Woodstown register. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 187?-1892, 1883-10-16
TEMPERATE DRINKING.

AT certain town in Pennsylvania, the
question came up whether any persons
should be licensed to sell rum. The cler-
gyman, the deacon. the physician. strange
as it may now appear, all favored it, One
man only spoke against it because of The
mischief it did. The question was about
to be put, when there arose from one cor
ner OF the room miserable woman. She
was thinly clad, and her appearance indi-
Gated the utmost wretchedness, and that
her mortal career was almost closed. AT
ter moments silence, and al eyes being
liked upon her. she stretched her attenua-
ted body to its utmost height, and then
her long arms to their greatest length
and raising he voice to shrill pitch, she
called to all to look upon her.
"Yesp' she said, ''look upon me, an
then hear me. All that the last speaker
has said relative to temperate drinking, as
being the father of drunkenness, is true.
All practice, all experience, declares the
truth. All drinking of alcoholic poison,
as beverage in health, is excess. Look
upon me You all know me, or once did,
You all know was once the mistress of
the best farm in the town; you all know,
too, had one of the best-the most de-
voted of husbands. You all know / had
fine, noble hearted, industrious boys
Where are they now : Doctor, where are
| they now? You all know. You all know
they lie in row, side by side, in yonder
churchyard; all every one of them fill
ing the drunkard's grave! They were all
taught to believe that temperate drinking
was safe--that excess alone ought to be
avoided; and they never acknowledged
excess. They quoted you, and you, and
you (pointing with her shred of finger to
the minister, deacon, and DOCTOR as au-
thority. They thought themselves safe
under such teachers. But saw the grad
ual change coming over my family and its
prospects with dismay and horror. L felt
we were all to be overwhelmed in one
common ruin. tried to ward off the
blow; I tried to break the spell, the de-
iusiye spell, in which the idea of the bene-
tits OF temperate drinking had involved
my husband and sons. begged, l pray
ed; but the odds were against me.
The minister said the poison that was
destroying my husband and boys was a
good creature of God; the deacon who
sits under the pulpit there, and took orr
farm to pay his rum bills, sold them the
poison; the doctor said little was good
and the excess only ought to be avoided.
My poor husband, and my dear boys fell
into the snare, and they could, not escape !;
and, one after another were conveyed to
the sorrowful grave Of the drunkard. Now
look at me again. You probably see me
again. You probably see me for the last
time. My sands have almost run. have
dragged my exhausted frame from my
present home-your poor-house-to warn
you all; to warn you, deacon! to warn
you, false teacher Of Gods word! - And
with her arms flung high, and her tall
form stretched to its utmost, and her voice
raised to an unearthly pitch, she exclaim-
ed, II shall soon stand before the Judge
ment seat Of God. I shall meet you there,
you false guides, and be witness against
you all "a
The miserable woman vanished. A
dead silence pervaded the assembly; the
minister, the deacon and physician, hung
their heads; and when the president Of
the meeting put the question, "Shall any
licences be granted for the sale of spirit
uous liquors 7" the unanimous response
was, sNoi" --Memoiy of Geo. ~. Briggs,
late En- Goveyuoy Of Mass.