The Brookhaven leader., 1886-03-11
TEMPERANCE READING.
PAUL THOMPSON
How and Where lie Began His Downward
Career-A True story.


Career-A True story.
One afternoon, a few weeks since,
while passing through one of the prin-
oipal business streets Of large city,
we came upon crowd of school-boys
standing in front of a saloon. The
boys had come out of the sChOol-house
only a few moments before, and had
their books and states, etc, in their
hands. They were company of
bright, intelligent, happy-looking lads.
but they all seemed deeply interested
in something that was going on inside
of that saloon. As they opened their
ranks to make way for us to pass we
stopped and asked what it was that had
attracted such large crowd of boys.
paul ThompSon's been in fight in
the saloon there, and policeman has
just gone to arrest him. said one of
the boys
While he was speaking large, blue
coated, brass-buttoned officer came out
leading man, or rather Jerking him,
by the coat-collar The man in Gus
tody was young. with slight form and
delicate features, and as we looked in
to his face we saw traces of Intelligence
and cultivation.
He is drunk said another boy,
land when he's drunk he is always
ugly and wants to fight. This ism t the
first time he has been taken, either.
The crowd of boys followed the po.
liceman and his prisoner, and we soon
lost sight of them. As we passed on
we noticed the public school building
was only short distance from that sa-
loon; many of The scholars had to pass
by it every day. The same proprietor
had been in possession of the building
for ten years past. Only six years be-
fore Paul Thompson had graduated
from the high school. He was schol-
ar of high standing, too. But he had
been in the habit of passing This dam
gerOus corner for years before he grad
uatrd. He had been attracted to it in
mis- hoyhood, as the boys just spoken of
had been. by some similar occurrence.
He began by looking in to see what
was going an behind the green screen
doors, Then he sterped inside to hear
what the men were talking about, The
saloon-kcepcr noticed him, for he had
a manly bearing, and belonged TO
family in high standing.
He encouraged the boys coming in
with pleasant, tlattefing words. and
one day he gave him glass OF beer to
drink, Paul thought it was manly to
take the offered glass, but he could only
drink part of it; he did not like
the taste it was bitter; but the sa-
loon man patted him on the shoulder,
and told him to drink as much as he
could, and it would make man of
him. Paul knew 1t was wrong, and
when he went home he felt ashamed
to stay in the presence of his good,
sweet mother. He could not look her
in the face, every smile she gave him
and every kind word made him feel
more and more guilty. He resolved
never to pass by the saloon again,
but to 90 home another way. although
it was much farther. But somehow
he did not go The other way but a
few times. There seemed to be q
fascination about that saloon, and he
would linger around it. That was the
beginning, Now we see Paul Thomp-
son constant frcquenter to this same
saloon. He had been gong down,
down from bad to worse, for six years
or more-the years, too, of his life
which were the most important to him
the time when he ought to have been
acquiring true, honorable, manly
character. His mother used to love
to hear his step on the walk, and his
cheerful, boyish whistle when he came
bounding home from school, so happy
and light-hearted. But now that dear
mother listens and listens night after
night for his step with an anxious
heart. She has pleaded with prayers
and tears for his reform; but the ''habit
begun in cobweb5 has ended in iron
chains He is slave to liquor Now,
boys, this case of Paul Thompson is a
great warning to all of you. Don t
stop at saloons, even to look in. Cross
over on the other side, and shun those
terrible places where so many have lost
their manhood and their soul. Rcmem-
Der that every poor, miserable drunk
ard began his downward career when
he took his first glass. SuSaR Z. Per-
~, in YOuth'S Temperance Banner.