Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-07-09
Coughs Farewell in London.

am moral suasionist and prohibition
ist. ] work with one hand for moral sua-
sion, and with the other for law. believe
i'll kindness and in love to the tempted and
in law and prohibition for the tempter. /
believe, as ] advocate total abstinence, and
the people grow into that principle-and
they are growing into it gradually-so surely
shall we set down our foot, and our cry will
be such as no legislature on earth can turn
deaf ear to. We must have this traffic
prohibited entirely. The custom of society.
II is an old-fashioned custom. Shakespeare
himself once said it is more honored in the
breach than in the observance, and so we
can say to-day. Now, men tell us that if
we attack the custom of drinking, we are
attacking those who sustain the custom, and
those are our respectable moderate drinkers.
/ know very well | shall be considered
strange if say this, but it is my honest
conviction-and am old enough, and have
had experience enough, to get some con-
victions-that if had a son, boy like one
of those that see before me, had rather
take him tonight to the lowest, vilest pub
lie house in London aud keep him there one
hour than ! would set him in the
RESPECTABLE MODERATE DRINKING CIRCLE
in his mothers house. where the minister,
whom he hears preach the gospel Sabbath
after Sabbath, sips the wine and endorses
the custom. Now, that is not denouncing
the moderate drinker as worse than the
drunkard. IL the moderate drinker was
worse than the drunkard we should be con-
tinually telling the drunkard that he was
improving as he went down. but say that
if the boy stands there and sees the awful
results of drunkenness, there is no attraction
id hat 10 l,n L.. Ln.. Il,
to his ears and cry out, Take me away; |
cannot bear this; take me away" There is
that which shocks his sensibility, there is
that which disturbs his natural purity,
chastity and cleanliness, and he stands and
shudders and is uneasy, and when ! take
him away he draws a long breath, and is
grateful for his escape. Now, if we can
break up the responsibility of the drinking
customs of society, we shall gain the great
point in the breaking them up altogether.
THE FIRST AND THE LAST STEP.
You may tell me there is no harm in
drinking glass of wine or glass of ale. |
am not here to decide the harm in it, but
know very well-and so do you-that the
| first step is not taken where the last step is
TAKEN | wish to relate just little incl
dent which have related once before. In
1874 | was invited to be guest in a family
of wealth and position. In that house was
the most beautiful boy ever set my eyes
upon, perfect picture, sweet, pure, clean,
chaste, with the broad brow, and those great
gray eyes, and the ruby lips, and the ruddy
cheek, the pearly teeth, the rounded limb
perfect picture of boyish beauty and clean
illness and chastity his very breath was
like newly-gathered primroses. | loved
him. That boy could do anything with
me. l stood on my head for him; turned
somersaults on the lawn to please him; |
carried him pic-a-back, and got on my hands
and knees and let him ride on me. In the
morning it was "Where's Harry ?" and
Harry would come bounding in, full of fire
and animation. One day we were rompiug
on the lawn and man said to me, " There
is a man in the field Just below the lawn,
lying there very drunk how he got there
do not know | said
"HARRY, WILL YOU co TO SEE THE MAN Z!
He put his hand in mine, with hop,
skip, and jump, and we went down to the
place. He peeped through the bars, and |
looked over There was the man, the most
disgusting spectacle ! ever saw-horrible.
He lay there, his face upturned to the broad
blue sky; hot August sun was pouring
|
face; his mouth was wide open like fur
mace, his tongue dry and white, and the
summer flies buzzing around him, crawling
across his lips and across his tongue. 1t
was horribly disgusting. The little fellow
put his hands slyly into mine, and said
"What is the matter with the man ?"
took him away, and we sat on a bank
together There were flowers surrounding
us, and | said Harry, YOU will never
drink ?" "No" He was wonderfully ex
cited. "You will never touch it ?" "No.'
The boy grew up to be youth At seven
teen years of age he went to college. lii
had never touched drop OF intoxicating
liquor in his life till then. When / saw
him he was between six and seven year.
/, old. Ten years afterwards he was in col
lege, and there he took his first glass. Ii
1865 his mother wrote me" Come, and
spend day or two with us if you can fol-
Gods sake, do something to save my boy
E He married at twenty-one and when | saw
him at twenty-eight ! started back. He
: said, (" You do not know me ?" "No, dc
not know you-is this Harry ?" " Yes" he
said,
81 WAS HARRY, oNCEl"
He had grown reckless. His gray eye
, was boodshot, he had jowls under his chin
sensnality was on his cracked lip and he
looked at me with half chuckle, and said
, al don't wonder you do not know me | dc
not look much as | did when romped witt
you in the garden; but have got boy
the very picture of what was then. Have
!. you seen my boy p "No." g. will cal
I him in-Harry" All there he is, the
little fellow. OF o. o the pity of it
L.