The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-03-31
4 Warning 10 Young Ladies',

As | entered street-car in an eastern
city, says minister Of the gospel, no
ticed n young woman sitting opposite
me, with n little boy by her Side. She
was neatly dressed, so was the child
But her pale face attracted nv notice al
once, 1t was so utterly sad and helpless.
though at first [ saw no reason for her
too evident distress.
Near her sat n man, still vouno snd
at a glance | saw that he was drunk
but did not think he was any wav re-
lated to the woman till ! saw him shov,.
himself unsteadily along to her side and
put his head on her shoulder, and fall
into drunken sleep. She whispered to
him softly, "Plcase sit up straight"
and moved away little from him. IL
at once struck his elbow into her side.iu
The most furious way, and then he
swore at her-sworc such horrible ostl
that my blood ran cold ut the sound
The poor wife-of course She was hi,
wiie-lookcd a. if she were dead fo,.
very shame. She tried to tall, TO fhp
child as if she had not heard the dread
iul oaths, but her husband repeated
them, and emphasized them with anpr,
digs with his elbow into her side. Her
only answer to him was that weary
plainiiyc, "Please don't"
~ looked at them, seemed to sec
another picture Of, say, five years ago.
There was the same man, yollno. n9y
and fond of an occasional mur Of beer
or slas- of wine. These slimulant.
gave quickness to his.wit and readi-
ness I" his tongue that made him q de-
lightiul companion. Perhaps his father
kept wines and brandics in the house
for his friends. On New Years the
egg-nogg on his mothers table was pro
nounced the best ia town BY all the call
ers, and the jcwcled hands of his sisters
presented the glasses of apple toddy to
the young men who came in and who
needed no urging TO try il.
Such were the Young mans surround
ings five years ago. lie was popular in
society, and the girl he wooed and won
was the envy of her acquaintances. She
knew his weakness-his fondness for
,timulants. Friends demonstrated yith
her, and told her of the risk she would
run if she married him. But she would
not believe there was any danger. To
her he was all devotion. Her heart was
wholly his. She was not afraid to trust
her future in his hands. What if he did
occasionally, when spending an even
ing in company with his gentlemen
friends, take q glass too much? She was
sure that after they were married he
would spend his evenings at home with
hcr-she would make his home the
most delightful spot Oh earth-and then
he would have no temptation to drink
She was willing to take the risk.
She married him. 1t was a oav we'd
ding. Her friends congratulated her on
her choice, and she felt she deserved
their congratulations.
The rest of the story is stereotyped.
The habit of years was too strong for
even wiiely devotion TO conquer. He
grow neglectful Of her whom he had
sworn to love; the billiard-saloon had
more attractions for him than his home;
his course was steadily downward
Five years after marriage we saw him
with his wife, as we have described, on
the street car-he brutally drunk, in
sulting her with oaths the vilest his
tongue could frame, she heart-broken,
crushed with shame for the man she had
once joyfully promised to love and hon
or.
This 10 me is sad lesson, depicting
in the most vivid colors the danger OF
marrying man who indulges in stimu-
lating drinks. Can you look forward
i've years into the future? Poverty.
neglected children, an abused wife, q
husband and father growing more bru-
tai with every days indulgence in drink
these are the prominent features OF
the picture. A horrible death, drunk
ards dishonored grave, these are not
far in the future. And then for himr
But we leave him in Gods hands.
Why will young ladies run such aw-
iul risks and marry men whom they
know to be fond Of the wine cup, when
the result is almost as certain ao the
product Of two numbers in multiplica-
tion?-[Golden Censer.