The Panola weekly star. (Sardis, Miss.) 1882-18??, 1885-09-19
TEMPERANCE READING
4 JUDGES afoUsG.

Whst ns ssia whsn rsssiss sss.sass
tpaa tiaista. ~ tbs is=' ~ the
aisis.
Hon 4 N Hubbard. District Judge
oi the Eighth Judicial District u lows,
in passing sentence upon some llquof
dealer. for violation ~ tho rrohlbl,ofy
laws ~ the STATE. said
while there are greater crimes
known 10 the Law which arc punishable
with great severity, there are mona
which involve more II those qualities
known q. desplcable meanncss and
audaoily than the felling Of lntoxicat.
ing liQuora There IL something In the
taking NJ human life 10 instantaneous
that IL shock. aud tcrrihcs tho minds oi
MI and yot wa look upon tho man who
takes human lie quite m surely. but
by slow, lingering process, II not
without condemnation. at least without
horror You who stand before tho
court for sentence are In every moral
sense murdercrs. and you arc within
the spirit, II not the letter, guilty Of
manslaughtcr, for the law says that
whoever accccrates the death VI a hui
man being unlawiully Is guilty of tho
crime Your bloatcd victims upon the
witness stand, and who undoubtedly
committed perjury 10 screen YOU from
The law, not only abundantly testify
that YOU arc acccleratlng death. but
that you are inducing men TO commit
still greater crimes than your own You
still maintain the appearance OF re-
spcctabillty, lut how morally leprous
and scrofuous you are inwardly. Tho
ruin, poverty and idlcness which you
are inhictng upon this community de-
clare ~ from The housctops that you
are living in idleness and eating tho
bread OF orphans watered with widows
! tears; you are stcnlthily killing your
victims, and numbering the peace and
industry of the community, and there
by converting happy, industrious
homes into misery. poverty, and rags.
Anxious wives and mothers watch and
pray in tears nightly. with desola,c
hearts. for the coming home OF your
victims, whom you are Turing with the
wilcs and smiles Of the devil into mid
night debauchery.
Zone can have no adequate conccp-
ton of u cataract until he has seen
Niagara. nor OF the terrible fury and
grandeur OF storm In mid-ocean until
he has witnessed one; so 40 one can
know the utter degradation and total
depravity to which his species can be
brought until he looks upon the desc
late ruin caused by your hellish traffic.
You ARE persistent, defiant law-break-
ers, and shamclcssly boast that In defi-
ance Of the law aud moral sense Of the
community you will continue In your
wicked and criminal practices II has,
therefore. now become the imperative
duty Of this court 10 let fall upon you
80 heavily The arm Of the law that
YOU shall either bc driven from your
neiarious traffic. or ruined In your
fortunes or wicked prosperity. You
have become u stencil TO tho
nostrlls Of tho community. and all
good men ars praying that you be
speedily reformed or summarily de-
stroycd. by the providence Of God and
the favor Of this court these prayers
shall be speedily answered by signal
and exact justice for your crimes. And
finally, let me cnireat you. II you are
not lost 10 every sentiment Of humanity.
to deslst from your criminal vagabond
traffic and betake yourselves 10 some
honest calling for n livelihood. that
you may yet become ylrtuous. useful
citizens and entitled 10 the respect Of q
Christian community. II you persist
In this way. your ruin Is certain. and
you VIII receive, M you deserve, the
execration Of mankind. You may
think that the sentence Of the court 4
harsh and uniustly severe. but the court
assures you that. compared with your
crimes and the dcsolation you have al
rcady brought upon the community, 10
is mild In the extreme"