The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-07-10
TIE MPERANcE DEPARTMENT.
EDITED BY THE WoMEN's CHRISTIAN
TEMPERANCE UNION.

Il
A THRILLING TEMPERANCE APPEAL.
At certain town meeting in Pennsyl-
vania the question came up whether any
person should be licensed to sell rum. The
clergyman, the deacon, the physician.
strange as it may now appear, all favored
it. One man only spoke against it, because
Of the mischief it did. The question was
about to be put, when there arose from
one corner of the room a miserable woman.
She was thinly clad, and her appearance
indicated the utmost wretchedness, and
that her mortal career was almost closed.
After moments silence, and all eyes
being fixed upon her, she stretched her at
tenuated body to its utmost height, and
then her long arms to their greatest length,
and then raising her voice to shrill pitch,
she called all to look upon her. Hear
me" she said. ''All that the last speaker
has said about moderate drinking as being
the father of drunkenness, is true. All
practice, all experience declares its truth.
All drinking of alcoholic poison, as bev-
erage in health, is excess. Look upon me!
You all know me, or once did. You all
know was once the mistress OF the best
farm in the town you all know, too, l had
one of the best, the most devoted of hus-
bands You all know I had fine, noble
hearted, industrious boys. Where are they
now? Doctor, where are they now You
all know. They lie in a row, side by side,
in yonder church yard !; all, every one OF
them filing the drunkard's grave They
were all taught to believe that temperate
drinking was safe-that excess alone ought
to be avoided and they never acknowledged
you, pointing with her shred of finger
to the minister, deacon, and doctor, las
authority. They thought themselves safe
under such teachers. But / saw the grad
ual change coming over my family and its
prospects, with dismay and horror. | felt
we were all to be overwhelmed in one
common ruin. l tried to ward off the
blow; [ tried to break the spell, the de-
lusive spell, in which the idea Of the ben
efits of temperate drinking had involved
my husband and sons. begged, Iprayed ),
but the odds were against me. The min
lister said the poison that was destroying
my husband and boys was a good creature
Of God the deacon who sits under the
pulpit there, and took our farm to pay his
rum bills, sold them the poison the doctor
said little was good, and the excess only
ought to be avoided. My poor husband
and my dear boys fell into the snare, and
they could not escape and one after an
other was conveyed to the sorrowful grave
of the drunkard. Now look at me again.
You probably see me for the last time.
My sands have almost run. have dragged
my exhausted frame from my present
home-your poorhouse warn you all
to warn you, deacon. to warn you, false
arms flung high land her tall form stretched
to its utmost, and her voice raised to an
unearthly pitch, she exclaimed, II shall
soon stand before the Judgment seat of
God. shall meet you there, false guides,
and be a witness against you all. The
miserable woman vanished. A dead 81 |
lence pervaded the assembly the minister,
the deacon and physician hung their heads;
and when the president of the meeting
put the question, 'Shal any licenses be |
granted for the sale OF spirituons liquors ~ |
the unanimous response was NO t"-se |
Lected.''