The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1877-12-06
A Short Temperance Story.

AZ certain town meeting IN Fenn-
sylvania. the question came in wheth
or any person should be licensed to
sell rum. The clergyman, the deacon,
the physician, strange as it may now
appe ar, all favored Il. One man on.
~ spoke against il, because Of the
mischief IL did. The question was
about TO be put, when there arose
from one corner OF the room q mis-
cradle woman. She was thinly clad,
and her appearance indicated the
uttermost wretchedness, and that
her mortal career was almost closed
After a moments silence, and oil
eyes being fixed upon her, shc
stretched her attenuated body to its
utmost height aud then her long
arms to their greatest length, and
raising her voice to shrill pitch,
she called to all to look upon her.
"Yes y she said, "look upon me,
and then hear me. All that the last
speaker has said relative to temper
ate drinking, as being the father Of
drunkenness. is truth All drinking
of alcoholic poison, Ms . beverage in
health. is excess +! Look npon me !
You all know ] was once the mistress
of the best farm in town; you all
know, too, that had one of the best
- the most devoted of husbands
You all know / had fine, noble
b earted industrious boys ! Where
are they now doctor where are
they now You all know. You all
know they lie in row. side by side,
in yonder church yard all-every-
one Of them filing q druukard's .
grave They..were all taught to be
lieve that temperate drinking was
safe that excess alone ought to be
avoided and they never acknowl-
edged excess. They quoted you, and
You, and you, pointing with a shred
Of o finger toward the minister,
deacon and doctor, as authority
They thought themselves safe under
such teachers. But saw the gradual
change coming over my family and
its prospepta with dismay and hor-
ror. felt We were all 10 DO over
whclmed in one common ruin.
tried to ward off the blow. | tried to
break the spell, tho delusive spell, in
which The idea of the benefits of
temperate drinking had involved my
husband and sous. ! begged, !
prayed; but the odds were against
me.
THE minister said the poison tina,
was destroying my husband and
boys, was good creature of God
the deacon who sits under tho pulpit
here. aud took our farm to pay his
rum bills. sold them the poiGon the
doctor said little was good, and cx-
cess only ought to bc avoided. Ny
poor husl and, and my dear boys iell
into tho snare and they could not cs-
cape ; aud ono alter another they
were conveyed to the sorrowiul grave
Of tho drunkard. Now louk ut ne
again. You probably sec me for be
las, time. My sands are almost run
out. I havs dragged my exhausted
frame from my present home-your
poor house-to warn you deacon
to warn you, falso teacher Of Gods
word !! And with her arms flung
high, and her voice raised to an un.
earthly pitch, she exclaimed, L shall
soon stand before the judgment sen,
OF God. shall meet you there, you
false guides, and be q wilnoss u
gainst you all !"
The miserable woman vanished. A
dead silence pervaded the assembly
tho minister. the deacon aud the
physician hung tbeiL hcads and
when tho president Of tho meeting
put the question, Shall any li:cose
be granted for the sale Of spirituous
liquors the unanimous answor was
No.