Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1880-08-18
The City q Sin.
Its Rsisrvoirs, aud Forntains; o., The
Worlds Carse.
AN ALLEG RY

As in all large and extensive cities there
are bursting fountains, whose sparkling wa
ters charm the eye end cool the dir, so in
the City of Sin there are several noted
fountains, whose jetty spray attract the eye
for miles. they are called Wine, Gin, Rum,
Whisky, and Brandy Fountains. They are
supplied by a Reservoir, commonly called a
Distillery. 1t is situated on a commanding
ep,inence overlooking the city. A cloud of
smoke goes up from it, like that which rolls
up from the lake that b,,rneth with fire and
tud-s IS thrown into the reservoir, and,
passing through the worm of the still-a
,corm concerned and 5rorght forth by the old
Ssrpent-ani running through pipes, called
braniy pipes, it bursts forth in sparkling
jets, and Is quafed by deluded mortals.
Around these fountains you will see piles
of human bones, at a distance resembling
the chalky hills of England. Generation
after generation have gone down and drank,
and come up and come up and died, and
their bones are left to bleach on the mar
gins. Here you win see sons travelling right
down, over the dead bodies OF their fathers,
and fathers treading on the bones of sons,
as they urge their way down TO the waters
of death.
To these fountains you will see coming,
early and late, mtltitndes from all parts OF
the city, from blooming youth to hoary age.
The adv ocate, when he would rescue his
client from TIE iron hand OF the law, too
often goes down TO these fountains, instead
of drinking from the wells which Puiien-
dcrf, a Grotius, Blackstone, and a Kent
have dug and walled Up, after removing the
rubbish of centuries, and penetrating the
granite rocks OF precedent. The orator of
God sometimes visits these fountains IN
stead OF his closet, werming his heart with
frc-water rather than with a live coal from
the altar of heaven, drawing inspiration
from the ruby wine, instead of quaiiing the
crystal waters that 80 make glad the City OF
God" The waters of Zem Zem, the Pier
ian Spring, the Castalian, Fount, aud the
Wells of Salvation are abandoned by
myriads for these fountains of death. The
culprits and the judge, the serf and the
lord, the beggar and the banker, here meet
as on p common level.
The burning lava that rolled over Hcrcu-
laneum and Pompeii was never SO fatal as
the deluge Of fire these fountains have
rolled over the city; fires that have sun
dered the cords that bound man to man,
husband to wife, parent to child fires that
have burned down the tree planted by the
hand of friendship, blasted the flowers that
bloomed in the garden. OF love, paralyzed
the giant arm, palsied the eloquent tongue
and shattered the most respondent intel
lect fires that have hardened In yillalny
and incrusted in crime the refined and viz
tuons, transformed man into a beast, lovely
woman into a fend.
The lustful desires of the debauchee, the 1
cankerous hurger of tire miser, the ihsa-
tilte thirst of the tiger, are not TO be com I
pared with the raging thirst engendered by I
these fountains. If one would be consid- I
cred mad who should endeavor to quench /
the violence of fire by pouring oil on the |
spreading flames, how much more are those |
mad who attempt to allay their raging thirst
by pouring these burning waters down their
throats. As shipwrecked mariners lind that /
the more they drink the salt water the |
greater their thirst, the r,ore their tongues I
and lips are parohed, SO multitudes oitimcs I
discover, too late, that drinking at these 1
inhamcs more and more the appe- |
tlte, undermines the constitution, consumes
the vitals, "sets on fiie the course of nature"
and burns soul and body down to he'll.
I IT.