The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-06-24
The Old Story.

IL Is Oh young man, member ol The
editorial corps Of a city paper, who, a
year or two ago, set out one bright win.
ters morning with friend. to make
New Years calls. 1t was his first glimpse
Of fashionable, or indeed, any gay, social
life. John had hitherto had no time for
play. First errand. boy, then porter,
critic, night editor; many young men
have push and vim enough to run that
course before twenty-five, but few carry
into it the steady integrity and hard prac.
tical sense which set this Irish. Scotchman
John -, apart from his companions.
and won their respect. Outside of the
Office, few people knew him. Occasion.
ally you would see him in his dress suit
(of long-ago cut and fasbion) up in the
second tier at grand concert, with an
old. gray haired man beside him. The
father and son enjoyed the treat as hoys
would their Christmas outgoings 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. ip Iact, nothing else. Journal.
ism in America, to him. meant Johp.
In society the young man vas not like
ly 10 be dazzled or tempted by influences
which drag more hot.bloo.ed. brilliant
young fellows astray. He was OF slow.
cool, enduring habit of body and mind /;
had dry wit keen yet tender humor
when you knew how 10 tap the vein an
indomitable Scotch pride he meant some
day to be a husband and a father, and
there was no man likely to be more deep.
ly loved as both
When he went out to maxi New Years
calls, therefore, the young girls felt no
scruples in urging wine upon him, nor
any offence when he refused it 1t would
have been against nature to have such a
man value the pleasure given by liquor.
1t was an old lady who succeeded 10
making him drink, a 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 a glass 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
scroinla might be in that OF another man
Alcohol was simply physical poison to
his stomach aud brain. and acted physic.
ally on both. weakening first the nerves
which influence the will
The story is soon told The man went
downtown though loaihing the liquor,
not tempted by the elation It produced.
but drinking to satisfy the intolerable
craving, and. 10 order to drink. thrusting
aside the arguments of astonished 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 arrest.
ed in some wretched haunt on Il false
charge Of theft, and in the morning thrust
into the prison.yan to be carried to the ci.
ty jail. When the Black Maria stopped
at the gate Il body was dragged out GOV.
cred with rags and with cash in the
throat which men did not care TO look
upon. lit is not the face of beggsr, 81
they said. covering ii over.
The first mention which his father saw
of him in print, was that he bad so died.
Why do we break 10 on the gracious,
genial sunshine of the New Year, with
such tale as this ? Because there is
moi house where liquor is offered to-day
in which its beginning and sequel may
not again be true. Eight out of every
ten American mea, physicians assert, are
predisposed by hereditary influence, by
the effect Of climate, overwork, neural
affections, and the mad haste of their
lives, to alcoholic poisoning disease as
fatal as consumpticn. Yet on every side
fair women, frierdlY, pure women, Chris.
tian women. have met them on past New
Years days. holding out the cup of death
with entreaiies that would not be denied
ln The future holidays must this be re.
peated ?