The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1873-03-04

Is Temperate Drinking Safe ?

A 7 certain town meeting, in Pennsyl-
IA vania, the question came up whether
any person should be licensed to sell rum.
The clergyman, the deacon, the physician,
strange as it may appear, all favored it.
Only one man spoke against it, because of
the mischief it did. The question was
about to be put, when all at once, there
arose from The corner Of the room, mis-
cradle woman. She was thinly clad, and
her appearance indicated the utmost
wretchedness, and that her mortal career
was almost closed. Aftera moments 81
lence, and all eyes being fixed upon her, she
stretched her attenuated body to its utmost
height, and then her long arms to their
greatest length, and raising her voice to a
shrill pitch, she called to all to look upon
her.
"Yes ~ she said, "look upon me, and
then hear me- All that the last speaker
has said relative to temperate drinking, as
being the father of drunkenness, is true.
All practice, all experience, declares its
truth All drinking of alcoholic poison, as
beverage in health, is erceSS. Look upon
me! You all know me, or once did. You
all know was once the mistress of the
best farm in the town you all know, too,
had one of the best,-the most devoted of
husbands. You all know had fine, noble
hearted, industrious boys. Where are they
now9 Doctor where are they now? You
all know. You all know they lie in row,
side by side, in yonder churchyard all,
every one of them filling the drunkard's
grave They were are all taught to believe
that temperate drinking was safe, the ex-
cess al lone ought to be avoided, and they
never acknowledged excess. They quoted
you, and you, and you, pointing with her
shred of finger to the minister, deacon,
and doctor) as authority. They thought
themselves safe under such teachers. But
/ saw the gradual change coming over my
family and its prospects, with dismay and
horror. l felt we were all to be overwhelm-
ed in one common ruin. l tried to ward
off the blow / tried to break the spell, the
delusive spell, in which the idea of the
the benefits of temperate drinking had in
volved my husband and sons. begged, l
prayed but the odds were against me-
"The minister said the poison that was
destroying my husband and boys was
good creatue Of God the deacon who sits
under the pulpit there, and took our farm
to pay his rum bills, sold them the poison
the doctor said little was good, and ex-
cess only ought to be avoided. My poor
husband and my dear boys fell into the
snare, and could not escape and, one after
another, were conveyed to the sorrowful
grave of the drunkard. Now look at me
again. You probably see me for the last
time. My sands have almost run. have
dragged my exhausted frame from my
present home,-your poor house,-to warn
you all to warn you, deacon, to warn you,
false teacher of Gods word p And with
her arms flung high, and her tall form
stretched to its utmost, and her voice raised
to an unearthly pitch, she exclaimed, "I
shall soon stand before the Judgment seat
of God. / shall meet you there, you false
guides, and be witness against you all p'
The miserable woman vanished. A dead
silence pervaded the assembly the min
lister, the deacon, and physician, hung
their heads ; and when the president of the
meeting put the question. "Shall any
license be granted for the sale of spurious
liquors ?" the unanimous response was,
"Now