The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-06-05
ssTHEY ARE COMING NOW. !"

trail at FarWell Hall, which Is crowded
night and day.
ssTHEY ARE COMING NOW"
BY JOHN b. COUGH.
A gentleman said to me 1T is very hard
that after have been fighting with drink
all my life, it should come into my house.
have six children-five daughters and
son. -Four Of my daughters are married !;
my youngest lives with me. My only son
is dying" He had delirium tremens a
second time The physician who knew
him very well, and knew the whole family,
gave me all the details of this young mans
case. He said he went to him on the
second attack and said to him 'sCharlie,
you know me. You know am your friend.
You are going to have hard siege of it,
my boy, "a very hard time but | think
with your constitution and my skill, and
Gods providence, I may pull you through
and bring you on your feet. But, Charlie,
if healthy blood again courses through
your veins, never Touch another drop.
You will have hard siege of it. but |
think see my way clear to pull you
through The young man looked in his
face and said : Doctor, do you say | shall
suffer? What do you know about it? I
feel it creeping on me now. Its
coming doctor. If you can prove to me
there is no physical suffering in hell, I will
cut my throat. There is no mental anguish
that can imagine which can compass with
what | notwithstanding. Why, doctor, |
have had great spiders drawing their soft
bodies with hairy legs all over my face
in my mouth. have had green flies
buzzing in my ears crawling in my nos
trils. All all they are coming now!"
and in five minutes two men were holding
him in his agony. For ten days and ten
nights he suffered unutterable torment.
He got on his feet at last. The thirdsday
after he was able to get out of his bed he
walked into the street, leaning on two
sticks, so feeble and shaken was he; but
he went into saloon and said ''Give me
a tablespoonful of brandy; just a table
spoonful. need it very badly. Don t
tell anybody it. Only just a spoonful;
need it, The man gave it, and now"
said the father, The is dying in such agony
that his family cannot look upon him."
What do you think of an appetite like
that ? What do you think of power like
that? Let men break that! And | tell
you that it requires some strength of mind,
some firmness of purpose, and some de-
cision of character to do it. Thank God,
we have thousands in our ranks who haze
burst the letters that bound them; who
have trampled under foot their enemy land
who stand to-day free from the damning
influences of drink. We know well what
men will do to crafty their appetite, what
they will sacrifice, what they will suffer.
And when the pinch comes-oh, the battle
1 love to see man fight, don't you? 1t
is grand thing to see a man struggle. |
like to whisper in his ear, Courage, my
brother!' like to lay my hand on his
shoulder, if by laying it there can give
him sympathy-can give him strength OF
arm to fight. And tell you my hearts
sympathy goes out to the drunkard when
he makes up his mind that he will fight.
He will have to fight. All, yes [ want
to 90 to that man and say to him, ''You
must fight. 1t is not as easy thing for
you to give up the drink as it is to turn
your hand round. You must fght!'' And
some men are fighting all the days of their
lives. A minister Of the Gospel said to
me: II was once sad drunkard, and
signed the pledge. Many times had been
in the ditch. When became converted,
made up my mind J. would study for the
ministry. was student. | had no de-
sire for the drink. had an idea that my
religion had driven all that out of me.
Abe grace of God had taken away the ap-
|yDetite foe, and the love of Jesus had taken
away the love of drink. l thought myself
perfectly safe. was invited out to din
ner. If the gentleman had asked me to
take glass of wine, it would have been
No. or glass of ale, No. but he gave
me sSlue rich Englishplum-pudding, pref
ty we'll saturated with brandy, and with
brandy sauce over it. thought nothing
nf it. 7 liked it. I ate freely. I sent up
rny ullate for second helping. On return
ing to aay study, / began to want to drink.
The want began to sting and burn me. My
mouth got dry. / wanted it. Well, surely
if I 90 now and have some-I have not
had any for six years certainly, if | take
inst one glass now it will allay this sort Of
Of feeling, and shall be able to attend to
nv studies.' No | thought Of what l
had been I thought of what expected to
be, and now, I said, L will fight it,
locked the door, and threw away the key.
Then commenced the fight. What | did
that night do not know. | know | was
on nv knees a good deal of the time, but
what / did do not know. Some one came
thine morning, about eight O'Clock, and
knocked at my door. Come in 1.-THE
door is locked I hunted about, found the
kew. and opened the door. Two of my fell
low-students entered. Why said one,
what is the matter with you?' What do
YOU mean p why, look at your face
They took me to the glass, and my face, l
saw, was covered with blood. In my agony
/ had with my nails torn the skin from my
forehead-look at the scars now lin my
agony of wrestling against the desire for
drink that cried through every nerve and
it +: but it was 48 hours before / dared to
$50 into the street.
You say ''Such cases are very rare" l
wish they were. See to-day what men are
sacrificing for the drink. See what they
are giving up-home, friends, reputation,
aye, even life itself, and that which is bet
ter than life, hopes of heaven dissolving
the pearl of great price in the cup, and
drinking away their very hopes Of heaven
in draught. Oh. it is awful when we go
among them and see them What will
they not do 7 What will they not sacrifice
What will they not give up? Do you say
it is because they are weak-minded. No;
it depends more on the Temperament, con-
Stitution, and nervous organization of a
alan. whether. If he tries to foIJow gour ec-
ample, Mr. Moderate DgasEer, he becomes