The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-12-06
A'TEMPERANCE MESSAGE.

A.TEnPERANCE MESSAGE.
A Letter from John b. Cough to the YouDi
People Of the Country.
MY DEAR YouNa FRIENDS 7 have
been requested to send q message to tht
Sabbath schools in behalf of thetotal alb
stinence cause. I wish could write tt
you all that is in my heart on this grea
question, but my time and ability art
limited, and my message must bs short
We are sometimes told that total ab
stinence is not temperance. What Ii
temperance Let me give you shor'
reply. Temperance is lawful gratitica
ton of natural appetite. Is the appe
tite for intoxicating liquors natura
appetite 2 No. Therefore temperance
is total abstinence from Intoxicating
liquors as beverage.
This principle is sensible principle
When you are as old as I am, you will
regret many things you have learned in
the past but you will never regret that
you did not learn to use Intoxicating
liquors. Ihave never met person, mol
do believe that you can find person
in the world, who would say: II am
fifty years of age, and I never drank 9
glass of liquor in my life, and I regret
that did not learn to drink it when
was young" No. When you meet one
who has never drank, he tells you:
am glad of it," or 81 am proud of it. u
A man once called on me, and said
"Mr. Cough, I want to tell you some,
thing. I am not reformer. 1 care
little for reforms, or missions, or Sun.
schools. They are all very well in
their way, but they are not in my line.
I have been an actor since I was
eighteen, and I am now forty-three, and
I never drank glass of ale, wine, or
spirits in my life. What do you think
OF thata I am proud Of it9"
Dear children, you would be shocked
If you could read some Of the letters
that lie in my desk, that have been
written to me by persons in all grades OF
society-young men, old men, lawyers,
physicians, ministers Of the gospel,
teachers, mechanics, clerks, and some
ladies-who have acquired the appetite
for strong drink. One says "Dives In
hell never longed for drop OF water as,
with all the power there is IN me, 1 long
for a drink" Another says: els there
any hope for me on this side OF the
grave1" Another says: "God knows
how near I have been to self destruction
through drink, and so on.
One poor man, actually holding my
feet, cried out: "Oh, Mr.. Cough | help
me out of this hell. Drink is my curse. "
Yes, dear children, the cry comes from
the inmates of lunatic asylums: Drink
is my curse;" from the State prisons,
"Drink is my curse;" innocent victims
wives, mothers, children" Drink is
my CURSE" from the burning lips Of
he dying drunkard comes the despair
ing cry: "Drink is my curse" There
are broken hearts, blighted hopes,
blackened characters, crushed intellects,
and lost souls as the result of strong
drink, and not a single individual but
rejoices in his escape from it.
Is not the total abstinence principle
sensible9 "But all who drink do not
become drunkards." I know that; but
if fifty young men begin to drink, some
vii. assuredly be ruined by it. Then,
there is o risk. Now we all desire safety
md security. Suppose you desired to
travel from New York to Chicago, and
there were two lines of road-one on
which there wera accidents constantly
occurring; on every train some disaster,
passengers killed and wounded; in nshort,
very risky road; and on the other,
never since its opening had there been
the slightest accident. Which road
would you takef If you are sensible,
and regard your own welfare, you would
take the safe one. Suppose some one
should tempt you to take the risky road,
by telling you how much more beautiful
the cars were and what q jolly company
you would find on board the train.
You would say: "I care not so much
for gaudy cars and jolly company as for
nv safety. want to be safe." Now,
it is your safety We seek, when we urge
you to abstain entirely from strong
drink. There is no certainty that you
will become victims If you begin to in
dulge, but there is risk.
Some say 81 can govern myself /; /
have mind Of my own" What would
you think of captain Of a steam vessel
who would put on full head of steam,
and then knock down the man at the
wheeli Or of the conductor on rail
road, who would let on the steam and
then disable the engineer? You would
say he was a reckless man. The steamer
or the engine might get through without
accident, but it might go crashing to de-
struction. So when person, using that
which weakens the power OF his will, de-
pends on his weakened will to serve him
using that which warps his Judgment,
and then depends on his warped judg-
ment to guide him-using that which
affects his self control, and then trust his
derang d self-control to keep him from
danger-he is reckless. Simply because
some men drink and do not become
drunkards, can you9 I once saw man
stand on small platform outside the
spire of church, and look down on the
pavement one hundred and fifty feet be-
low. Because be did it, can youf Think
of these things before you run the risk
and remember what the risk is.
Our principle is lawful. We have been
told it is contrary to the Scriptures.
One gentleman said to me If you can
find command in the Bible, Thou shalt
abstain from intoxicating LIQUORS as a
beverage will abstain but not till
then" Dear children, we want you to
love the Bible, to obey the precepts Of
the Bible but in view Of the evils of in
temperance, and in view OF its cause, we
ask of the Bible only permission to let
liquor alone. ;Ee lay our hand on this
blessed book and ask : May we abstain :
You do not search the Bible for COM
mand: Thou shaltabstain from gambling;
from dog fighting from horse racing
just in proportion to your love for
the Bible will you abstain from these
things, because they are detrimental to
the best interests of society according to
Bible principles. Therefore, since in
temperance is caused by the use Of in
toxicating drink ; since in proportion to
the use of such drink drunkenness in
creases or diminishes and since the
most that can be said for this drink is
that it is needless luxury, and that the
world would bebetter andpur without it
therefore, you say, 1 will abstain, and
give the weight of my influence, as long
as I live, on the side of abstinence,
sobriety and purity. This is in &C.