Arkansas weekly mansion., 1883-11-03
Temperance.
A COwardly Custom.

The LIQUOR traffic il responsible for
more contemptible cowardice-mOre
barefaced shypocrisy-than any of the
agencies that the Father of lies ever set
in operation, under the sun; and the
custom of creating to drinks" SO
prevalent among men in these days IS
one of the most cowardly in vogue
Two individuals came in conjunction
the other day at a convenient angle OF
the street. There was a mutual rccog-
milton, handshaking, and the common
invitation Lets go and have some
Miuq." Something being a general
term embracing the materia medica
originating in decayed vegetables.
They went. For space of several
minutes screened doors shielded them
from the public gaze (beneficent pre-
cautionof the drunkartl-makcrs), while
within, convivial sounds-the clatter OF
glasses, and laughter which would
have shamed the symphonies of the
ba.nyard. indicated that something
was being taken in liberal quantities.
Presently they emerged. wiping their
lips unctuously. / scanned them from
nv point of observation-the Treatcr
and the Treated.
The latter wore bad clothes, and his
linen was not only dirty-it was very
dirty.
His coat told tale of approaching
dissolution at every seam, his boot heels
had Grecian curve, which spoke of
better days, and his hat looked as if it
had in the remote past gone on an
Arctic expedition and got caught be-
tween 4 couple of icebergs. And yet it
had meyer occurred to the other IN his
mistaken kindness CD to treat in the
4 IF "a
shoes, or even to suggest the sanitary
measure of good bath at his ex-
pense Oh, no, any such proposition
would have been regarded as a pretty
sure symptom of insanity. But surely
in that case he would have been getting
some equivalent for his money, which
bestowed on needy object would have
been to a good purpose, and an honest
business that much better off for the
patronage; whereas, the man who mar
shals his friend to the bar and fills him
with rotten cabbage juice is simply add
ING to the treasures of Beelzcbub for
that which not cnrichcs his friend and
makes him poor, indeed. ''Well, but
YOU see a man who is under no obliga-
tions not to drink can not very well
refuse when invited, and it looks mean
not to return the courtesy now and
them This is stcreotyped plea. But
the word ..mcan" is of private interDre-
tation.
There are in the dim, outer edges of
my acquaintance men whose generosity
in the matter of whisky punches and
cigars have earned for them the reputa-
ton of "goOd fcllows-first-rate, free
hearted fellows" l know their wives
well, too; sorry looking creatures some
OF them, so sadly reduced by patient
service at the family tread-mill that
there isn't much left of them but divers
backs bent like the new moon, and yet
who invariably preface their semi-occa-
sional requests for another calico dress
with an apology.
There is many man proverblal fOr
his od-heartedncss" among the
fellows" whose generosity shrivcls to
the magnitude of last years turnip
when put to the home test. lie it is
that bumps the babies without cause,
the while he growls ut their long-suilcr-
in" mother, admonishing her not to
"waste so many matches, and be
little more saving of the soap; for all
these things cost money, don't you
know?' etc,
i have an opinion of that man. lie
is deserving of special mention in the
annals of our country. Yea, verify, his
name should be handed down the ages
with a pair Of tongs (iron oncs) or in
connection with some such instrument
of domestic disciplinc.-Ndy Guthrie
IOngies., in San francisco Rescue.