The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-06-09
BRO. GARDENERS VIEWS.


BRO. GARDENERS VIEWS.
A Little Philosophio Talk by the Presi-
dent of the Detroit (' Free Press'J Lime
kiln Club.
During the course Of some remarks
in reply to communication asking
him for public statement of his views
on the Temperance question, Brother
Gardner said, as reported in the De.
troit Free Press:
'Let me say few words to de men
in dis club:
"Do yer know what glass of beer a
day meansP rhlrty-ive cents week
a dollar forty month"; about seven
teen dollars a var. Nobody stops at
one glass. Jist make dat thirty-four
dollars year. What hev We got to
show fur yer money when de var
eands? How much better does yer
breaf smell? How much stronger am
yer muscle?
Fifty long Vars ago, when l was a
slave-boy on de plantashun, l saw a
specter. 1t had limbs which tOttered.
1t had hands which trembled. 1t had
hollow eyes-a toothless mouth-a face
so drawn an pinched dat blue light
seemed to danced aroun' it. 1 asked
de name of de specter, an an old man
answered: Rum!
81 hev seen dat specter almoas'
cherry day since. 1t has followed
friends of mine to de altar-it has jined
de funeral purceshun when desc friends
war buried. When men fust see it
dey cry out in disgust but, little by lit
tie dat grim, relentless specter gifts a
foothold. 1t pats you on the back. 1t
walks arm in arm wild you. 1t be-
comes boon companion. De broken
voice of fa.her-de sobs of a mother
de tears of brothers an sisters do
not reach de heart of dis specter. 1t
has no heart-no soul.
81 hev heard it laugh as de poo ole
drunkard fell down in de snow to
freeze to death.
'Ihev heard it exult as de young man
was brought home drunk fur de fust
time!
II hev seen it stan at de cottage
window an dance in glee as de brutal
blows of drunken father smote a suf-
FERN mother an innocent chill'en.
II hev heard it ridiculin' de youth
bekase he would not be led into temp
tashun.
81 look back fur twenty years an ask
what has become of Ben an Tom an
Sam an score of others. Dead. alas!
How? By old agep No! By accident?
No! BY diseasep No! They locked
arms with the specter. Drink, an
drink alone was responsible fur TO out
o. five deaths.
81 look aroun' me to-day an Isee de
specter seekin new victims. 1t has
victims in cherry graveyard in de world
its dead sleeps on de mountains an
under de sea, but it am not satisfied.
1t has made millyun widows, but its
hand is relentless. 1t has made five
millyun orphans. but de number mus
increase.
"De young man who puts liquor in
his mouf am holdin' a keen-edged
razor to his froat an walkin' obei
broken ground. He am stealth away
an sellin' to de dram-shops his rev.
erence for his father-his love for his
mother-his brotherly feelin ful
brothers an sisters. He am eXchangin'
honesty, industry an de respeck Of his
fellow-men fur-what?
Rum! A specter walkin' beside
him wild noiseless step. A serpent
lynn in wait wild deadly fangs. II
blights young manhood. 1t hastens ole
aige. 1t digs graves for heart-broker
women an starvin' chillen.
GAS l cum down heah tonight
heard walls of sorrow in a house tt
which de master will neber return. HI
traded his all fur Rum, an de grin
specter walked to de riber wild him an
coaxed him to jump FROM de wharf
You can not emagine how dark d.
clouds hover ober dose left behind. ID,
victims of dat specter am lynn abou
us as if Death was holdin' a carnival
Walk up an down de streets Of an,
town or city in de land an your ey'
will tell you which household welcome
de specter an which drives him away
What do broken gates, shattered panes
ragged chill'en and bar floors mean
What do blows, screams, oaths an ar
rests mean? What, in TO cases out o
five. cocks de murderer's pistol o
draws his deadly knife? What sepa
rates husbands an wives-breaks NJ
homes-fills our asylums an poo
houses?
1T is Rum! Dey talk of de deadl,
weapons of war, but rum kills it
hundreds whar' war kills its scores
War respects de aiged an helpless
Rum delights in DER slaughter.
81 say to you, young men, look on
for the. first temptashun. DE specie
stands behind you to drop pizen in d
glass. Men argy wild you dat glas
of beer kin harm no one. Neither XII
it benefit any one. You am simpl
tradin' off yer money fur sunthin' 9
no account. 1t am step down hill
De man who tells you he kin drink iis
so much cherry day an den let drin
alone am baitin' a trap fur hisself
walk into. No vicious habit cher VI
stood still on a man. 1t mus grow Q
it mus be checked"
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