The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-03-06
John B. Cough.

John B. Cough, the famous tenn
perance advocate, is dead. The ca
reer to which he devoted himself has
not hitherto been regarded by the
world as equal in importance to many
others which certainly yield less
practical benefits to the race. Yet
the difficulties of perception in this
case are comparatively slight. For
whereas the minister of religion must
appeal to the eye of faith for recOgni-
ton of the perils which he seeks to
save men from, the preacher against
the drink evil deals only with tenn.
doral concerns. and points his exhor-
tations and warnings with pregnant
examples drawn from everyday af-
fairs. And when it is considered
that drink is so intimate an element
of modern civilization as to be insep-
arabic from any sound view of do
nestle life, or politics, or business, or
society, or police, or charity, or
penology when too, it is seen that
all its influence is sinister, brutaliz.
Ing, corruDting. paralysing, and pois-
onous it is surprising that the men
who, possessing such power of expo
sition as Cough had, give themselves
to the warfare against this great evil.
are not conceded much higher posi-
tions in the general estimation.
Whoever seriously studies any of
the problems of the time is speedily
confronted by the drink evil. 1t
swallows up the savings of opera
tives. 1t furnishes the foundation
for political corruption which
threatens disaster to the State. 1t
counteracts the labors of the churches.
II battles philanthrophy. 1t rein
forces socialism and the commune.
1t keeps the lowest classes brutal and
dangerous, and those next in order
Philistine and material. In thous-
and subtle ways, ny direction and in
direction, purposeIy and as ofinstinct,
1t acts and reacts against the prog.
ress of humanity, everywhere in
creasing the friction, everywhere
making heavier the burden of the re-
former, everywhere rendering more
unresponsive the masses whose
regeneration is being attempted.
Against this great and powerful evil
John B. Cough stood all a long life
time in battle array. His voice
and there were few more eloquent
was heard pleading for sobriety dur
ing five and forty years, almost
wherever the English tongue is
spoken. The experience of the man
was strange one. There can be no
surprise that he thought his work
the greatest possible, when we re-
member the scenes he was familiar
with. the kind of facts it was his bus
mess to gather. Wherever he look
ed he found the drink evil branding
its victims, besotting them, degrad-
ing them, turning them into swine
or tigers alternately. He saw homes
ruined, innocent women and chill
dren sacrificed by the thousand
promising careers blasted, honor ex-
changed for shame. Some of these
things we all see even without search
ing, but how many of US act upon
our knowledge?
John. B. Cough acted. He went
before the people, and with the hor-
ror of his recollectlons full upon him
he translated his emotion into an ell
oquence that stirred the hearts of his
hearers deeply. We need not be
grudging in our estimation of the
good which such an advocate has
done. We have sober evidence to
the effect that thousands Of men
were saved from drunkards' graves
by his speeches. We know, too,