The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-04-17
Is TEMPERATE DRINKING SAFE 2

Woman's Testimony-what She Had
Seen, and Known, and Felt-A Dramatic
Incident.
At certain town meeting in Penn
sylvania, the question came up whether
any persons should be licensed to sell
rum. The clergyman, the deacon, the
physician, strange 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 miserable woman. She was
thinly clad, and her appearance indi-
Gated the utmost wretchedness, and that
her mortal career was almost closed.
After moments silence, and all eyes
being fixed upon her, she stretched her
attenuated body to its utmost height,
and then her long arms to their great
est length, and raising her voice to a
shrill pitch, she called to all to look
upon her.
"Yesr' she said, 'look upon me, and
then hear me- All that the last speaker
has said relative to temperate drinking,
as being the father of drunkenness, is
true. All practice, all experience, de-
clares its truth. All drinking of alco-
holic poison, as beverage in health, is
e1cesS 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, had one of
the best-the most devoted-of hus-
bands. You all know l had fine, noble
hearted, industrious boys. Where are
they now? Doctor, where are they
now? You all know. You all know
they lie in row, side by side, in yonder
church-yard all-every one of them
filling 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 ac-
knowledged excess. They quoted you,
and you, and you (pointing with her
shred of finger to the minister, deacon
and doctor as authority. They thought
themselves safe under such teachers.
But [ saw the gradual change coming
over my family and its prospects with
dismay and horror. / felt we were to
be overwhelmed in one common ruin.
| tried to ward off the blow; tried to
break the spell, the delusive spell, in
which the idea of the benefits of tenn
perate drinking had involved my hus-
band and sons. I begged, l prayed;
but the odds were against me.
"The minister said the poison that
was destroying my husband and boys
was a good creature of God; the dea-
con who sits under the pulpit there and
took our farm to pay his rum bills, sold
them the poison; the doctor said a 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 anoth-
er, were 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. l have dragged my exhausted
frame from my present home-your
poor-house-to warn you all; to warn
you, deacon! to warn you, false teach
er of Gods Wordr' And with her arms
flung high and her tall form stretched
to its utmost, and her voice raised to an
unearthly pitch, she exclaimed: 81
shall soon stand before the Judgment
seat of God. 1 shall meet you there.
you false guides, and be a witness
against you all!''
The miserable woman vanished. A
dead silence pervaded the assembly; the
minister, the deacon, and physician
hung their heads; and when the Presi-
dent of the meeting pat the question:
''Shall any licenses be granted for the
sale of spirituous liquors?" the unani-
nous response was: ''Nor'-Memoir
of George NJ Briggs, late eg- Governor
of Massachusetts,.