West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1885-12-30
The Cider Curse.

from the excellent w. G. T. U,
Department of the Keyser Echo,
edited by our faithful State Supt
of Press Work:
ave have been reading of two
young men, sons of Christian
parents, whose mother in every
case of slight indisposition resorted
to the whisky bottle. The panacea
for common cold even, was a shot
whisky sling" Naturally enough
the boys both became drunkards.
The poor mother could not trace
the cause to her own foolish prac-
tice, but wondered why Providence
could allow her, a temperance
woman, to be SO afflicted.
The minister who had endeavor-
ed to save these poor young men
was alone with one of them one
day when he said desperately,
Nathan, wonder what could have
brought you to this, with the best of
parents and advantages? What was
it?"
The mother in the kitchen
paused to hear the answer. "You
want to know, do you? Well, l
can tell you in a few words, but l
wish yon wouldn't be trying to
save me. Pm past,help. l must
have liquor as long as 1 breathe.
What brought me to this? Well,
sir, nothing more nor less than
mothers aohasky BOTTLE"
A piteous, trembling cry came
through the kitchen. 1t was too
sudden-that fearful revelation.
Had she ruined the boys she had
loved better than life? They took
her up from the bare floor and laid
her on the bed tenderly and
reverently.
She was soon laid to rest by the
side of the husband and father.
Everyone wonders what brought
those boys to such depths, but only
the minister knows that it was
mothers whisky bottle"
We doubt not there are hun
dreds of drunkards to-day, who if
asked the same question would
need to make answer, Nothing
more nor less than fathers cider
barrel" Parents fail to realize that
there is lurking serpent, in that
which appears to them SO harmless.
AS long as the housewives plea is
for pure cider vinegar, and we
confess to house-keeper's weak
ness in this direction, apples will
be made into cider. There must be
the temptation of new cider, and
then that Of hard cider. If the
parents make it a beverage the
children will follow their example.
An old white haired man who
had been redeemed from drink,
said "My friends, beware of cider.
l tell you there is as big devil in
the cider barrel as in the whisky
barrel" Another reformed man
calls it "the DEVILS kindling wood"
A little boy of six years who had
been drinking cider for several
months drank one day until he fell
senseless. A physician was called
who found the child raving with
delirium tremens. Some boys re.
fuse to sign the pledge because it
includes cider. A real temperance
boy or girl will not drink cider.
A tlpsy young man was once
thrown from his carriage and so
injured that he died. His grief
stricken parents listened to his
dying words. "It is too late father
to weep now. I have been a bad
boy, bn. I could not live without
drink. learned to love it on the
table and in the field. If I 60 to
hell, | started from your cider
barrel" [ am sure the women of
the white ribbon army will Guilt
vate preference for saw dust vine
gar if they may hope thereby to
diminish the danger from cider
drinking. We hope the farmers
wives may say, though they say it
in prose:
when I 60 to the cellar about
my work, And see those barrels
against the wall,