Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1877-05-05
SHEPHERDSTOWN JEFFERSON COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA, SATUI

fall into was utter ruin, that holds lou
pounds and you weigh $50, it is a safe
bridge for you to walk on as much as
you please. Here stands man that
weighs 200 pounds and you tell him to
follow your example. 81 don't like the
looks of that bridge" he says. 'Don't
be fool, / have walked it for ten years
and it is safe, don't mind what others
say, Now you follow my example in
moderation-dou't get into rush-erer-
else your self-control-step there-now
another-step in moderate way-dont
get excited" So he goes on till he set
his foot on the centre, and crash! he
goes to destruction. Did you set him
a good examplei No, because you did
not take into constellation the difference
between your weights. Do you dare to
tell that young man "You are safe, l
am a good example" unless you have
studied his susceptibilities and that
takes lifetime to tell.
Now you say, if man cannot drink
moderately he is weak minded. What
do you mean by weak mindedl 1t re-
quires more strength of mind, firmness
of purpose, decision OF character, more
of an iron will, to break bad habit
you have acquired. Did you ever try
to break habit, any little thing, for
instance! There is young lady whose
fingers are marred and dis6gured-
What is the matter? She bites her
nails. Can't she break the habit! l
have known girls to work for months
before they could get rid of the habit
of biting their nails. l knew man
who had acquired the habit of reading
with his elbow on the desk in front OF
him, and he would twist his hair around
his fingers. Some one said, "What are
you pulling your hair out for!" "Why,"
he said, 81 acquired the habit and l
cannot read with comfor: without do
ing ii" l knew a man who made up
his mind to give up the use of tobacco.
He used to use Cavendish plug tobacco,
and he put his hand in his pocket aud
threw the plug away, saying "that's the
end of it. "But," said he, 'that was
only the beginning of it" Oh, how he
wanted it. He would lick his lips, and
he chewed tooth picks and anything be
could get to keep his jaws going. But
nothing would satisfy him. His mouth
tasted as if it were full of cold cream all
the time, and his very tongue seemed
to be curled over with intense desire.
We'll, after he had worked day or two
in that way he said, 81 am not going to
suffer like this, l will get some" He
bought plug and said, "When | want
it awfully will take it. He did want
it awfully, and he took it out and-he
thought it was his better spirit striving
he held it in his hand. 81 love you,
and want you, but are you my master
or am / yours! / am man and you are
a thing; l am man and you are a
weed. I.want you, but you black devil,
/ will master you yet if l die for it, for
it never shall be said that /, man, was
mastered by thing; yes, will"
Now there are persons that tell US
that it is harder to give up the use OF
tobacco than the use of drink. Do you
believe it, Do you believe iti ! grant
you it may be to man that takes one
glass of ale once day, and docs not
care whether he takes it or not, but
when the appetite lays hold of man
how many men in this assembly to-
night can testify that it is an awful
struggle, a terrible fight. What will
not a man do and suffer and give to get
drink! In my experience of 81 years [
have come across some fearful cases.
Wha: will not men do to get drink?
l will give you one case as an illustra-
ton. A gentleman said to me, '1t
seems very hard while / have been
fighting drink all my life it should come
into my own house. Now I have five
children, four daughters and one son.
Three of the daughters are married and
my youngest is living with me, and my
son is dying without hope" He had
delirium tremens second time. The
physician, who told me the circumstan-
ces afterward, said that ho went 10 see
him. 'Now," he said, "Charlie, you
know me, you know am your friend,
and you know I will tell you the truth.
You have hard siege before you, my
boy; you have tremendous fight, you
have some suffering to go through, but
1 think l can pull you through it, by
my skill and Gods good providence
and your own physical strength and
your constitution think can get you
out, but if you ever stand on your feet
again, my boy, never touch a drop OF
liquor, for if you do, you will have all
this come back again and you need not
send for me for you are dead man."
The young man was clever young fel-
low, smart as we say. He looked up
and said, doctor, you say have to suf-
fer. What do you know about iG
What do you know about it! Suffer /!
1 suppose you could tell people how
you take mans legs of, but could you
tell how the man felt when the saw
touched the marrow! Doctor, if you
can prove to me that there is no physi-
cal suffering in hell, l will cut my
throat. Doctor, / have had great
spiders draw their soft bodies with
barry legs all over my face and in my
mouth. 1 have had greed flies buzz in
my ears, crawl-ah, ab, ah, they are
coming now," and in less than two
minutes two men were holding him, in
commissions. Ten days and ten nights
he suffered, I was going to say the