The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1884-03-28
DESTRUCTIVE POWER OF STRONG
DRINK IN THE UNTOLD SUFFER
INGS OF THE WOMEN OF THE
COUNTRY
Article Fourth.

! lNGS Or The WOMEN OF IaE
! COUNTRY.
! Article Fourth.
All! here is where the leaden weight of this
accursed foe falls the heaviest; here where
the iron eats deepest into the soul. We talk
of the drunkard's sutferings, and though we
picture them never so highly yet still they
are overdrawn.
His suferings are beyond description. We
talk of the wrongs and woes inflicted upon
/ the innocent children, and God only sees and
knows the extent and intensity of these. We
also feel for the sober community at large, that
suffers from the mad violence and vice of the
victim of drink. But what are all these COM
pared with the accumulated wrongs inexpres-
sible woes, the infinitely UNREASONABLE suffer-
ings of the helpless, guiltless women, who are
mothers, sisters, and (nearer than alI wives
of these wrecked, unfeeling, cruel ones, mad
dened by strong drink? And these sufferers
number in our country at least 100000.
| O God, what a thought Think of it Three
millions of human hearts (uncorrupted by
this damning SIM slowly, but surely, dripping
their life's blood away in cruel, unrelenting
agonies Three millions of hearts, loving,
tender and true breaking, as they cry to God
/ for mercy to the hayward ones. Three millions
of faces, once radiant with beauty and hope,
now SCARED and furrowed by grief, turned
heaven, the last resort of human hope.
Twice three millions of eyes red with un-
ceasing weeping, and twice three millions of
hands, weary in their long, tiresome, desper-
ate appealings to the infinite throne.
| o, how patient they have been. Scolded,
cuffed, cursed Gin actually kicked starved,
left to SILVER in the winter, clothed with rags,
meanly abased by public neglect and oppro-
brium all by men who swore before heavens
altar to love, cherish, and keep them, III sick
Less and health, until death did them part.
And what for? Only that a denaturalized,
devilish, body and soul-consuming appetite
might be temporarily assuaged at the cup-the
infuriate cup of irremediable sorrow, and rem
ediless death. Waiting Yes waiting their
precious lives away And the waiting is
ceaselessly wearing, torturing, consuming
| for
'Grief coneeald, like hidden fire, consumes"
But some cruel critic will say, (" Some wo-
men drink" No No! They used to-some
women in high places but these, when led on
to excess, were quietly taken away and kindly
cared for, and a better time has come. 1t is
now, in high social circles, disreputable to
drink even wine. Society is being purged
from this, its former disgraceful and disas
trous curse. Thank God for that Many of
the low, lewd and abandoned still drink (for
these are being rescued by the white arms of
temperance, and their ranks kept from being
refilled. Men are the drunkards If woman
was first in the transgression, let it be remem-
bered to his shame man was the first drunk
ard, and he has largely monopolized the mean
business ever since.
And yet, though men are the drunkards,
women are the sufferers And these suffer
ings are worse than have ever been revealed,
or even imagined They are borne in silence.
| Heroic women! Shamed by their degrade
ton, envroned by wretchedness and woe,
they murmer not though they die. Brayely
they clinch their hands, shut their teeth, bit
ing their lips to whiteness, and with Spar
tan heroism deliberately determine to bear
all uncomplainingly even though they sink
! into the grave-resolved to hide their miseries
and heart breaking from the world. Yes,
we repeat it, hide them from the worldwide
them deep down in their hearts, and no angel
or human hand shall ever roll away the blood
sealed stone from
'The sepulchre of buried love-
to exhibit to the vulgar gaze of an unfeeling
public the well guarded treasure lying within.
God only, who transmutes all their bottled tears
into crystals, all their garnered groans into
peans of victory, and all their patiently borne
SORROWS into virtues of immortal whlteness,
shall roll away the stone, lift the pail and
speak to new liberty and life the long impris-
oned spirit of unrequited love. Brave, I'M
resenting, long-sutfering souls! Talk of
heroes in battle! There are more heroes In the
under currents of life, just back of the drunk
ards threshold, than ever sported in the
worlds sunshine, or saw the light of public
day. Men, by nature towards, may, by the
frenzy of battle, be carried forward to deeds
of daring; but women, down deep in the
mines of the worlds great heart, uninfuenced
by single inspiring element, yea, indeed
with the iron foot of oppression upon their
neck are daily performing prodigies of valor,
and carving out characters in the light of
which those of the worlds Wanted ones will
dwindle and shrink away into absolute puer-
ility.
/ But we must not dwell here. Think of
that young, innocent, confding girl just en-
tering the buddy bloom of womanhood, wooed
and won and led to the altar How pure and
| innocent and trustful she is How roseate
the present, and how bright and promising
the future! Perhaps she is taken from
home of culture, refinement, even wealth,
where she has never known a wish but was
gratifed. But she now willingly surrenders
her all to another, comparatively stranger,
depending upon the constancy of his love ESQ
faithfully and often and earnestly pledged) to
take the place of fond parents, devoted broth
ers and sisters and all the endearing scenes of
the dear old home.
/ And 0, how he has promised! How sol
EMMY sworn to be true and tender and loving
and helnful And on those promises and