Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-03-14

did not intend to lecture but only 70 talk q
little, and through all to say q few woods
about himself, be launched out With an elo-
quent exhcrtaisn for d better CAristian
feeling between all peopl., whether so-called
Christians or others. Illustrating bis points,
from time to time, with incidents, pathetic
or ludierous, all told in his earnest,
ipimitable manner, which attracted and
held the attention OF his audience to
the uttermost. He besought Christian peo-
pie to do q little something for the cause OF
Christ. relating, as an example of what he
meant, the instance Of . poor Irishman,
ragged and sbashed, but q Christian never
theless, who came to him on q Saturday night,
and laying down q silver half dollar. said:
Mr.. Murphy, Of yez won't be ofinded,
Bridget and 1 counted up our money this
ayeniDg, and afiher we he'd paid the grocery
bill and all the others W. he'd q dollar lift,
and we agreed, de ye mind, that we'd give
&c half Of it." That was Christianity. II
every Christian was possessed of that kind
Of a spiiit, how the cause of Christ would
grow and flourish.
The great trouble with a great many men,
he said, was a want OF confidence in them
selves. Men whom he had approached with
an invitation to sign the pledge would say:
Il can't keep it" or in only break it
again" To such men he would say:
Brother, be of good cheer. Suppose you
do break the pledge? Sign it again! If
you fall, sign it again! Failing again, sign
It again, and keep on until BY the help OF
God you win the fight and come forth vic
torious!" That was the way to succeed In
the struggle with the demon-s
fend which every year dragged
a hundred and sixty thousand men to
eternal ruin. Why would men despair? Why
would they give up and surrender while
there was yet hope in abundance for them?
ooh" he said, would that God would come
with Pentecostal power to smite this great
evil, and rescue the fallen of this city from
the sin which is steadily dragging so many
down to eternal ruin, beggary and shsme!'
He went on to picture his experience with
a young man, q friend Of his, who had early
fallen into bad company, had contracted
the habit of drink, snl, 81 the age Of twenty.
four was q confirmed drankard. His mother
had earnestly plead with her son to reform,
had interestedhe minister and others to pray
for him and counselhim, and fnally, a tatem'
perance meeting, the one which closed the
series, the boy came up and signed the
pledge. A year or two after he received
an invitation to attend a wedding Of a sis
ter of that boy. He travelled three hun
dred miles to fulfill that invitation, and when
he arrived he was met at the door BY the
mother. He asked after the boy. tom is
up stairs" she said, with a sigh; The is in a
bad way, and, Mr.. Murphy, l don't think
he'll get well. But he thought he would
ike to speak with you, and / want you to
see him. he went into the house, amid
flowers and the playing Of fountains and
music, and then he met the father, tall and
broad-shouldered and handsome, going
about with bowed head in the midst
of rejoicing; with a funeral in his heart. By
and By the wedding was over, and he was
taken into the back room, where he had
been arranged that Tom should meet him
In a few moments he heard some one com
ing slowly and painfully down the stairs,
and Tom made his appearance, feeble and
bloated and broken, his face cut, his fea'
tdres dis6gured, his whole being a ruin
"Ah, Mr.. Murphy" he said, 81 am nearly
gone, but I wanted to say good bye to you
my friend" and with a feeble grasp of the
hand he turned and slowly and painfully
made his way up the stairs again. The mex
day delirium tremens came TO that boy with
its terrible writings and tortures beyond
the power of words to describe. Strong
men we're sent for and the sick man was
tied 20 the bed BY the limbs and arms aud
body, and so, amid writings the most fear
full, and tortures almost beyond human
endurance for a moment, he died. VIVA,
a terrible warning that vas!
After a brilliant peroration, eloquently
appealing for signers to come forward, the
choir struck up a hymn, and Mr.. Murphy
left the platform and mingled with the au,
dience, exhorting the men to CONF forward
ABOUT twenty five persons responding.
Mr.. Murphy will not be present at the
meeting in the Disciples Church tonight
he being compelled 10 return to Pittsburg
this afternoon, but it is requested that none
remain away on that account. He viii
return to Wheeling Monday morning and
remain throughout next week.
At a rough estimate, six hundred people
have signed the pledge during the week
about one half Of them being women anC
one-fourth children.