Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-04-10
to put, in play, something sweet or pun


to put, in play, something sweet or pun
gent upon u tongue, "Open your
mouth and shut your eyes," And why
should we question the physician when
he brings large abilities, educated skill
and probity. 1t is only when we see
the mischief and sorrow that come
from the careless prescription Ct alco-
hol, that we begin to think it is time to
open our eyes and shut our mouths.
The sweetest woman that ever called
me friend had a lifelong SORROW. So
deeply had it touched her that during
many years Of intercourse she never re-
ferred to it but once, and then with
deep emotion. Her idolized brother, a
man for whom nature had done much
physically and mentally. had at the
outset Of a life which promised to be
noble, useful and Of comfort to a wild
owed mother, become a drunkard.
Upon recovering from a dangerous and
tediouslllness, the physician prescribed
stimulants during months Of slow con-
valescence. The result was that the
habit was fixed for life. Her quiet
words, "my brother was made a drunk
ard blythe doctors prescription, "opened
our eyes to a new form Of sin. When
we went to housekeeping some years
ago there was a young grocery clerk.
who came to get our weekly orders.
He was an unusually bright young
man, active, quick-witted, ~bus:ness-like,
handsome and the embodiment of
health. He was bound to rise in the
world, we all declared, and as time
passed on, he came N day and told us
that one of the senior members of the
firm had retired and he had been given
an interest in the business. It seemed
like rare g%oodluck, as the firm was long
established, the business large and
i%ourishing. Then we heard that he
was married and the next year he came
and told us that a daughter had been
born to him. How his frank, honest
face beamed with JOY that day. The
seriousness of fatherhood lent a new
dignity to his bearing and as he STROBE
away, we, looking after him, thought,
he has now all and the best a man can
have in this world, home, wife, child:
and what a body for the temple of the
Holy Ghost. A long period elapsed be-
fore we saw him again, and such a
change! did this bloated body. this
heavy expression Of face belong to our
old friend? So great was our surprise
that we questioned him sharply and
rapidly. 1t was the old story, a fast
business life, with nc time for exercise,
had induced a stomach ailment, and the
doctor said, ""Take beer with your din
der" and he for whom we had predict
ed a manly life, was a beer drunkard.
We earnestly expostulated with him
and warned him of his danger. We
gave him a book on the effects of beer
drinking; for SO much of this evil
comes from ignorance. "My peopledie
for lack of knowledge" says the proph-
ct. And then WI went our way with
sad hearts to pray that his eyes might
be opened.
My paternal grandmother, a woman
OF wonderful constitution, had when
in her SEVENTEEN year a dangerous
sickness from which she arose with
chronic digestive trouble. She had no
thought Of dying at seventy and so be-
gan q brave fight with the disease.
She tried innumerable remedies. and
different modes Of treatment bnt with
out benefit. Finally the oldest and best
physician in the town said, Il can do
nothing for you; the only thing you can
do is to take brandy, and keep on tax
ing it, The grandmother got a great
demijohn and commenced her drinks.
But She was not a woman to shut her
eyes and open her mouth for long. She
said, 81 have lived all my life on this
Island within sight OF that great ocean
Which has been sounding into my soul
a grandteetotal always. I have brought
five sons to manhood, not one Of them
a drunkard. l have been honored and
respected by my neighbors, and now |
am obliged to take this stuff! 1t will
become a necessity. 1t will degrade
me; when | am dead people will say,
odd Mrs. b. took to drink in her old
age am going to stop it." Brave
old lady; she did, stop it, learned. to live
by rule, and lived fifteen good years af-
ter she made her resolution. 1t is
doubtful if she had lived half so MANY
years if she had taken alcohol daily.
But the doctor who drinks may do you
worse harm than the doctor who pre-
scrlbes. y nurse told me this story
once, with all her woman's soul stand
ing in her eyes: Said she, 81 stood bv
once and saw the wickedestthing done.
My patient was a very sick lady, and
she died for the want of a litt1a nron,n+