The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-07-15
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Fifth Discourse Of the Series on
'sThe Labor Question"

strong Drink the Worst Foe Of the
Laborer-The Penalties Inseparabis
From the Indulgence OF the Habit
Tho Advantages of Abstinence.
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage took for the
subject Of the fifth discourse Of his series
ON "The Labor Question" "Strong Drink
the Worst Foe of Labor, !" and illustrated it
from the following text:
He that earneth wages, earneth wages to
put it into bag with hoIes.-[Haggai, LIS.
DR.. Talmage said: In Persia, under the
reign of Darius Hystaspes, the people did
not prosper. They made money, but did
not keep it. They were like people who
have sack in which they put money. not
knowing that the SACK is torn or eaten of
moths or in some way made incapable of
holding valuables. As fast as the coin
was put in one end Of the sack it dropped
how much wages they got, for they lost
them?
What has become of the billions and
billions of dollars in this country paid to
the working classese Some Of these moneys
have gone for house rent, or the purchase
Of homesteads or wardrobe, or family ex-
penses or the necessities Of private life, or
to provide comforts in old age. What has
become of other billions? Wasted in fool.
ish outlay. Wasted at the gaming table.
Wasted in intoxicants. Put into bag
with hundred holes.
Gather up the money that the working
classes have spent for rum during the last
thirty years and / will buy for every
workingman house, and lay out for him
q garden, and clothe his sons in broad
cloth and his daughters in silks, and stand
at his front door a prancing span of sor-
rels or bays, and secure him a policy of
life insurance, so that the present home
may be well maintained after he is dead.
The most persistent, most overpowering
enemy of the working classes is intoxi-
catfng liquor. It is the Anarchist of the
centuries, and has boycotted and is now
boycotting the body and mind and soul of
American labor. It is to it worse foe
than monopoly and worse than associa ted
capital. II annually swindles industry
out Of large percentage of its earnings.
It holds out It's blasting solicitations to the
mechanic or operative on his way to work,
and at the noon.spel, and on his way
homo at even-tide; on Saturday, when the
wages are paid, it snatches large part Of
the money chat might come to the family
and sacrifices it among the saloon-keepsrs.
Within eight hundred yards of Sand Street
Methodist Church, Brooklyn, it has fifty.
four saloons and is plotting now for ap-
other. Stand the saloons Of this country
side by side, and it is carefully estimated
that they would reach from New York to
Chicago. Forward marcel, - says the rum
pow, sand take possession of the Amer
lean Nation"
The rum business Is mourning its vitriolic
damnable liquids down The throats Of hum
dreds and thousands Of laborers, and while
the ordinary strikes are ruinous both to
employers and employees, proclaim q
universal strike against strong drink,
which, II kept up, win be the relief Of the
working classes and the salvation of the
Nation. win undertake to say that there
Is not healthy laborer in the United
States who, within the next ten years, il
he win refuse all Intoxicating beverage
and be saving, may not become capital
ist on small scale. Our country in year
spends 81 500, 050, 900 for rum. OF course
the wofking classes do ajg reat deal Of this
expenditure. Careful statistics show that
the wage-earning classes of Great Britain
expend in liquors $500 900 900 year. Sit
down and calculate. Q, workingman, how
much have you expended in the direc-
tionsP Add 1t all up. Add up what your
neighbors have expended, and realize that
instead of answering the beck Of other
people you might have been your own
capitalist.
When you deplste.a workingman's phys
ical energy you deplete his capital. The
stimulated workman gives out before the
unstimulated workman.
My father said: 81 became temperate
man in early life because noticed In the
harvest that, though was physically
weaker than other workmen, could hold
out longer than they. They took stimu.
lants; took none"
A brickmaker in England gives his ex.
Derfence In regard to this matter among
mon in his employ. He says, after in
vestigation: "The beer drinker who made
the fewest bricks made $50, 900; the alb.
stainer who made the fewest bricks, 74e,-
UO0. The difference in behalf of the ABB
stainer over the indulger, s7,eO0.n
There came very exhausting time in
the British Parliament. The session was
prolonged until nearly all the members got
sick or worn out. Out Of 652 members onlv
two went through unchanged; they were
teetotallers.
The following circumstance came un der
our observation: A young man worked
hard to earn his $500 or 500 yearly. Mar
riage day came. The bride had inherited
800 from her grandfather. She spent
every dollar Of it on the wedding dress.
Then they rented two rooms in the third.
story. Then the young man took extra
evening employment-almost exhausted
with the days work, yet took evening en-
ployment. It almost extinguished HIS
eyesight. Why did he add even
ing employment to the day employ
ment' To get money. why did he
want TO get money! To lay up some.
ming TOR rainy dayl No. To get
his Ate injured, SO that in case Of This death
AZ wife would not be q beggars No. He
PIT the extra evening work to the dav
work that he might get one hundred and
afey dollars to get his wife Z sealskin
ccat The sister Of the bride heard of tbi.
achievement and was not to be eclipsed.