Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-03-30

heard him say, that he believed it
saved him from destruction. He
had, before his marriage, and for
year after, been in the habit of tax
ing little spirit every day. He was
an industrious, thriving man; but,
shortly after his marriage. he became
bound for neighbor, who ran off,
and be was obliged to pay the debt.
l have heard him declare, that when
the sheriff took away all his proper
ty, and stripped his little cottage,
and scarcely left him those trifes,
which are secured to the poor man
by law; and when he considered
how i'll his poor wife was, at the
time, in consequence of the loss of
their child, that died only a month
before, he was restrained from resort
ing To the bottle, in his moments of
despair, by nothing but a recollec-
tiUn of the pledge he had signed.
Farmer Johuson's minister was in
favor of pledges, and had often told
him. that affliction might weaken
his Judgment and his moral sense,
and that the pledge might save him
at last, as a plank saves the life of a
mariner, who is tossed upon the
waves.
Our good Clergyman was unfor-
tunately of different opinion. He
had often disapproved of pledges;
the Deacon was of the same opinion;
he thought very lily OF the pledges.
Month after month passed away,
and our happiness was utterly de-
stroyed. My husband neglected his
business, and poverty began to stare
us in the face. Notwithstanding
my best exertions, it was hard work
to keep my little ones decently
clothed and sufficiently fed. If my
husband earned a shilling, the dram
seller was as sure of it as if it were
already in his till. / sometimes
thought l had lost all my affection
for one, who had proved 50 entirely
regardless of those, whom it was his
duty to protect and sustain; but,
when l looked in the faces of our
little children, the recollection of
our early marriage days, and all his
kind words and deeds soon taught
me the strength of the principle,
that had brought us together. l
shall never cease to remember the
anguish | felt, when the constable
took him to jail, upon the dram-sel-
ler's execution. Till that moment,
did not believe that my affection
could have survived, under the pres
sure of that misery, which he had
brought upon US all. l put up such
things, of the little that remained to
us, as l thought might be of use, and
turned my back upon a spot, where |
had been very happy and very
wretched. Our five little children
followed, weeping bitterly. The
jail was situated in the next town.
"Oh George" said l, "if you had
only signed the pledge, it would not
have come to this" He sighed, and
said nothing; and we walked nearly
a mile in perfect silence. As we
were leaving the village, We encoun-
tered our Clergyman, going forth
upon his'morning ride. When l re
fiected, that few words from him
would have induced my poor hus-
band to sign the pledge, and that if
he had done so, he might have been
the kind father, and the affectionate
husband that he once was, own, 1t
cost me some considerable effort to
suppress my emotions. "W Whither
are you all going?" said the holy
man. My husband, who had always
appeared extremely hum ble, in pres
ence of the minister, and replied to
all his inquiries in a subdued tone of
voice, answered, with unusual firm
ness, "to Jail, reverend sir" ''To
jailp' said he, sab, | see how it is;
you have wasted your substance III
riotous living, and are going to pay
for your improvidence and folly.
You have had the advantage of
my precept and example, and you
have turned deaf ear to the one,
and neglected the other" ''Rever-
end sir, " my husband replied, CALLED
by this reprOof, which appeared to
nIm, at that particular moment, an
unnecessary aggravation of his mis-
ery, reverend sir, your precept and
your example have been my ruin; l
have followed them both You, who
had no experience of the temptations
to which your weaker brethren are
liable, who are already addicted to
the temperate and daily use of ar
dent spirits, advised me never to
sign a pledge. l have followed your
advice to the letter. You admitted,
that extraordinary occasions might
justify the use of ardent, spirit, and
that, on such occasions, YOU might
use it yourself. | followed your ex-
ample; but it has been my misfor
fortune never to drink spiritous IL
quors, without finding that my Oc-
casi0mS were more eGtrdOrdinGry
than ever. Had | followed the pre-
cept and example of my neighbor
johnson, | should not have made a
good wife miserable, nor my chll
dren beggars." While he uttered
these last words, my poor husband
looked upon his little ones, and burst
into tears; and the minister rode
slowly away, without uttering a
word. | rejOiced, even in the midst
of our misery, to see that the heart
of my poor George was tenderIy al
fected; for ii is not more needful,
that the hardness of wax should be
subdued by fire, than that the hear
of man should be softened by affiIc-
ton, before a deep and lasting i'm
preston can be made. "Dear hus-
band" said l, "we are young; 1t Is
not too late; let us trust in God,
and all may yet be WE'LL" He made
no reply, but continued to walk on,
and weep in silence. Shortly after,
the Deacon appeared, at some dis
tance, coming towards us on the
road; but, as soon as he discovered
who we were, he turned away into
private path. Even the constable
seemed somewhat touched with com
Il