The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1875-03-05


by. Now they are gone, and close in their
rear comes another army, marching five
abreast, and sixty miles in length. In it
there are $50, 600 confirmed drunkards.
They are men and women who have lost
control of their appetites, who are in the
regular habit of getting drunk and max
ing beasts of themselves Marching two
abreast, the army is $50 miles long. Scan
them closely. There are gray-haired
men, and fair-ha;red boys. There are,
alas! many women IN that army, sunk to
deeper depths than men, because of the
greater heights from which they fell. 1t
will take them seven days to go by. 1t is
sad and sickening sight, but do not
turn away yet, for here comes another
army-one hundred thousand criminals.
From jails, and prisons, and peniten-
taries they come. At the head of the
army comes a long line Of persons whose
hands are smeared with human blood.
With ropes around their necks they are
on their way to the gallows. Others are
going 70 prison for life. Every crime
known by our law has been committed
by them while under the influence of
drink. But harkl Whence came those
chains and guarded by strong men, that
go raging by? They are raving maniacs,
made such by drink. Their eyes are tor
mented with awful sights, and their ears
ring with horrid sounds. Shiny reptiles
crawl over their bodies, and fiends from
hell torment them before their time
They are gone now, and we can breathe
more easily. But what gloom is this per-
vades the air, AMI what is that long line
of black coming down the street, 1t is
the line of funeral professions. One hun
dred thousand who nave died the drunk
ards death are being carried to their
graves. Drunkards do not have many
friends to mourn their loss, and we can
put thirty of their funeral professions
into mile. We thus have:
A procession 3, 1888 miles long. 1t will
take a good share of the year for them TO
go by, for the funeral professions move
slowly. Yes, s,most of them do, but every
now an l than an uneOfiped corpse in Il
rough cart is driven rapidly by, AM W.
hear the brutal driver sing:
'Quicl<, rattle his bones, rattle his bones
Over the stones,
He's only pluper whom nob0ly owns
Look into the coffin as they go by
See the dead drunkards. Some died of
delirium tremens, and the lines OF terror
are still plainly marked in til cir faces.
Some froze to death by the roadside, too
drunk to reach their homes. Some
stumbled from the wharf, and were
drowned Some wandered into the
woods and died and rotted on the sur
face of the earth. Some blew their own
brains out. Some were fearfully stabbed
in drunken brawls. Some were roasted
in burning buildings Some were crushed
to shapales; masses under the cars
They died in various ways, but strong
drink killed them all, and on their tomb
stones, che died a drInkaris death"
Close behind them comes another long
line of funeral professions; we know
not hoW mlny, bat they are more nu-
meroISly atten lei by mourning friends.
They contain the remi iins of those who
have met death through the carelessness
and cruelty of drunken men. Some died
of broken hearts. Some were foully
murdered. Some were burned TO death
ia buildings set on fire by drunkard ds.-
Some were horribIymangled on railroads
because of drunken engineers and fire
| men. Some were blown up on steam
boats because drunken captains ran ra-
ces with rival boats. But here comes
| another army-the children innocent
ones, upon whom has been visited the
| ini1uitias of their fathers How many
| are there! Two iIIllred thousand march
ing aJrel It, tn :, .xten1 up the street
| thirty milaS El:h one must bear
through life til, stigma OF being the
drunkard's child. They are reduced to
| poverty. want ald beggary. They live
i'm Ignorance ant vice. Some of the
children ar, M Iaing with hunger, and
| some are shivering with cold, for they
have not rags to keep them warm. -
| MANY of them are IDIOTS, mals such be-
fore they were born, by brutal drunken
| fathers. and worse than all the rest, III my
of them have inherited love for liquor,
and are growing up to take the place and
| do the deeds of their fathers. They will
fill ND the ranks of the awful army of
drunkards, that move in unbroken col
um?s down to death. Ii has taken near
" a year to empty itself of its years
work.
But they cannot tell ALL They give
only the outline of the terrible TRACE
dy that is going on around US. They
cannot picture to US the wretched squal-
or of drunkard's home. They cannot
tell us how many unkind and cruel words
strong drink has caused, otherwise kind
and tender-hearted husbands and faith
ers. to utter to their dear ones. They can
not tell us how many heavy blows have
fallen from the drunkard's hand upon
those whom it is his duty to love and
cherish and protect. They cannot tell US
how many fond expectations and bright
hopes which the fair young bride had OF
the future has beer blasted and turned
to bitterest gall. They cannot number
the long, weary hours of the night during
which she has anxiously waited, and yet,
fearfulIy dreaded the heavy football at
the door.
FIGURES CANNOT TELL
us how many scalding tears the wives of
drunkards have shed, nor how many
PRAYERS of bitter anguish and cries OF ag-
ony God has heard them utter. They
cannot tell us how many mothers have
worn out body and soul in providing the
necessities of life for children, whom a
drunken father has left destitute. They
cannot tell us how many mothers hearts