Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1886-04-14
temperance.
CONTRIBUTED BY THE w. C. T. U
The Risk OfIG.

There must be something wrong in the
way the question of total abstinence is ad-
vocated. Strange misconceptions surround
the idea OF never in any form touching drink.
even float IN the atmosphere of thought,
such yagaries as that be who signs 4 pledge
in bis soul or on paper-betrays weakness
Absolute abstinence from alcoholic bever-
ages means streng til. All ambition, even
worldly, selfish ambition, and that ycarniBg
for success which narrowly moves on,
thouahiless of aught without and beyond
this sphere of action, cannot argue against
total abstinence from what might master
the most maSterful person. Is it not the
logic OF man, past and existing, that he who
emptIes but one shining goblet will be very
apt to empty another Is it not a reasoI.a-
bic statement that no man when slipping for
rhe first time the ''little mocker," dreamed
there was any danger of his becoming a
slave l.lOgic, all reason, all history, cry
out against even the one glass and yet We
irrational rational beings wonder at the harm
OF little wine socially. Does it not aid di-
gestion, we hear 2 Does it not evoke joy,
wit, and laughterl Does the eye not spark
le, radiating the brightness of the cleaning
of the glass Where's the harm Do we
not all condemn excessive use of liquor
True, true Man has said this for ages; and
nevertheless, this aid to digestion, this
sparkle in the eye, this joy, VII, and laugh
ter, mean .akIng sad chance. 1t is an old,
old story, else we might run over the page
of the gone-by and list again the sad multi
tudes of the once great who died like
beasts. We who will, just TO be social, just
to be enivened for the moment, drink the
exbiIirant now and then, may easily sneer
at the piiiabie weakness of the thousands
who with frcnzied rawlings and sulf-cOnyict-
ing lamentations enter the Beyond, and
whom We feel 10 be naturally weaker than
ourselves; but bow can I'VE speak when SO
many mighty fall What tides Of elOquence,
what divine fires of poetry. what glories of
stltesmanship. have become idiotic drivel-
lings because Of taking the chance. Who
ewes tha; one of these many so miseTably
ruined by drink did not talk ss we do so fire.
ouenrly 2 Who has not heard many poor
wretch bemoan the careless beginning Is
i t not, therefore, purest reason ts say that
he is weak who even touches wine or beer
at rare Intervals, and that the prepoDderance
of strength lies with him who quietly lives
total abstinence ignore, if you viii, the
self-respect which mrst be possessed In a
higher degree by him who is absolute king
of himself-a seif-respect which brings en-
noblement from others; ignore Ii you cas,
a moral obligation due yeur descendants,
your country and your age. you can not lg-
more the self-evident truth taat even as
person desirous only OF worldly success in
any line or pursuit, you are more certain to
win what you desire by practicing total alb
stinence. Ambition degenerates simply to
speculation when it takes chance.
Some years ago, there rested on the slope
of one of the most famous Alps, twin villa
ges OF Goldeau and Lowerz, quantity pct
urcsqe, alive with the ever Swiss happiness
In a night they were no more. The noun
tam top shifted the only requiem was
sullep roar that echoed among the hollow