The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-11-03
ANOTHER FAILURE.
lPeck,s Sun.

TUCK Sun-i
 Ffteen or twenty years ago there was no man in Wisconsin whose name was more familiar. or whose presence created
 pleasanter feeling among a company
 than the name or presence of s. Park
 Coon. A few days since the gentleman
 died penn!less in Milwaukee hospital.
 and was buried by friends who had known
 him all these years, who respected him
 when he was al the top of the ladder, and
 who pitied him when a, the bottom. He
 had been attorney general of the state
 when young man, and contracted con-
 vivial habits which caused him to be the
 wrong man at the head of regiment,
 which was soon discovered when he was
 placed at the head of thousand brave
 Wisconsin soldiers. Hewas man good
 at heart, man of ability, a man loved
 best by those who knew him best, but
 the fatal defect was his entering the lists to wrestle cateh-as -eatch-can match
 with whisky, trial which ultimately
 beats every man who tries it. When the
 writer first saw 5. Park Coon he was the
 orator at a political meeting, had been
 met at the depot by band, wore slouch
 hat, and was admired by five thousand
 people as thoroughbred. He could
 talk splendidly. had been a colonel and
 his cofdla, greeting on being introduced
 to stranger captured the stranger d,
 once. Though he went to bed with his
 boots on that night. ard go; up the mex: morning with his hair pu.linss 10 take the traln, his getting full was looked upon as an ecoen,ucity of genius, boys talked about it and said, Well, he's a daisy anyway and they forgot his eloquence oi the evening before in admiration at his don't-care-a-darnativeness as he took the train that morning, knowing that every man, woman and child in the ooun- try village knew he had been full as goose the night before. There was an
 independent air about him that boys could not help admiring. and we wish the boys who put their hats on one side and winked at each other at the country depo, that morning. and admired the orator, ! could know how the poor man turned out. | All who stay by whisky are as liable. and more so. to die iii i hospital, then $. Park ! Coon was fifteen years ago IL always f seems hard 10 speak of mems mistakes { when they are dead, bu, if more good can : be done by speaking of them than was ever done by the man when living, t seems as though we should not shrink from speaking. No harm can be done to the deceased, and no more chagrin can oe felt by the relatives than has been felt tor many years. so while admonishing young men to beware of the fate that be- fell our friend who is dead. we shall no, forget the kind heart the man always car red when alive. No matter how great. or brainy, or educated man may be, if he tIes his cart to the rum locomotive, he will have hls cart tipped over. and the greater the man in his profession the worse his example Is to the boys. 4 boy who has read, and heard his father talk ot the greatness of a statesman. and who would give more to see the statesman than he would 10 see a circus, is injured more by seeing that statesman drunk than he would be in any other way. He . Is more liable to initiate the drunkenness | ot tte man, because he sees people laugh I at that, while they take his ora,ory with out smile. The greatest orator that i Illinois ever produced, who is now dead. did more harm once to young men by appearing before an audience m q p,esi- dental campaign III a state of intoxica- ton than he could do good n a lifetime i There is something abou, whisky that ! catches the best of them. and the largest . brained man Tn the state or country is about as liable To be captured by la,iat rope around his appetite as the narrowest 1 headed creature. Boys are great imi- ! ,ators, and If they learn that their favor ! ite lawyer. doctor. merchan, or editor get | too full for utteranee. and they see them eourted and pet,ed. the boys think there ! must be heap ot fun in Il. But there Is , not, boys What Non think IS fan is sla- very oi the woIs, kind. You ask an hon. est man. who Is so addicted ,o drink that Il Is noticeable to all. ii he would advise you to follow Tn the same course. anu he will tell you for Gods sake and your mothers sake never Ia touch drop of the poison. But talk as we may, and with examples before us every day of the . brightest men murdered by indulgence in whisky, men will go right along down hill. each year a liule nearer the bottom. until finally the bottom flies up and hits them dea,h blow. some of the bright est men Tn the country are gong the same way. their friends know il. and their families grIcve over II. and d, tunes the victims think about it, when such case as the above is brought 10 their minds. bu, they don't stop. As Josh Billings has said. When man gets to going down hill, all hadeS seems gieased for the oc- casion." We have no doubt tha, If the hones, sentiments of the man who was laid q, rest. d few days since. fiem the hospital. could be known. the advice he would give would make the hair stand on ] the head et many au able man of his pro- iersion, as well as other professions of men. and certainly his advice to | boys would be, \ ever look a; the stuff"