Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-12-15
The Old Story.

II is OF young man, q member Of the
editorial corps of city paper, who, year
or two ago, set out one bright winters morn
ing with friend. 10 make New Years calls
IL was his first glimpse of fashionable, or
indeed, any gay, social life. John had hith-
erto had no time for play. First crrand.
boy, then reporter, critic, night-editor many
young men have push aud vim enough 10 run
that course before twenty-five but few carry
into it the steady integrity and hard prac-
teal sense which set this lrish-Scotchman,
John , apart from his companions, and
won their respect Outside Of the office, few
people knew him. Occasionally YOU would
see him in his dress suit (of long-ago cut
and fashion, up in the second tier at grand
concert, with an old gray-haired man beside
him. The father and son enjoyed the treat
as boys would their Christmas outings IN
his grave, silent way, John comprehended
and cared for music his father only cared
TO be with John. The old fellow read his
paper from end TO end every day; he read,
in fact, nothing else. journalism in Amer
lea, to him, meant John.
In society the young man was not likely
10 be dazzled or tempted by influences which
drag mere hot-blooded, brilliant young fell
lows astray llewas Of slow, cool, enduring
keen yet tender humor when YOU knew how
to tap the vein. an iudomitahlr Scotch
prids lac meant some day TO BE- % husband
and father, and there was no man likely to
be more deeply loved as both
When he went out to make New Years
calls, therefore, the young girls felt no scru-
pies in urging wine upon him, nor any of
fence when he refused it, Il would have
been against nature to have such man
value the pleasure given by liquor. II was
an old lady who succeeded in making him
drink, friend of his mother-a well-bred,
delicate woman as any Of those who keep
open houses ON New Years to whom
drunken man is simply an object of disgust.
The drink was nothing but glas, OF rare
old sherry.
But there was one fact which neither she
nor John knew-that the taste for liquor
was hereditary in his blood, as scrofula
might be in that Of another man. Alcohol
was simply physical poison to his stomach
aud brain, and acted physically ON both,
weakening first the nerves which influence
the will
The story is soon told. The man went
steadily downtown; though loathiug the
liquor, not tempted by the elation it pro-
duced, but drinking to satisfy the intoler-
able craving, and, in order TO drink, thrust
ing aside the arguments of astonshed friends,
his old fathers feeble hold ON him, every
chance he had in this world or the next.
One night late in the fall, he was arrested
in some wretched haunt, on false charge of
theft, and in the morning thrust into the
prison-van to be carried to the city Jail.
When the Black Maria stopped at the
gate, body was dragged out covered with
rags, and with cash in the throat which
men did not care to look upon. ." 1t is not
the face of a beggar," they said, covering it
over.
The first mention which his old father
saw Of him in print was that he had so died.
Why do we break in on the gracious, ge-
nisl sunshine OF the New Year. with such q
tale as this 2 Because there is not house
| where liquor is offered to-day in which its
beginning and sequel may not again be true
Eight out of every ten American men,
physicians assert, are predsposed by heredi-
tary influence, by the effect of climate, over
work, neural affections, and the mad haste
of their lives to alcoholic poisoning, dis
ease as fatal as consumption. Yet on every
side, fair women, friendly, pure women,
| Christian women, have met them on past
New Years days, holding out the cup of
death with entreaties that would not he de-
MED. In the future holidays, must this b.
repeated ?--HedHh and Home.