Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-07-17
TEMPERANCE.
The Aching Void.
Miss Aurilla FNrhcr.

was cast out the deVllIohat possessed
him. but, after the name Of devils,
he returned with reinforcements. And
the chamber of that mans heart was
swept and garnished: ready for occu-
pancy, but empty. a force of devils
without, nothing within to resist them,
eager desire against emptiness. There
could have been but M result. Those
who work directly for the reformation
OF fallen men and women, work among
them, tell us that the great danger OF.
their backsliding comes from empti-
ness, the dizziness to them, III the sober
life which they attempt, their lack of
interest inthings torwhich they have
been accustomed; the lack of excite
ment which has been their constant
food; coarse excitement, therefore the
more n%oticeably felt and the more dead
ening to the finer sensibilities: They
tell us that if these people can be tided
over this time of depression (of starva-
ton you might almost say,) until they
have some desire for such things as
interest the more respectable, and until
they have, through time, proved their
sincerity, and those more respectable
are willing to give them a share in
their interests and pleasures, there is
then great hope of their abiding in
honorable paths, but before that their
standing is very precarious. Now we
know that what is true of those who
have experienced the extremes of
wrong doing is just as true proportion
ally, Of those who need in any degree
to change theft physical, mental or
moral habits, and the, question often
comes to lis who consider these things,
"What shall we give to fill tthe void
caused by the casting out of evil GUS
toms?" We who labor and work for
the lettering of humanity try to per-
suade people to give tip the USE of liq-
uor and other things physically hurt
full: we long for the casting out from
our soc1ality Of that lewdness that de-
stroys both soul and body in it's hell.
We say to young men, "We do not like
to see you so carried away with dane
ing that you will give your last cent to
pay a fiddler and will dance all night
long, when you are so averse to eXer-
ton that you could not think of saw
ing a few sticks of wood for a widow
who supports a half dozen children by
doing your washing, nor indeed shovel
a path Of sweep a sidewalk for her"
And they Say, "Thete isn't any fun in
that meaning Of course, that there
isn't any excitement in it. There is a
great deal of the very best kind. How
shall I've teach them that? We say to
young men and to; solder. ones too, men
with grey hairs and bald heats, "Why
do you give so much Of your money,
time and mind to negro MINISTRIES and
such things as that?" And they say,
81 don't enjoy prayer meetings" They
don't. They are not religious. Most
Of them do not pretend to be. What
can we give them that will tie more in
teresting to them than a prayer meet
ing, something that they will swallow,
but which will be better food for them
than the caricature theatricals of white
men in black faces and woman's garb,
whose performances leave on their
minds almost, if not quite, the lowest
impressions q nan may have Of a wo-
imam?
If you lave a young lady friend who
has become SO fond of the lightest of
light reading that by constantly filling
her head with romance size is fast los
ing Judgment regarding realities, if
you see that she is likely to ruin her
whole future because she will believe
in impossible, unreasonable, sudden
changes from Viceto virtue, all through
somebody's loye to her, a love which
must be from the nature Of its giver
rooted in selishness thoughshe cannot
see it, what are you going to do with
her? Do you think, you can waean her
from her dear delightful novel by plac-
ing Gibbons History of Rome in her
hands? Even had you authority over
her DO you think it would be- well to
compel her to leave the one and. read
the other, or would it he better to, fur
nish her at first some good natural tic-
ton as light as good natural fiction can
he made2 milk for babes you know;
and it must not be cold milk, either, If
they are weddings. That there is
plenty of good, natural, wholesome,
stimulant in Gods world we know.
But then we must prepare it. God
doesn't build houses. for us, but he
forms the wood and the stone, and the
clay .forthe brick. God does not direct
ly build, our homes, nor our society.
He gives the substance and we fashion
the form thereof as VIC. will and can
How to prepare the good things that
they may not be nauseous ,or at best
insipid medicines to the diseased pal
ate, is one. Of the Christian duties that
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