Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1873-12-13
GOUGH HIS ADDRESS To THE
WORKING CHA SSES.
Delivered in Exeter Hall.

1 was once asked to go and see a
the worst. they said. in the
whole town. I said:
You have no right to ask me TO go
andsee him unless he wishes TO see me;
if he come to me, will see him; or If
he wishes me to go to mis- house; 1 will
go.'
If I went unbidden, he might say:
Who told you was drunkard! Mind
your own business and will mind mine;
wait until send for you.'
have no more right to 60 into the
poor mans house than into the splendid
mansion. The servants would turn me
out there; and the working man has as
much pride as another man.
sBut,' it was replied, the man beat a
little girl fourteen years of age, (and
she viii carry the marks to her grave)
because she went to bed before he went
home
Il do not want / said, 'to go to
such a man.
But his wife is very iii with a bilious
fever, and the doctor thinks she can
not get over it; the man has not been
drinking for some days, and IL you could
see him now, [ believe you might do
him some good
Under these circumstances l said /
would go, and went accordingly. and
tried to make some excuse for calling
AS soon as I came to the door he knew
Mr.. Cough he said.
sYes,' said T. sWili You give me a
tuInbler Of water, If you please?'
'Oh, yes, won't you walk in 2
] then walked, in and sat on one side
of the table, and he on the other. Two
little children were playing in the room,
and door was haif-opened which led
into another room, where his wife was
lying i'll. I began to talk to the man
about everything could think of but
trade, the crops,
rail roads, I'LL got to drink-then he
headed me off.aEI began again and
talked aber.s the badness of the roads,
traveiing, business, drink-he headed
me OF again. / fancfed / saw a malic-
siotls smile in his eyes, as much as to
say; -, :. o,,,
business yet;, and l thought 1 must
give it up. Providentially, I thought
Of the children, and said:
pretty good looking children, those,
SIR
Yes, SIR said he, they are pretty
good children
AND you love your children, don't
2,
Bless the eaildren,' said he, .to be
: -sAnd You would do anything in the
world to benefit them, wouldn't you?' |
asked. = -49 -
Then he looked as if he expected
something else was coming; but he
said:
Yes, to be sure, I ought to be willing
to benefit my children,
sWell,' said 1, i am going to ask you
plain, simple question-don't be angry
with me--supDose you never drank any
more liquor as long as you. lived. don't
you think those children would be bet
ter offf, ~
well, said he, apparently puzzled, Il
Eown you have got me this time; the
children would be better off if1 were
to quit drink,
And you have a good wife, haven t
tsSYes, she is as good wife as ever a
man had
And you love your wife?'
"ro be sure do.'
And would do anything to please
her?'
well, ought to- Z
Now, suppose you should sign the
| pledge, wonld that please her?'
by thunderi 1 guess it would. i
couldn't do Il thing that would please
her like that. If | signed the pledge,
| believe she would be about her business
! in two weeks
! Then you will do it, won't you?'
| Il guess will > and he at once spread
out the paper, squared his yards and
| wrote his name.
- THE PLEDGE SIGNED.
The children had been listening with
eyes wide open, looking like little sau-
GERS, as we were talking about temper.
ance. One said to the other, father has
signed the pledge
sOhp cried the other, astonished, 8
must go and tell motherH and away she
ran.
The mother, when she heard it, callet
out: Luke, come in here
The man went in, and took me witt
him. The wife's face was CHASTITY pale
the eyes were large, and sunk in tn,
head. With her long thin fingers sh
4 gripped my hand, and with the othe
held the hand of her husband; and he
face, sharp as it was. looked radiant in
the light that. seemed to bathe it, com
Ting from the throne of everlasting love
She then told me what good HUSBAND
she had.
II Luke she said, SIS kind husband
and good father: he takes care of tn
family, and is very good to them. Bu
the drink, you know, sometimes make
little difficulty
. Oh, that little difficulty! God only
and the crushed drunkard's wife know
, Ewhat it Is.
The man trembled like leaf: thel
tearing down his wife's night-dress, h
said:
sSee thatt,
On her white shoulder was bad look
ing mark. Again he said:
See that!'
lgsAndI saw a bruise on her neck, whicl
; made my flesh creep. -
: sThree days before she was taken ill,
: said he, Il hit her-God forgive me
, She has been telling you she has got
t good husband. Am I? am 1 a goo
D husbands? See thati God Almight
I forgive me!'
e He bowed over that woman, and
never saw man cry so in my life.
D seemed as if he had gone into convu
t sions.
2 Don't cry, Luke sobbed his wife
don't, please don't; you would nc
: have, hit me if it hadn't been for til
|, dram. Youshave signed the pledge; W
I shall all be happy again. Please, don
4 cry -
8 These are the men you call hendS an
: brutes. Strip them of the damning il
Il fluence of drink, and they are men,
: There is no power on earth that wi
: bring b man to a fiend like the power {
# drink.
y Young man, sitting now beside tn:
Is young girl whom You hope TO max
IS your wife, you never dream, as yo
e glance lovingly in her face, that yor
e hand will ever be dashed in that fac
r sending the blood spouting from I'll
r mouth. 1t never will unless you do
d while intoxicated.
Laboring men, brethren in trade,
1t beg of you to look at this enterprise
Is there not something noble in it
IA say: Il will abstain; will exert an il
a, fiuence for others; l will drop pebb
Ut into the ocean, the centre of which
" everywhere, and the circumference n
where; will drop it there, prayii
i, that the ripple may increase until
Id shall be like Il wave bearing. perhap
upon its bosom, some souls saved by N
10 instrumentality We are here in til
k, world to do good, and cannot do got
We without it's costing ,us something.
rs Roll on this glorious car with thank
In giving and songs of praise from tho
who have been rescued from the pow
r. Of the DESTROYER VIII votI holm ne p