reply, 'he is dead then told
of the occurrence of the previous day, at
the same time leading the way up stairs
We advanced to the room and entered.
We turned down the clothing of the bed,
and there lay what was left of the once
noble Young man, cold, stark, dead
81 shrank away, for it seemed as though
was his murderer. But did not cease
selling rum, for I could not give up the
idea of making money. Oh ! If some
strong hand had been interposed, if some
strong law had said thou shalt not do It'll
I might have been saved, but now l shall
go down to my grave feeling in my soul
that am a murderer"
Such were the words of the rumseller,
in that revival meeting of Elder Knapp,
and I thought when heard him tell it
could we desire, and if we did, could we
have a stronger argument in favor of pro-
hibition We would protect the man
who drinks, by telling him he shall not
have it; but here is man who sells, and
doubt not there are thousands of others.
who would be protected from the sin of
s sRsaE end oat from Fl Pbd the aas y Jaw 81 %6
shall prohibit him from continuing in his
traffic.
But" Optimist asks, "why does be not
stop selling" For the same reason, that
you do not stop your business-he wishes
to make money. "But is he to make
money at the expense of his soul ?" "By
no means but so long as humanity is the
poor weak humanity it is now, just so
long will money be the "root of all evil"
to it, and just so long will men barter
their eternal happiness to gain it, and the
question for US to consider, is whether or
not we are free from guilt and are not
imperilling our soul when we let them do
it? If a man stand by and let his brother
man kill his neighbor, he is held equally
guilty of the murder, and go You and l.,
optimist, il we stand by our brother, and
allow them to murder other of our fellow
beings to be held guilty. Will the crime
entirely rest upon the rum-seller, or shall
we find that we in lifting the skirts of our
garments and in moving afar off that we
might let him alone, nevertheless spotted
them with the oonvicting and condemn
ing blood ?-KeyStone Good Iemplar.