The Panola weekly star. (Sardis, Miss.) 1882-18??, 1885-10-31
THE TEMPERANCE QUESTION.

And, With JOY ana peace OF mind,
Victory shah he yours, John
- 60
THE TEMPERANCE QUESTION.
A View from an Everyday, Practical and
Common.srnse STANDPOINT.
In the discussion Of the Temperance
question there is usually but a narrow
view taken Of it. Usually It Is the NOR
al side that is presented, and every
other point is lost slight Of. There is
no question that has a greater variety
Of important sides; aud u vast deal Of
support to the Temperance question is
lost because 1t is not more broadly pre-
sented Thousands OF people regard the
question Of morals IS something that is
wholly divorced from practicability.
Even men Of moral lives often think
that the preachers Of morality had bet
ter be engaged in more practical mat
tors. II is Of no use TO find fault with
such men. and certainly they ought not
to BE- ignored because their notions are
below the proper standard. 1t Is to the
interested the community TO have every
man q sober citizen, and the reforma-
ton Of n drinking nan Il desirable BY
whatever means or argument il may be
secured. In our experience we have al
ways found that the average man will
listen much quicker Il you can show him
that the immediate results Of some act
Of his will be unmistakable than he will
II he Is shown that an indefinite future
result will he much greater. Rather,
Il Is much easier TO get right doYr
the everyday practical affairs -,'
aud make an impression opf AND
something that they araj N,Doroit
time coming in contact wik'c
ist who labors among thesiyr
classes has said TO M that he net ~
gins by promising these people ete.lt,
life, Heaven, happiness beyond the
grave. lie says he has difficulty enough
10 induce these people TO think Of to-
morrow, lot alone thinking Of an indie
finite future that Is no nearer 10 their
conception than a million OF years
hence. But he says he begins By tell.
Ing them that he is prepared to guaran.
tee them better food, better clothes,
better homes and n greater degree OF
happiness right now and here. Then
he says they begin to listen. And that
is very true Of the vast mr. .ority Of pco.
pie.
II Is thus that Il Is better 10 begin tho
presentation Of the temperance ques-
ton. Get down to everyday reasons
for being n Temperance man. and when
they are all presented Il Is time enough
TO take up the moral aspects Of the
case We all know that there j. nc
surcr way II arousing q mans interest
upon any subject than 10 touch his
pocket, aud there Is no difficulty at all
In showing n man who drinks liquor
that his habit Is a terrible drain upon
his pocket-book. w may not like Il
admit II. but II Is n fact nevertheless
that most Of us make money getting tn,
principal object Of life. We are all
after money. The millionaire Il after
mor than he has; the prosperous bust
ness mar watches his growing bank &C
count with the l%iveliest interest; the da,
laborer wants TO become rich. and IN,
loafcr chafes because the more indus
irious are the more prosperous. Tn,
drunkard wants money rs badly Al
anybody. But his difficulty. and tn,
difficulty OF many others. is that the,
fail 10 see the necessity Of saving. A
man takes three drinks Of liquor a day,
and pays thirty cents for the ''enjoy
ment." The most that he can claim II
the way Of rsturn for this expenditure
Is n temporary qualification of an up
petite that Is not legitimate. The In
diligence brings him no permanent ben
eft. but rs surely harms him rs he woul,
be harmed u he dropped alcoho
into the eye. The instant the alcoho
touches the sensitive membranes Of hh
stomach and the instant Il touches hi
brain, he Is a permanently injured man
II he never drinks but one glass he maj
never be conscious Of the injury, hu
the injury Is done all tho same And !,
lnjure himself. and without tho leas
benefit. the moderate drinker, VIII,
drinks three glasses Of liquor 4 day
spends thirty cents In q week 4,
spends -. 10; In q year si09. 10: and II
twenty years ~. isL Add the interes
to this. and he will have enough TO bu,
two or three Of the best farms In III
country and have plenty OF money len
Does u pay to crafty the appetite a
such enormous costP There hav
been those who have severely critlcise,
W. II. Vanderbilt Tor spending
hundred and iifty thousand dollars 70
a ball But he never began 10 be 4
extravsgant as the man who take
three ten cent glasses Of liquor q da,
Our beer soaked communists never Dir
Of finding fault with the rich man b.
cause he has plenty 10 eat and Of N
hest, and yet not n Of OUT rich me
are as extravsgant n the mar VIII
throws away thirty cents a day togeths
with the compound interest The
would never have been rich II they he
made a practice Of doing thai. an
those who think more Of the indulgcnc
Of their appetite than they do Of econ
omy ought not 10 complain Of povert,
~ We should e q man taking te
cents out u his pocket three times
day and throwing Il away, we shoul
cafl him prohigsse and crazy. Bu
what does be do when he takes te
cents from his pocket three times
DAY. and exchanges 4 for insoxlcssiH
liquore He gets no good from IL an
be viii not honestly claim thai he doe.
The argument that Il ccols n In sun
msr and warns one N water = :
nonsense. and nobody 4 better svss
u 4 than the man Who oders Il, -