The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-12-17
The story u Doctor Told,

when be proved to Us he had q soul.
The story u Doctor Told.
AalGrge and influential meeting held
recently In tho Strand, London, DR.. Nun.
roe, Of Hull, made the following state.
menl, which we give in his own word.
"Are not medical men, by the promil.
cuouS ordering Of intoxicating drinks for
their patients, AnswsrAble for much Of
the drunkenness which IL now the great
curse Of the landP With regard TO pre-.
Hcriptiona Of alcoholic beverages, I will
relate a circumstances which occurred 10
me some years ago, the result Of which
made deep impression on my mind, I
was not then q eetotaler-would that
had been l-but conAclentiously, though
erroheouSly, believed in the heGlih.resto-
ring properties Of stout. A hard.work.
log, industrious, God fearing man, q tee.
totaler Of some years. standing; suffering
from an abScess in his hand which had
reduced hin much, spilled to me for I'D.
vice. told him the only medicine he
required was rest; and 10 remedy the
waste going on In his system, and TO
repair the damage done to his hand, he
was 10 support himself with bottle Of
stout daily. He replied, Il can not take
Il, for | have been some years teetota-
ler.' 'Well,' | said, II you know better
than the doctor, It 10 no use applying 10
me- Believing as I did then, The drink
would really be Of service to him, urged
him TO take the stout as medicine,
which would not interfere with bis pledge.
He looked anxiously in my face, evident
y weighing the matter over In his mind,
and sorroWfully replied: doctor was
a drunken man once; should not like 10
be one again
ale was, much against his will, pre-.
vailed upon TO take tho stout, and In
time recovered from his sickn ness. When
he got well, / Of course praised up the
virtues OF stout rs means Of saving his
lie, Tor which he ought to be thankful,
and rather lecLured him on his foolish
ness for being such fanatic as toreiuse
taking a bottle Of stout daily to restore
himself to his former health. Lost eight
oil my patient for some months; but on
one summers day when driving through
one Of onr public thorough.faFes, I saw
a poor, miserable, ragged locking man
leaning against the door Of common
public house, drunk and incapable Of
keeping an erect position. Even 10 his
poverty, drunkenness and misery, discoy.
cred 1t was my teetotAl patient, whom
had not so long ago persuaded to break
the pledge. l could not be mistaken. I
had reason to know him we'll, for he had
been member Of Methodist church an
indefatigableI Sunday school teacher, a
prayer-leader, whose earnest appeals for
thesalvation OF others had often listen.
ed 10 with pleasure and edihcation. /
Immediately went to the man, and was
aStonished to find the change which
drink, in 80 short time, had worked in
disappearance. With manifestsurprise,
aud looking earnestly at the poor wretch,
| said, s.! is this your With a stag.
geEing reel, and clipping his words, be
answered, Yes, its me. Look at me
again. DON'T you know meT Yes,
know you, | said, and am grieved to zee
YOn in this drunken condition. thought
YOU were teetotaler.
with a peculiar grin, upon his coun.
tenance, be answered, i was before took
your mediciner 4 am sorry to see you
dtsgracing yourself by such conduct. /
am ashamed Of you Rousing himself,
as drunken people will at times, to ex-
traordinary effort, he chafingIy replied,
Didn't you send me here for my medi.
ctue% and with delirious chuckle, he
htccnpped out words can never forget:
Doctor, your medicine cured my body,
but it's damned my soulT"
"Hou may rest assured did not sleep
much that night. The drunken aspect Of
that man haunted me, and found myself
weeping over the injury l had done him.
| rose up early the next morning and
went to his cottage, with his little garden
in front, on the outskirts OF the town,
where had often seen him with his wife
and happy children playing about, but
found 10 my sorrow, that be had removed
some time ago. At Last, with some diff
Guilty. | found him located in couple Of
rooms in 4 low neighbOrhood, not far
distant from the public house he had
patronized the day before. Here, in such
a home as none bat the drunkard could
inhabit, found him laid upon bed Of
straw, feverish and PROSTATE from the
previous days debauch, abusing his wife
because she could not get him Some more
drink-she standing alooi, with tears in
her eyes, broken down with care and
grief, her children dirty and clothed in
rags, all friendless and steeped in power.
ty. What wreck was therel
"Turned out Of the church in which he
was an ornament, his religion sacrificed
his usefulness marred, his hopes Of eter1.
nifty blasted, be was poor detected slave
TO his passion Of drink, without 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 him have
any peace until be had signed the pledge
again. 1t took him some time to recover
his place in the church, but | have had
the happiness Of seeing him restored. He
il now, more than ever, a devoted worker
10 the church; and the cause OF temper.
ance Is pleaded on all occasions"