West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1884-04-30
"YOu Can't Help 1t !"

Rev. c. Ii. Mead, OF New York,
who has had such wonderful sue
cess in leading the multitudes of
the colored people of the South on
10 Temerance victories, recently
addressed an immense mass meet
ing at jacksonville, Florida.
From the Times Union report of
the speech we clip the following
extract, which our FREEMAN read
ers will enjoy:
The speaker then exhibited a
very wonderful piece of beautiful
word painting and splendid elocu-
ton. He told a story of a visit to
a place on the Hudson where he
went to preach of a splendid man
sion, fair lawns and terraces,
knightly oaks and pleasant gar
dens; told felicitously how he rode
in a splendid carriage and felt as
grand as if he were a Vanderbilt or
an Astor, and not a poor Methodist
preacher; how they rode to the
bluff of the Hudson and got down
upon the green velvet of the grass,
and he followed with q description
of the shining river, the heights
beyond, the emerald fields, the
groves and orchards, hills rising
and falling farther away, then the
blue mountains, then misty noun
tain shapes, still higher and still
farther on, aud the. setting sun
shining over all, covering all the
inspiring prospect with radiance
ofinefable glory, and he forgot all
worldly things and stood entranced
there. Then by a clever choosing
Of his words, he turns the mind by
the sound of sigh only, to a wom-
an in a copse of bushes, near at
hand, standing by the grave Of her
son, a young man of twenty-three ;
murdered she said he had BEEN
and was his murderer known? yes,
had been arrested and punished ?
no; were his whereabouts known?
yes where was he? right there in
the town; his murderer was the
Liquor Traffic. The speaker said
he rode back to the house in the
same fine carriage, but he did not
feel so grand as when he came.
That night they sat upon the
veranda and talked about
that woman one told her story;
one spoke of her son; how bright
he was, how he had graduated
with high honors at college when
he was only twenty years old; an
other told how he was drawn into
drink and ruined, and one man, a
doleful man with a depressing
voice (and here the speaker chang
ed his voice to strikingly dreary,
sepulchral tone) said: at was al
ways so; 1t always will be so, and
you CANT help it." o..
The speaker rung the changes on
this to the amusement of the audi
ence and in preparation of the eff
tect to follow and then said he babe
the company good night and went
to bed and dreamed; he saw again
The river, the sunset and the grave;
and looking he saw from the grave
skeleton rise up, and from other
graves other skeletons arose and
followed until two became hun
dred, hundred becamea thousand,
a thousand became a hundred
thousand marching along, clanking
their tleshless bones in unison, to
the music of which they marched,
and as they passed away figure
arose and he heard again the dole
ful man: 1t always was so; it al
ways will be so, and you can't help
It," Then he awoke and it was
morning, and just outside his win
dow he heard the voice again: "You
can't help itp He arose and went
to the window Jon the lawn he saw
a post set, to it a rope was tied, and
to the rope was fastened a-calf,
and as he looked the calf opened
his mouth and (here the speaker
n h a, - LII 11ry