Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1873-04-29

array of statistics, and showed how
many loayes of bread could be bought
with the money expended in the United
| States Tor intoxicating liquors; how
many comfortable houses the same
money would build; hcw many schools
it would support, and how soon 1t would
pay the National Debt.
Then he drew :. movlns picture ol the
sorrow OF The druukard's family aud the
awfulness OF The drunEards death, and
sat down amid a pclecl thunder oi ap.
plause.
The faithful beamcd upon each oIhcI
with glowing and eNmessnc counIe-
nauces; the Comet QuarIr'ir p'u) ed
Don't YOU 90. Tommy The smallest
youug lady sang Father, dear father,
come home with me Now" and lben
Squire Breet. the Chairman, announced
that The meeting WAS open for remarks.
\ decisive laugh from some oI tho
hal grown boys, aud litter Irom some
oi thc misses, attracted The attention at
the audience. and looking round they
saw Joe Uigg standing up in pew near
,he door
Put him out r. "lt's shame {" Dis
graceful" were some ol the cries which
were heard in the room.
"Nlr pigg is u ciueeu ot Backley,'
said The Chairman, iapPirg 'isorouSJ
10 call the audience To- order, ''and thou h
not member oi Tie Association, hc i,
rnutcd Ia a hearing"
'Tb,mk you, Mr.. Chairman" said Joe
nixs, when quiet Was r,s,orcdi "your
words aIr The lps, respectful ones Tvs
ever heard in Bacalcl. au' do assure
You appreciate en-. But ! want the
au,uprrc 70 oupdvls,and ! ujut d,unk-l
haven't had - cent Ion tWu days. an no.
body ; treated me"
By this time the audience WAS very
quiet, but in a Joiicau, lever Ut eNcitc-
ment. a druaA4d speaking night oui
Ia temperance meeting they had never
/ heard OF such 1 thing iu their lives,
/ Verify, BacGlcy vs., going to add upc 10
the roll at modcsl villages made famous
+ by unusual occurrences.
II SpoSe, MI Chairman" continued
Joe Digg. "tLat the pint OF temp'rancc
mcc,u's is to stop drunkenness, an rs
I'm ABOUT the only fully developed
druukar1 IN town, I'm wo2; likely to
know what this mccliuI mounted to
/ Squire Brect inclined his heal slightly,
as il 10 admit thc correctness of Joe
Digg's position.
II believe eyogy word the gentleman
has said, continued the dgqpkarj, raud'
! here lie paused long enough to IL; IN
exci,ablc member cNclaim Bless the
Lord ~ and burst in.o icars-''an' he could
have pat it all a good deal stronger with.
out slretchin tic truth An ,A4 syyer
.. &. .,unk4rus nome can be talked
about Ill the Dictionary runs dry, an
then We don't know nolhjn' bout it. But
haiu't none OF ye ever laughed bout
lochiu' tho sable loo, aUet me hoss is
s,olena That's just what this temp'rance
mcclin' an all The others comes to-"
\ general aud rather indignant mpg-
mur of d.,coai laG ,urough ,he audience
''le don't believe i,,.7 continued doe
/ pigg, "buI rvo been drunkArd, nm I'm
oue set, an yc all got sense enough TO
undcrStan' that ort,r know best about
ill.,"
viii the gentleman have Ito kindness
j to -Aph.tn ASKED the lecturer.
I'm comm TO it,,ir, ct my head III see
nc through" replied the .iYqHhard:
You iclk! lH t4esye lnaI its lorIn'
liluof that makes men drink it; now,
faint no scch thing. | never had u
chance to taste fancy drinks, hut | know
that every kind Of liquor ever got hold
of was more like medicine than anything
nice"
Then what 81 they drink for," de
manded the excilaJle member.
I've got to say my own say in my
own fashion, fu' F'II tell YOU" SAID Joe,
"ii you'll have liule patience ! have
to do it In my owa way, Tor l ain'l used
TO public speakin'. You all know who |
am. Ny father vi, church member,
an so was mother. Father done days
work, fur a dollai'n - quarter day.
How much frewood an clothes an food
dye suppose that money could pay for ?
We had to eat what eGme cheapest. an
when some oil the women here wuZ a
situn' comfortable o nights. II knittin' an
sewin' an readin'. mother wuz hangin'
sroun' the butcher shop, tryin 10 beat the
butcher down on the scraps that wasn't
good enough for you folks Soon rs we
young un3 was biz enough to do any
thing We wuz put Ia work. I've worked
for men in thi. room Twelve an fourteen
hours day. don't blame 'em-they
didn't mean nothin' out OF The way-they
worked just rs long 'emselves, an so did
their boys. But they alters had somethin'
inside to keep en- ep, an' didn't. Does
anybody wonder that when ! harvested
with some men THAT KEEP liquor In the
| field. an found how it helped me along,
that took it, an thought 'taws reg'lar
Gods blessin'? An when foun' twas
hunin' me, Low was TO 60 10 work