The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-12-16
A Physicians Story.


DR.. Munro, Of Hull, gives this incident
in his life as practicing physician II
is story with an unmistakable mora
A hard working, Industrious, God.
fearing man, a teetotaler of some ycara'
standing, suffering from an abscess in the
hand, which had reduced him very much,
applied to me for advice. [ told him the
only medicine he required was rest and
to remedy :hc waste going on in his sys-
tenn, and to repair the damage done to
his hand, he was to support himself with
bottle of stout daily. He replied
II cannot take it, for have been a
teetotaler for some years."
"Well," | said, ''if you know better
than the doctor it is no use applying to
me-"
He looked anxlously in my face, evi.
IDENTIFY weighing the matter over in his
mind, and eorrowfully replied:
"Doctor, l was drunken man once,
and should not like to be one again."
He was,much against his will prevailed
upon to take the stout, and in time he
recovered from bis sickness. When he
got well, 1, of course, praised up the viz.
tues Of stout as a means ofsaYing his life,
for which he ought ever to be thankful
| rather lectured him on being such
fanatic Chats the word) as to refuse tax
ing bottle of stout daily to restore him
to his former health.
| lost sight of my patient for some
months; but [ am sorry to say that on
one fine summers day, when driving
through one of the publiclthoroughfares,
l saw poor, miserable, raggcd-looking
man leaning against the door Of common
public house, drunk, and incapable of
keeping an erect position. Even in his
poverty drunkenness and misery, | dis.
covered it was my teetotal patient, whom
[ had not so long ago persuaded to break
his pledge. | could not be mistaken. 1
had roeson to know him we'll. for he had
been member of a Wesleyan church, an
indcfatigable Sunday.school teacher, a
prayer leader, whose earnest appeals for
the salvation of others had often listened
to with pleasure and edifcation. | i'm.
mediately went to the man, and was as.
tonished to End the change which drink,
in so short time, had made in his ap.
pearance. With manifest surprise, and
looking earnestly at the poor wretch, L
said:
IS, ia that you?"
ayes it's ME. Look at me again !;
don't you know me?" he answered, with
q staggering reel and clipping bis words,
"Yes, know you," said, and am
grieved to see you in this drunken oondi.
tion. | thought you were o teetotaler 2"
81 was before l took your medicine y
ho answered, with peculiar grin upon
his countenance.
81 am sorry to see you disgraoing
yourself by such conduct. / am ashamed
Of you"
Rousing himself, as drunken people
will at times, to extraordinary effort, he
scofingly replied:
Didn't you send INC here for my med
icine 2"
And with delirious kind of chuekle
he hiccoughed out words shall never
forget;
doctor, your medicine cured my
body, but it damned my soul %
Two or three of his boOzing compan>
ions, hearing our conversation, took him
under their protection, and l left. AS |
drove away my heart was full Of bitter
reflections, that had been the cause of
running this mans prospects, not only
for this world, but for that which is to
come. You may rest assured that did
not sleep much that night. The drunken
aspect of that man haunted ne, and |
found myself weeping over the injury
had done him. rose up early the next
morning and returned to his cottage. with
his little garden in front, on the outskrt:
of the town, where | had often seen him
with his wife and happy children playing
about, but found, to my sorrow, that he
had moved some time before At last
with some difficulty, found him located
in low neighborhood, not far distani
from the public house he had patronized
the day before. Here, in such house
as none but drunkard could inhabit,
found him laid upon a bed of straw, few
erish and PROSTATE from the effects of the
previous days debauch, abusing his wife
because she could not get him some moro
drink she standing aloof, with tears ir
her ewes, broken down with care and
grief, her children dirty and clothed il
Tags-sll friendless and stepped in pow
erty
What wreck was there .
Turned out of the church Of which. ht
was once an ornament, his religion sacri
feed, his usefulness marred, his hopes o
eternity blasted, now q poor, dejecte,
slave to his passion for drink, withou
mercy and without hope
talked to him kindly, reasoned with
him, succored him until he was we'll, and
never lost sight of him or let lin hav,
any peace until he signed the pledg'
again.
1t took him some time to recover hi
place in the church, but have had th,
pleasure of seeing him restored. He i
now, more than ever, devoted Workei
in the church, and the cause of temper
ance is pleaded On all occasions. CaI
you wonder, then, that never ordeI
strong drink for patient now?