Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-11-27
THE WELSH DRUNKARD.
The History of Red Owain, OF Merionetn
His Wonderful Apostacy, Habits,
Drunkenness Philosophy, Certain
Cure and Reformation.

= The Drych" Jthe Mirror, November 3
1881, by Rev. r d. Thomas, knoxville,
Tenn
As was travelling lately in the far West,
with pale face, empty pocket, without
friend, home, or lodging, mutterina tho
words of Goldsmith, when once he t on
toe slope of the Alps, pennies, and MS
eddie under his srnpit;
Great on's heir, and yet wiLhouta home"
Of the Creator had been without place
to Law his head, it is no woEder thaG the
creature is SO sometimes l met aceidenty
with \ gentleman of influence, feeling, and
stfiueuco. | asked him, would he please
tn honor me with n conversation with hin.
:. Yes. and welcome" said he. Come
ifto nv room" and l went in Now for
tho conversation, or dialogue:
Owain. heard that you are in this
country one Of the foremost agents of
Christ, who came to seek and TO save that
which was lost" If there is lost man on
earth TO day, AN him. Will you do your
best to save me timely, and leave the eter-
nal to my God, and myself?
Gentleman What Is the matter?
Owain. ] will not conceal one jHt. |
have been, and am still drunkard, sir. l
= ave been al inct saint, sggsring, beastly
drunkard for ab ut two years after | had
held q high and rich position, and had been
ten perance man for "a long time. Lately
! have been going about from place to
/ place, leaving God to provide, and m king
money by the hunered But whittier are
/ hey all gone?
! GenLleman How can man like you
/ be So inconsiderate and void Of conscience,
rs to trample tie blessings of Heaven IN
/ der feet, and so cruel rs TO squander money
] given to you in your nard-
ship by compassionate people, per-
haps from their own wants, is to me
/ q mystery What about principle, honor
[ and Christian feellng2
/ Owain. l must answer you In the words
of Cicero: "A drunkard is lunatic "
nd frem my own bitter experience, which
will be Strengthened by the most renowned
phl sicians OF Europe and America | will
say ~ that beastly drunkenness, which is
wholly different to (2) common drunken
ness, and (3) occasional drum enness, is the
m 81 awful fever uhder the sun; and, in
one sense, no one can never cure nor
remove it, When l am drinking, or in
the midst of the heat of this fever-a fever
that hills the al, that pOi5Ons every foun-
tain o life, ard polutes the mind thorough
ly-God knows that | am Lot accountable
for my talklngs, my broken covenants, VI
my foolish conduct; and when | come to
myself | feel too much shame. on account
of these things, to visit again those places
where had been drinking. But on the
/
10 not blow my own trumpet, when | say
that no man stands higher than myself,
for principle and kindness, when | am
sober. | am not the fever, but the
fever is an exception TO myself;
tut now my friends and relatives believe
/ hat | am every presence of the fever,
therefore they make me the biackess Of all
blacks. God is my Judge; he knows my
heart. csnrtt but say, in my preseI t
/ trouble, like the the pstlmjst, Let me
fall into the hands of he Lord, and not in
! to the hands of man"
Gentleman. Slowly, friend; it is not
/ becoming to hears man newly come flom
saloon To my room speaking so piOusly !!
/ No cant, presumption, blasphcmy, nor
/ hypocrisy for me | do not blame your
acquaintanCes for COndemning you. If 8
man wish to commit a moral self murder,
! over and over again, in spite of all, let him
do lt--let him 60 10 the wall; because he is
worthless, burihen and shame to him-
self and to ali his relatives and friends, and
. 5 black spot on the beautiful ere alton of
the ii ost High. You come to me to be
saved, and ut the same breath confess that
you are unpardonabe and uncurabe !
nor any one else, and even the Almighty
God, cannot save you, for He must
be consistent with His word no
drunkard shall inherit the lingdom
OF God y, There are conditions belonging
10 salVatlon, and you must comply with
/ them, before you can be saved.
Owain. On rainy day, like this, there
I Il no place ope' ed for stranger, but
saloons L cannot receive your doctrine
nor your condemnation, for it is pagan, if
not worse, and not Christian See III atbey
XVln, u, II Forgive not only until
seven tim es, but until seventy times seven"
David, Solomon, and others com tilted
moral self-mlrder, many times, but be-
cause their goodness overweighed their
Wickedness. God and men was fOrgiviDg
them. 20 break not the bruised reed,' -
saith Christ, by refusal or commission,
" As long as life exists there is hope. u
ITO the WALTZ Further, you have his
understood my mind. | said that beastiy
drunkard was incprable Tin one sense
/ only physically, as TO his body, and not
mentally as TO his soul snd spirit. "A few
days sgo read an article on drunke ness,
by enc OF the best physicians of London.
If L had seen it Years ago, | be.
lieve that |. would not have drank
p glass ever afterwards. Some one asked
him, What is the cause that no drunkard,
atttr beng temperance ms tor ten YEAR
cannot drink one glass of intoxicatin g
baverag s, without growing a orse drunk,
ald.tnan ever before?' "The ex PLANTATION il
cay" answered the physician The brain
Of a drunkard has been half boiled and
picked in alcohol; his nerves, or the tele.
graphic wires of the brain, have beer
weakened and shrunk Tor witheredl; and
the small cells (cellula) ofthe brain swo Ter
so much under its effects, so that no physi.
elan can ever cure any of them; therefore,
as TO the body. it is impossible .or him &c
/ drink one glass of splrits, without coins
reeilng, fiery drunk" in short time The
swollen cells will cry, liz ethe horseback
give! give! and if the haze of slcahol will
60 10 any Of them, the others will pe
wilder than ever in its desirable steam. On
very hot day in the summer, you havt
seen and heard cattle bleating, and running
to and fro wild for water. Behold one COW
gets drop in hole; she gets wilder thar
ever; and then the other cattle get wilder
than even her, horning her here anc
there. SO the cells of the brain. When
see q drunkaTd taking the pledge Issv {,
myself, thou will keep it for few days. .
few weeks, or a few months perhaps, Blu
never for a year, and in ninetyLnine O
every hundred l am right"
The drunRard is somewhat of a maj
in constant fits. and those fit
much more than his fond
ness Of the beverage urge him to get drunk
There is too much electricity collecti il
the brain, because the nerves have beel
weakened too much under the effect o
liquor, to convey regularly the electricit,
from the brain over The whole body pro
portionately, as they ought, Now ant
Lheh thls excess OF electricity will rusl
from the brain, shot sfte shot over nerves
too weak to bear them, without pain. wbicl
will make the msn The most passionate an,
fretful to ali and everything, without an,
cause himself and all others, not knowinl
the cause of it. In these plights if any on
will say word to him or about him, l..
will turn the dumps of moles into noun
tains. At one time he is too giddy, a
anothertme too melancholy. If be drink
lass in these fits, there will be no end t.
his drunkenness for long time
and perhaps till his grave. hese fit
issue from the same fountain a
| eplleptic fits, but thousand time
mere powerful; TOO much electricity yet il
the head, and the nerves, because o sudden
hight, too week to convey it, from degre
: to degree, over the body; but occasionally
mere comes stroke after, strOk
and by is power, the man
struck down as dead In a 6t