West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1881-07-13

ID, TO tnc view OH NH toe"n"
Adrocote, of which paper he is the
able and spicy editor:
A TEMPERANCE SERMON.
The last Sunday night in Aiken
we went to the colorcd Baptist
church to hear the Rev. John Phil
iio, "who had good character az a
slave, and has had a good charac-
terevcr since Il man Of great inf1u-
ence among his people /; but he was
not there Another man was APP
pointed to preach, but he did not
come. After waiting till nearly
nine O'clock, and the services drag
ging slowly, we went to the Meth
odist church, and found the min
lister in the midst of what proved
to be strong and convincing tenn
perance sermon. Great interest
has been aroused on that subject in
South Carolina, and one of the
ablest lawyers in the State inform
ed us that, in his. opinion, strin-
gent prohibitory law would be pass
ed within two years. In the course
of an hour the preacher uttered the
following passages, nearly verbotin:
What is it that keeps our race
down? Not want of freedom, nor
opportunity, nor want of demand
for our labor, but .shiftlessness and
extravaganza. What causes shift
lessness and idleness Rum, in
most cases. What leads to drink
ing? Idleness. So idleness and
intemperance are like the Siamese
twins-wherever you see one you
see the other. * 4 4;
See the Woodworking woman
with her three children. They are
poor, but all the week she tells
them that father, who is away
planting cotton, or working on the
railroad, or driving the gentleman's
carriage, will come home Saturday
night and bring them food and
money. Saturday night comes, and
he starts home, his wages in his
pocket But on his way he meets
his companions First one drink,
and then another. When whisky's
in the wits out. Finally all is gone
He staggers home. His children
run to meet him. With curse he
demands why supper is not ready ;
then he falls like IA brute on the
floor, and wallows like the SOW in
her own filthiness. i; 4
Why is it that in the fall moth
ing is coming to you2 You have
spent it on rum faster than you
earned it, X X
You know a family held in high
honor, now in the ditch, husband
and wife, and what brought them
there. Rum. 4 x x
l went to the State prison, and
found seventy-four young men un-
der thirty years old there, and what
brought them? Rum, in more
than fifty cases. 4 * 4
Why is it that hundreds of bright
children can't get clothes to come
to Sunday-school? Only because
their parents spend what they earn
for rum. Why is it they can't go
to day-school? Because they have
to work on account of drunken par
ents who do not take care of
them. \ 4 4
Over here in Abbeville county a
young man hung. When he was
about to be swung off he said, ''Mv
friends, what brought me here
One glass of Plantation Bitters.
That set my head on fire, and |
drank until | was maddened, anG
did the deed that brought me
Some Of the class-leaders of this
church drink the wicked stuff.
have smelt their breath in the very
church. Some of them say that
they don't drink at bars, but they
take pint flask and go out in the
woods, and put in snake-root,. and
dog-wood, and black snake-root, and
call it "bitters." 1t is all a hum
bug. 1t is the old devil of alcohol
you are after. 1t is the black snake
of whisky that has coiled around
your throat. x
| call on you to put on the gar
ment of civilization, and content