Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-05-14
Wine, the M0cker.

"Wine is a mocker, strong drink is rag
ing, and whosoever is deceived thereby is
not wise"
Mrs. Clay having read these words TO her
young son Fred, he exclaimed:
al don't believe it,
Fred - was the surprised exclamation
Of his mother.
"No, mother don't believe it. A glass
of wine is good in its place. II is only
when we take too much that it hurts u.s."
Fred Clay was boy nearly fourteen years
old the only son of his mother and she was
a widow.
"My son, it grieves me to hear you talk
in that way If you would save yourself
from many sorrows, you must abstain from
the wine cup altogether. We have suffered,
and we are suffering now from its baleful
influences"
GLOW mother ?"
"Look out Of the window, Fred. What
do you see ?"
"Oh, the blue sea, the tide coming in and
the vessels at anchor. The Kate, | see, the
Sea Gull, and scores of other ships"
"And how many ships are we the owners
of ?"
"Why, none, mother, except my toy ship,
and Jack Sparks says she isn't worth dol
lar sne Is 80 damaged.
Fred, the finest vessels that anchored in
this bay once bore our name"
Fred's look of establishment was the only
reply.
"Our homes now are as few as our ships !;
but the beautiful house on the hill where
the wine merchant lives was once our proI-
erty and our residence. We have no cash
in the bank now but there was a time
when our bankers account stood as high as
that of any man in town."
How is it, mother, that everything is
different with MS now 2"
because your father said don't believe
| it, just as his son has been saying now, when
| he was warned that wine was a mocker.
| He neglected his business, his agents
cheated him, and his ships disappeared,
| lie drank wine with the wine merchant,
and when partly intoxicated, sold him our
beautiful home for one quarter of its real
value thus our home disappeared. He
wasted our income when in a generous mood
from the effects of the drink. lie would
pay visits to the merchants of the place and
give them orders for goods, till our house
would look like provision store, and fur
niture warehouse. In such ways our money
disappeared
Ali this might have been prevented had
| he abstained from wine in the first place
| Our ships might have sailed on the ocean
to-day We might have been living in the
house on the hill we might have had cash
in the bank your father might have been
alive and well; your mothers hair not
turned gray with sorrow, and her son might
have been at college, instead of being q
| junior clerk in an office where his compan
ions endeavor to persuade him to a course
which may end in eternal ruin to himself
and unutterable anguish to others, had il
not been for a little indulgence in wine
Total abstinence would have spared us al
this suffering, my son and Fred, are yol
not in the same danger your father was
You resemble him in disposition, in temper
ament, in voice, and in every look. | trem
BILE, my poor boy, lest you resemble him it
fate also"
Mother" exclaimed Fred, with emotion
ado not fear so any longer. promise yol
for the future never to taste any intoxicating
drink and besides, mother, | am deter
mined never to rest satisfied until what W,
lost by drink, we gain by total abstinence
God will help me, will he not, mother p
God has helped Fred. lie has cash in TIN
bank his old home, vacated by the win
merchant, is his, and his ships sail on tn
ocean. And when friend sometimes say
to him, " A glass of wine would do you good
Clay" he answers as sturdily as when
boy, but good deal more intelligently, I"
don't believe it.'-Engiih Paper.