The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-03-19

''As live, saith the Lord God, | have
no pleasure in the death of the wicked,
but that the wicked turn from his way
and live ; turn ye. turn ye from your evil
ways, for why will We die ~
Whilst this Indictment Of the Liquor
Traffic may contain numerous counts, yet
we purpose to present them from an
untrammeled position, and in the broad,
searching light of truth AS there is
no extent to which liquor does not go,
there should be no limit in it's denun-
citation, and 10 effort spared to accomplish
its complete eradication.
The subject of Intemperance is as new
as 1t is widespread, because every day it
presents itself in some new form and
phase, and in every avenue of life we come
In contact with its horrible rayages.
| The effect of Intemperance, like the du-
ration of eternity can never be computed
and he who undertakes to so to its bot
tom, climb to it's height, measure its
breadth. and traverse its length. maps ont
for himself work Of investigation that
cannot.be completed in the longest life
time allotted to any mortal, because it
reaches above and beyond time, down into
the co untless cycles Of the vast thereafter
itself.
| Whiskey-drinking not only begets and
fosters immortality Of every species, but
it produces victims by force, eXcites their
grosser passions and fills their minds with
base thoughts. incentives and desires
| blights their conscience, deadens their
feelings and m axes them a living mass Of
gnarled and knotted eorruption-kills hope,
chokes joy and strangles pride-trans-
forms them into reckless fiends, who curse
admonition, scorn mercyand refuse pardon.
Therefore the great necessity OF this earn
est and continued labor upon the part Of
Temperance people. sustained and aided
by the Omnipotent power Of Him who de-
clares, II have no pleasure in the death of
the wicked" to prevent the blinded slaves
Of wine and strong drink from rush
ing headlOng and madly into the yawning
hiatus of endless destruction.
Wine hibbers, drunkards, God does not
desire you to die in your sins amenable to
the awful penalties, he has prescribed
for disobedience to His DEGREES, but with
all the pathetic affection of Divine love,
! He entreats you to turn from your evil
ways and live ''Why will We, why will
ye,'' in spite Of His heartfelt warnings
and willingness to forgive, continue to
eagerly imbibe that hellish potion, each
drop of which is but another thorn added
to your crown Of misery, and which regis
ters your name on the roll of the lost, for
q lower pit in the charnel-house of the
damned?
AS your dissolute and drunken orgies
only insure you eternal Punishment into
everlasting fire prepared for the devil and
his angels, we beseech you to stop, pray
God to pardon your errors and sins of the
past, and, denying ungodliness and world
ly lusts, live soberly, righteously and godly
in this present world, . so that whenaatime
shall be swallowed up'' in eternity, you
shall enter that 'rest which remaineth for
the people of God
No better estimate can be conceived Of
the true mission, intentions and purposes
of liquor dealers than that contained in
these scathing words of God !. They have
made covenant with death, and with hell
are theya agreement. " Upon the blanehed
| cheeks Of agonizing humanity, these con-
tracts are written by the cruel scalpels Of
sin, signed with warm life-blood. and
sealed with the blacklist of crimes
Liquor is the exhaustless fountain which
generates and supplies the largest amount
OF piercing rt-ache, crushing sorrow,
singing despair, gnawing remorse, burn
ing shame and fatal disease. Is the thing
which poisons the blood, skaters the
nerves, wealzens the bones, diseases the
tissue, congests the lungs, staryes the
stomach, consumes the bowels, Scorrodes
the brain, blurs the intellect, blinds the
eye, enfeebles the step, causes insanity,
creates delirium, shortens existence, kills
the body and damns the soul, conducive to
health, required to sustain life, or bless
ing in any way to any mortal?
.ONe-half the ailments in the world to-
day are only vice, assuming the shapes Of
bandages. canes and crutches. A mans
moral sense is destroyed by the consuming
canker Of evil example, and his offensive
audacity, Sucked by the reYelries and be-
devilment of drunkardness. Those foul
cess. pools are upon every street and their
intoxicating contents infame men into
anger, violence and bloodshed entailing
upon innocent sufferers AL the horrible
results Of frenzied passions.
Rumsellers. the influence of your liquors
stalks abroad in all its hideous deformity,
spreading misery and ruin throughout this
land which boasts of its liberty and purity.
Epslayes millions, shrouds our homes,
blights our liresides, ruptures all society.
permeates the legislature, controls the
government, impedes commerce, throttles
industry, withers enterprise, robs the
world Of its ripping laughter and sows
sorrow and desolation in every part of the
universe.
Rumsellers, your liquors make your fell
low-nlan debauched drunkard, cursed Of
God and Stunned by man. You know this
is true you see examples of it every day
besides no man has ever yet had the dar-
ing intrepidity to advocate your business
from public rostrum. Though he should
scream himself hoarse, in vain endeayor
to prove that liquor is a necessity and
benefit, yet in spite Of all his labored ex-
ertions and strained emphasis. the only
thing that can he adduced in its favor is,
that in some complex cases of human af-
fiction where liquor was cautiously used
AS medicinal property. it produced salu-
tary results but whilst liquor in those
rare and exceptional instances, links as to