The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1878-05-16
P. t. Barnum on Temperance.

81 don't pretend to be eloquent, :"
said he, but have come to talk to
YOU on a subject that only requires
fact and common sense to recommend
itself to YOU. Now, while we live to-
gether on this little ball of mud-it is
little; we have put belt around it in
less than forty seconds think We
ought to observe the eleventh COM
mandment, that We love our Creator
and our fellOw-man. Having been
rescued myself from great peril, /
feel like rescuing all those whom / see
in a similar danger. About forty
years ago-I am nearly siXty-eight
now-I drank little. 1t was in 1871,
when crossed over to England, with
my little protege, Tom Thumb, l
found the habit Of drinking prevalent,
and | fell into the habit myself For
four years / drank, and when l built
Iranistan, my country house that cost
me more thousands than l care to
count, the thing took most pride in
was my wine cellar. l thought that
was a matter of responsibility. /
thought wine cellar was something
that no gentleman's house could be
without. So | went on until / saw l
was going to destruction, and that my
only salvation was to break right off.
| got sick; my head ached, and [ didn't
feel we'll: and then l got sickcr the
more 1 drank liquor. | have scarcely
known an ache or a pain since. l
have lived to bury two generations Of
friends, many of whom were hurried
out of this world through the use of
alcohol, since / broke off in 1871.
| know | should have been dead if |
had not abandoned its use. Drunk
cndness is the most colossal evil ON the
face of Gods earth. 1t fattens on
blood, and sorrow and misery. Nine
tenths of the crime and poverty in the
world can be traced to the use of in
toxicating liquors. just look at the
cost in money! In one year the pco-
pie of the United States drank So, 000,-
600, 600 worth of liquors. Why, in
twenty years money enough would be
spent to pay for every acre of land and
every particle Of personal property in
the United States-the Union swal-
lowed down every twenty. years!
And the fact that We spend money for
liquors is but half the horrors sof it.
You pay for Il glass Of whisky, and
then, dreadful 10 relate, you must
drink it. That's the worst part Of the
bargain-you must drink the whisky
after you have bought it! About
thirty years ago the English Embassy
gave a ball in China. They ate q
good dinner, and then the ball began
1t was hot; thermometer up TO 1902;
and the dancers perspired and grew
red with heat; but the music kept on,
and the dancers footed it vigorously
This was Il novel sight to the Chinese,
and ut last an old mandarin said to
the chief of the legation, Now, you
are rich folks; l wonder you don't
make Your servants Go that. Well, it
would be q good thing, for you at
least, if YOU could make your dogs or
your swine drink your whisky; but l
tell you, as an old Snowman, you can't
do it. The animals know too much.
Cast it into the sea, and you will kill
the fishes. Every year $4,000 drunk
ards in America stagger into drunk
ards graves, and right behind comes
the tramp of the reinforcements You
can hear the drum and fife of the re-
cruiting sergeant in every grog-shop
and wine cellar. / asked how many
liquor sellers are there in New York;
was told at least 10000. Now, how
much does New York pay a day for
drinks? These dealers must live.
Put it down at an average Of $40 a
day which they receive-there are 10,-
900 of them; 100000 a day, $780,
OO0,O 900 a year, That would pay
all your taxes and leave handsome.
surplus. 1t isn't the mean man that
is ruined by drink. Think over in
your mind now, the meanest man you
know. Think now. He don't drink.
He's too mean TO get drunk. 1t is the
kind man, the social man, the gener-
Gus that drinks. Men of this charac
ter get together and drink each others
health in prison. Pat was a kind
hearted Irishulan but he got 10 drink .