Arkansas weekly mansion., 1883-08-11
The Laugh As an Ally OF Intemperance.

Not the Jolly. rollicking peal of good
natured laughter at the supposed follleS
of the Temperance rcformer: not even
the simpcrinr. sneering smile of the
sconer. but the involuntary litter OF the
pa,ser-by at the antics of drunken
man, or of the listener at Temperance
lecture. responsive to the ludicrous pre-
Sentation Of a drunken mans plight
Nobody means any harm, of course, but
all the same harm is done. The busl-
ness man aS he goes home at night
with friend, passes the poor, stagger-
ing wretch. just turned out OF some
highly licensed saloon, and the two
sober individuals. if, indeed, they be
entirely sober. exchange droll remarks
on his pitiable condition, and together
launh over his folly and sin. Suppose
he little son of one of them to be ac-
;.ompanyinm his father on his homcward
way-what impression does he get OF
the wick krdncs> of the drunken man?
What lesson is taught him concerning
the unwiSdom or the sinfulness of the
act or succession of acts by which a
man reduces himself to such 4 case?
What more than this that it IS II matter
to smile at-a folly to be derided, not Il
sin to be summed?
The man at his home, to his wife ana
daughter speaks OF meeting Jones
..prctty full. and then they all smile
quite a> if he had said that he met Jones
On the street occurring a pretty Girl.
Nothing worse than that and .jones Il
bachelor. The boy looking and listen
inr. watching his mother : and his Sis
!erS fac. sees simply this, and wonders
if to be rcciinG drunk is after all so
much of Il matter as his Sunday-school
tearhcr tried to make out on the last
quarterly Temperance day.
A large audience gathers to listen tc
y gifted orator who discourscS on the
various phases of the now absorbing
theme of Prohibition. He does not
mimic the drunkard is out OF
fa~hion-that laugh is out OF date
But in the midst of some finclv-wordcd
description he interlardS ludlcrous
version of Il Young man 5 downward
course. or incidentally alludes to some
of the ridiculous pOsturcS and situations
in which the drinker is placed, or even
more subtly still reveals a light esti-
mate OF the evils of drunkenness by a
chance word in which the small
bows find opportunity for amusc-
ment That little laugh has
wrought more injury to his caus" than
pounds of ar~rmcntative cure can now
,cc0mpl;Sh. 1t has even established i'll
.he Younger minds conviction that
after all not even the speaker himself
believes the saloon such curse since
he can speak lightly of its work, and
with twinkle in his eye, of the conSe-
uucnccs of drink. 1t is 4 better ally OF
iiitcmDerancc for the occasion and
the place than the saloon keeper him
;rlf would be. arguing on the platform
the personal liberty and right OF r-sln
to sill and to drink ardent spirita.
The Iaurh born of Such parentage is
an enemy in our own camp-a traitor
to our best laid ff,ns for educational
effort and prrmrafion OF the masses
with Temperance truth. 1t g YES the
lie 20 our statements of facts, smothcrS
our most impas>ioned appeals ere they
are out of our mouths. and bctrays us
to oar own children
Goethe saws there is nothing in which
Ir.rpI" show more plainly their true
characters than in what they laugh at.
Can it be that after all we have no true
appreciation of intcmperance?-tn man
SiGh,U