Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1878-03-30
A DEADLY CURE.

At large and influential meeting
held recently in the Strand, London,
Mr. Munroe, of Hull, made the follow
ing remarkable statement, which we
give in his own words: p t'a9. :
& "Are not medical men, by the pro
miscuous ordering OF intoxicating drinks
for their patients, aEswerable for much
of the drunkenness which is now the
great curse of the land? With regard
to the prescription of alcoholic bever-
ages, will relate circumstance which
occurred to me some years ago, the
result of which made deep impression
upon my mind. was not then teeto-
taler-wculd that had been-bnt |
conscientiously, though enormously,
believed in the healih.restoring proper
ties OF stout. A hard-working, indus,
trious, God. fearing man. teetotaler OF
some years standing, suffering from an
abscess in his hand, which had reduced
him very much, applied to mt for advice:
told him the only medicine he required
was rest; and to oremedy the waste going
on in his system, and to repair the dam
age done to his hand, he was TO support
himself with bottle of-stout daily. lie
replied, Il cannot take il, for | have
been some years teetotaler,r Nell, L
said, 'if you know better than the doc
tor, it is no use applying to me. Be
| heving,G as | did then, that the drink
would really be of service to him, lurged
him TO take the stout as a medicine,
which would not interfere with his
pledge. He looked atxiously in my
face, evidently weighing the matter
over in his mind, and sorrowtully repll-
ed: /" 'A ''.''
"Doctor, I was drunken man once;
should not like to be one again.
"He was, much against bis will, pre-
vailed upon 10 take the stout, and, IN
time, he recovered from his sickness.
When he got well, ], OF course, praised
up the virtues. OF, stout as a means OF
saving his fife, for which he, ought ever
to be thankful, aud rather lectured him
on his foolishness for being such a
fanatic as 10 refuse taking a bottle OF
stout daily to orestore hun toihis- former
health. / lost sight of my patient tor
some months; but on one tine summers
day, when driving through one OF our
pnblic thoroughtares, / saw poor, mis-,
erable,, >ragged-looking man leaning
against the door of a common public
house, drunk and incapable of keeping
an erect position. Even in his spoverty,
drunkennessIa and misery, l discovered 1t
was my teetotal patient whom ! bad
not so long ago persuaded 70 break the
pledge. I could not be mistaken. l
had reason to know him well, for he
Had been member of the Methodist
church, an indefatigable Sunday school
teacher, a prayer leader, whose earnest
appeal for the salvation of others | had
often listened to with pleasure aud edi-
fication. 10 l Immediately went TO the
man and was astonished to find the
change which drink, in so short a time,
had worked in his appearance. With
manifest surprise, aud looking earnestly
at the7poor wretch. | said, S! is
that your With a staggering reel, and
clipping his words, he answered, Yes,
its me. Look at me again. Don't you
know me?' Yes, / know you, said,
and am 10 see you in this drunken con-
dition, l thought you were a. teetota-
Ter. -. .,........'.,
"Witll a peculiar grin upon his conn
tenance, he answered, Il was before /
took your medicine! 4 am sorry to see
you disgracing yourself by such con
duet. | am ashamed Of you Rousing
himself, as drunken people will at times,
to extraordinary effort, he chatiingly re-
Piled, Didn't on send me here for my
medicine? and with delirious kind Of
chuckle he hiccoughed out words / can
never forget: doctor, your medicine
cured my body, but it damned mysoul!'
"You may rest assured i did not sleep
that night. The drunken aspect OF that
man haunted me, and | found myself
weeping over the injury / had done
him. l rose up early the next morning
and went to bis cottage, with its 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 TO my sorrow that he
had removed some time ago. AT last,
with some difficulty, / found him located
in couple of rooms in low neighbor-
hood, not far distant from the public
house he bad patronized the day before.
Here, in such a home as none but the
druukard could inhabit, | found him
laid upon bed Of straw, feverish and
PROSTATE. from the previous days de-
bauci, abusing his wife because she
could not o get him some more drink
she standing aloof with tears in her
eyes, broken down with. care aud grief,
her children dirty and clothed in rags,
all frTehdless. and stepped in poverty.
| What wreck was there! Turned out
of the church in which he was an orna-
meut, his religion sacrificed, his useful
ness marred, his hopes of eternity blast
ed, nov a poor detected slave to his
passion Of drink, without mercy and
without hope. -,
81 talked to him kindly, reasoned
with hun, suceored bin till be was we'll,
and never lost sight of him, or let him
have any peace, until he had signed the
pledge again. It took him some time
to RECOVER his place in the church. but
I have had the happiness Of seeing him
restored. He is now, more than ever,
a devoted worker in the church; and
the cause of Temperance il pleaded on