The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1874-03-06
SgisGellanepas.
From the New York weeby.I
4 Can Drink or LetItAlOne.
By REV. A. PARKE BURGESS,

You say you can "drink or let Isl
alone" Well perhaps you can. One
thing is quite certain, you aciU drink
or let it alone. And now there is one
way only in which you can prove the
truth of what you say, and that is by
letting IL alone. g.. ..s.~
That you can drink anybody and
everybody knows. Your father knows
it, and trembles at the fact. Your
mother knows it, and spends wakeful
nights in prayer for you. Your sister
knows it, and breads to go out in your
company, for she knows the omnipres
ent tempter will be guest in the
social throng. Your sweetheart knows
it, and her pure love is entering now
amid the first mysteries of loves snxie
ty and doubt and pain, as the om1nous
whisper goes cautiously round, and
friends breathe warningly in her ears
that yoI are drinking too much. Your
associates all know it, and they ex-
change wise remarks about you and
your future prospects, as they observe
your idle hours increasing, your ex-
penses growing more lavish, and your
earnings diminishing. Your neigh
bOrs all know it, and the men that
would have trusted you once think
differently cow. Those who would
gladly have aided you, sober young
man, in setting up business for your
self, now feel that money loaned to
you would be worse than thrown
away.
You can ''drink or let It alons,' you
say but who knows YOU can let it
alone? ? or who cares 30 long as you
do not let it alone.
Indeed, is not this what you mean
to say III can let il alone, but 1 will
not - ..r-s. ...-.l .t-
Let me press the question {; do you
not intend, by your pert and defiant
remark, to affirm that for the present
you have no idea OF letting it alone
So 1 interpret you, at least and
am quite sure the Interpretation is
correct. .- r
There ls a minister, an eloquent
and beloved pastor-he sips WINE now
and then not because of appetite,
nor any weakness OF the flesh, sh no !
not he, good man this Is not it, but
that he may the rather "become all
things to all men, you know, as we
are apostolically taught that he may
not appear odd or whimsical or pru-
dish. -
Certainly he must be social, agreea-
bic, high-minded, and all that. Surely
these are the noble reasons tor which
he 1ps, now and then, the social glass.
He, OF course, "can drink or let it
alone" Yes, perhaps he can; but bis
very conscious power to let it alone is
the reason why he proposes not to
abstain, but to continue on in moder-
ate indulgence.
The leading man in the church-for
all churches have their "leading menn
il has doubtless been observed, with
whom they must get along ''for better
or worse" this leading man is often
thrown into social, convivial company,
where it would OF course be very rude
ness for him to decline q friendly glass.
So he drinks, from the most heavenly
motives-who doubts And all the
while he is sure he could let 1t alone
never more sure than the day when for |
the first time his brethren and his pas
tor aWakent to thestsrtling fact that the !
chains OF appetite are binding him
hand and foot. |
Il can drink or not as please"
proudly afirms the young man who
wishes to stand high In society and who
glories In his untrammeled freedom.
bis broad -mindedness, and his power
to toy with the tempter without De-
coming rs victim 10. .---
Yes, he can drink or not, as he pleas
es; and so he pleases TO drink. He
takes an occasional glass, simply for
customs sake; society drinks wine
society knows what is wisest and best,
ard to outrage society's customs Il TO
be fool He drinks, therefore, b1t
he could Ie: it alone.
Il need no pledge; when md my
self drinking too much ! shall stop
says the proud young husband, who
has night after night come home to
his wife with the breath OF the cup on
his lips, arousing In her a fear she
would gladly forget.
Yes, he could stop now; the love OF
wife and home Is as yet stronger than
the love OF drink. His clear reason