St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1879-02-22
A TEMPERANCE LECTURE.
Look Not Upon sBne R1ince.Eie When 1t
is He'd
Oil City Derrick.

is He'd;
Oil City Derrick.
NV friends, there is another rock wish
all to guard against. It is hidden by the
still summer sea, but upon it many
human bark has split. [ refer to the
mince~pie. Yes, my hearers, the mince-
pie is a rock that has brought thousands
to watery graves-or, not to watery
graves, exactly, but-you understand
what I mean. The mince>pie is the
curse of the land. It is alluring your
youth. from the path of virtue and
sobriety, and leading them down to ruin.
It begets an appetite for strong drink
that sweeps everything before it. Look
not upon the accursed thing. Shun it as
you would viper. Sit on it; trample
it under your feet, as it were. once
knew brilliant young man, loved and
courted by all who knew him. His is
the story of thousands. This young man
| used to visit his aunt in the fall, that
fatal time of the year when the mince-
pie stalks up and down through the
earth, Seeking where it may devour
somebody. This young mans aunt
could make mince-pie till you couldn't
rest, and fef art lured him to destruc-
ton. eThat Unsuitable monster! At first
he ate lightly Of the damning food; then,
as his appetite grew by what it fed upon,
he ate deeper and deeper, until after
every meal he would sink into a heavy
sleep, only to awake with ahead on him
bigger than Daniel Webster's. He
would chew cloves and cardamon seeds
for hours, and yet you could smell hi
breath across the biggest county i'll ths
state. He saw that he was becoming {
slave to the accursed pie. His af6ancec
bride, who to him was the one fair woman
beneath the sun, said she would neye
marry man that smelled like distil
lery that employed three hundred hands
and was in full blast all the time, ant
unless he reformed she would be nothing
to him but sister. The young mai
had all the sisters be wanted, and, fall
ingst her feet, he registered a soleml
oath, and had it copyrighted next day
that nince-pie should never pass hi
lips again as long as he lived. But alas
he was already slave to strong pie, ap'
in less than fAenty.four hours he tor
himself away from his sweetheart, VIII
made frantic grab at his coat.tails, AM
fed to his aunt's in the city, and said h
! hoped she would have some Of her excel
! lent mince-pies for dinner.
/ The good aunt, ignorant Of the fac
, that she was putting all enemy in hi
mouth to steal away his brain, set Zen
up, so to speak, and in less than tw
hours the young man was rip roarino
staving drunk, as usual. All, my friends
the story is chastity one, and needs n
embellishment. While in this conditio
the young man, the pride of his parent
and the hope of woman's heart, wa
arrested for drunkenness and disorderl
conduct. On the way to the mayor
, Office he shot the officer dead in b
, tracks, blew out his own brains wit
another barrel of the pistol, and the
went back and killed his aunt and do
that he had paid three dollars for.
My friends and fellow su fferers, frol
q the minee pie to the tomb is but a steI
IF mince pies must be made, I deman'
.. in the name of the youth Of our countr,
that people who manufacture them I
compelled to take out license. If the
=. must be eaten, I beg, for your SOULS sa
walton, do not eat them straight.
] serpent Turks in every oneof them. Te
8 thousand devils lie beneath every crus
!. be it baked ever so nicely. Every Gu
. rant hides demon with a forked tongu
& Of fame and -pronged pitchforl
. The suet, the citron and the choppe
meat are the broth of hell, and the who
!, business from stem to stern is a mscl
: cry, and strong drink is raging.
In conclusion, my beloved hearer
touch not, taste not, handle not--ent,
J not into temptation; or, in other word
look not upon the minee pie when it
red, when it giveth its color in the GU
J. board. # III
1T is said that q small cur in ii
house is more protection against burgla
K than ia n large dog. We would pref