Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1881-01-07
OUR SCHOOLS OF VICE.

neaFt, DeTedNeS tuc uotihS "'V'''i' va
tinguishes natural affections, erases con-
iugal love, blots filial attachments,
blights parental hope, and brings down
mourning age in sorrow TO the grave.
1t makes wives widows; children or
phans: fathers fiends and all of them
paupers and beggars. 1t feeds rheuma-
tism. arouses gout, welcomes epidemics.
invites cholera. imports pestilence, and
embraces consumption. II covers the
land with idleness and crime. 1t fills
your iails. supplies your almshouses.
and demands your asylums. 1t engen-
ders controversies. fosters quarrclS. and
cherishes riot. 1t crowds your peniten-
tiarieS. and furnishes victims for the
scaffolds. 1t is the blood of the gambler
the element otthe burglar, the prop of
the highwavman, and the support of a
incendiarv. 1t countenances the
liar. respects the thief. esteems the bias
phemcr 1t violates obligations, revcr-
ences fraud. and honors lnfamy. 1t
hates love ScOrns virtue. and ISLANDERS
innocence Incites the father to butch
cr his helpless offspring and the chlldto
grind the parental age. 1t burns up
men. consumes women. dctestS life.
curses God and hates heaven. Ii subornS
witnesses. nurses perfdy, dcfilcs the
jury box and judicial ermine, 1t brib-
es votes. disqualites voters, cOrrupts
elections, polluteS our institutions. and
cndangers government. 1t brings
shame, not honor: terror. not safety: de-
SPAR. not hope: misery. not happiness:
and with the manevolence of tiend 1t
calmly surveys its frightful desOlation,
and unsatiated with havoc it kills peace
poisoMs felicity. ruins morals. blights
confidence slays reputation, and wipes
out national honor. then curses the
world and laughs at its ruin. 1t does
that and more--it murders the soul. 1t
is the sum of all crimes. the mother of
all denominations, the devils best friend
and Gods worst enemy.-BOb IngersoH
on LHemperance.
The above Indictment of intemper-
ance is so true that we are justified in
calling the dram shop, whether found
in the back room of a drug store, or
the open saloon, a school Of vice, where
unwary youth is educated for ruin.
Usually the gambling saloon and baw-
DIV houses are associated so closely
with the dram shop, as to thrive upon
its victims. This trio are the fruitful
and universally recognized sources of
the public calamities: lncurable diseas-
es, pauperism and crime.
But the lessons Of gross immortality
impaired daily and nightly to those
who congregate there prepare the way
directly for the perpetration of the
dark catalogue of crimes enumerated
above. 1t is astounding that a patri-
otic, moral and intelligent people;
wholly dependent upon the intelligence
and integrity of her citizens for stabili-
ty Of government and the purity of its
administration; should tolerate these
schools of social corruption and crime.
Bu. when citizens suffering in purse
and family, the evils of dram shop ed
ucation. gravely propose TO give the
trio a legal existence; SO lifting them
into the position of a respectable bus-
mess by licensing them, and sharing
the revenue of their crimes, we see
in these citizens such evidence of NOR
al insanity as is the sure prelude of
hopeless ruin to every noble interest if
they succeed. Why do we write in
this way! Because we are jealous of
the good name of our community; hav-
ing more at stake in. our reputation
than is common with most towns of
this size in Missouri
A reputation for sobriety and moral
ity is a very important factor in gath
ering so many ofthe best young peo-
pie to kirksville for school facilities.
No parent prefers to send children
where there are open saloons and
brothels. Until recently We could
boast of comparative freedom from
these haunts ofthe indolent and VIC
ious. But through want of moral
courage and faithfulness on the part of
those administering the city govern
ment, a number of these places have
been opened and become already pub
lie nuisances.
We are justly proud Of our Normal
school; bringing into our midst an aver
age of about 900 annually of the most
promising young men and women of
the land for the purpose of an educa-
tioL. They are confded to us as a
community by their friends with the
expectation that We will preserve a
wholesome social condition for their
right moral development. As a
source of wealth we should seek tc IN
crease the number in attendance.
The school does not bring into this
city and expendl less than $4,000 an
nually. Add to this the cultural in
fluences prevalent through the pres
ence of this institution, and We have
very strong reasons for maintaining a
good reputation abroad. There re-
mains the strongest reason. 1t is
r;rbt to ba Soher industrious and vir.