The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-03-20
TEMPERANCE DEPARTMENT.
EDITED BY TIE woMEN's CHRISTIAN
/ sgniti~ TEMPERANCE UNION.
THOUGHTS CONCERNING THE LIQUOR
TRAFFIC AT HOME AND ABROAD.
READ BY SAMUEL F. FOWLER BEFORE w,
CT. U. IN CHARLOTTESVILLE. VA,
DECEMBER 21sT, 1888.

hundred persons, including men women
and children. Some two years ago, a gen.
tleman was stationed on 9th ST., in that
city, to count the number Of persons en-
tering saloon at that point between the
hours of six o'clock in the morning and
twelve O'Clock at night, he gave us the
number one thousand, one hundred. Sup
posing the average attendance to be five
hundred at each of those five thousand Ii
censed, death-dealing establishments, daily,
leaving out the Sunday trade, and you have
as result, at ten cents per glass, the enor-
nous sum Of seventy-eight millions Of
dollars, spent annually, in the city Of broth
erly love, for drink. Now I ask, would
any business causing the loss of this i'm
mense sum, in the midst Of ur.people be
tolerated for a moment ? The answer is
from every well wisher Of society, no no !!
Should any man advocate it's continuance,
would he not be regarded by the people
as public enemyp Again, let me ask is
not this amount worse than lost? Let us
see how it is employed. Is it not largely
employed in making the following danger
GUS characters: incendiaries, murderers. de-
faulters, and robbers? How often has
twenty-five cents worth of this reason
destroying and brain firing element, cost
counties and communities thousands of
dollarsl Has it not robbed society fire.
quently of it's best friends and protectors,
and caused tosit in widowhood and orphan
age, those whose hearts were once bright
and happy? Homes have been enshrouded
In sorrow, and hearts burdened for life.
Were it possible to follow any one of these
two and half millions of drinking men
to his home, we would see inIthe agony of
the helpless wife and tender children, as
they wait his coming, one who, though
made in the image of God, and little
lower than the angels, had by this fiery de-
.stroyer beer. transformed into demon in
carnate, and made lower than brute.
How terrible when We realize that it is not
for few hours, nor days, but that the
poor creature is doomed for.life, and that
sooner or later, we must follow the unfor-
tunate inebriate to his grave, where comes
the sad remembrance, mo drunkard shall
enter the kingdom of Cod" What are
dollars and cents worth now! Do they not
fall into utter insignifcance. when COM
pared with the value of a human soul :?
According to statistical statement, we
spend annually in free America seven hun
dred million dollars in effecting this fear
full work of poverty, degradation. and
death. The money raised in the United
States, by all the missionary forces amounts
to six million dollars. This to SAFE souls,
seven hundred million dollars to aali,s
souls The statistical cost Of the liquor
traffic to the world is one thousand, five.
hundred and ninety million dollars.
Were this amount spent for universal gosa,
it would feed, clothe, and educate five
million three hundred thousand poor chill
dreen. 1t would build three hundred
Thousand churches at cost of five thous-
and dollars. It would buy all the flour
consumed in the United States, and leave
a surplus sufficient to support sixteen
thousand missionaries at an annual salary
of one Thousand dollars each. Instead Of
this, however, it is converting millions of
bushels of grain which God has given to
feed the body into liquid poison that de-
stroys it, and eiamns the soul. By this
abuse of God-given blessing, five hun
dred thousand confirmed drunkards are
made gradually, and two hundred thous-
and children are reduced to want and beg
gary. In this country so blessed, we have
ninety thousand more licensed drinking
houses than there are churches of alf
grades and classes, and the men engaged
in the manufacture and sale of strong
drink are twelve times more than all the
preachers. In view Of all this is it not
true, that
An unclaimed monster roams tonight,
Through streets of city and town,
And few are the hands, and few are the hearts
y That are lifted to crush him down.
His outer robe is strangely fair:
And his smile is strangely bright:
But blacker his hand and blacker his heart
Than ever was earthly night.
He clasps the hand OF innocent youth
While he wears his sweetest smile,
And that hand grows darker and darker with
81 crime.
And each thought is mixed with guile,
Ger man, in the pride of manhood years.
He is throwing his awful spell.
He Is leading him down, forever down,
Where the feet take hold on He'll.
The trembling steps of palsied age
Are following at his CALI;
He enters unbidden the lonely cot,
And the high palatial hall;
And woman! o! softly speak that name
Ye mothers and sisters and wives,
And weep and pray for the fallen ones,
For the darkened homes and lives.
o list to the bitter wall of woe
That comes from the howell and hall,
Where the unclaimed monsters hand has been,
And claimed their best, their all,
Then rise in the might that God has given,
And strike the monster low,
There is love to man and glory to God
In every conquering blow.
Oh rise, as you prize your happy homes,
Nor weary in the strife,
Till the lowest one in the monsters thrall,
Is raised to a higher life.
Arise for the battle is the Lords,
He is calling for you to come
And fight till lowly lays the.form
OF this unchanged monster Rum.
Thermometer, intemperance, tyranny, greed,
Are still to be conquered; how glorious the
need,
OF her who shall trample them down to the
dust,
With these words on her banner, "In God is
my trust"
0, that each one of you, may be truthful and
pure.
In the cause of the right nobly dare and en-
dure,
Be faithful in duty, be temperate, be strong,
And the glory of womanhood to you shall be-
long.
RICE MoULD.-Boil a teacupful Of rice
insa,.pint and hall. of milk until perfectly
tender, add two ounces of loaf sugar, one
egg, and little grated lemon rind, beat all
togethef for a few minutes turn into a
mould previously wetted with cold waite { : |
let it stand for four or five hours; turn
out into a glass dish. 1t may be eaten
with jam or treacle.