St. Landry democrat., 1886-10-23

Dy name. applied TO Jesus Christ very
low and Villainous epithet, and as he was
| uttering II he fell. A phys clan was called
but no help could be given. After lying a
day with dis ended pupils and palsied
tongue, he passed out of this world. In a
cemetery in Sullivan County, in this State,
are eight aeadstones in a line and all
sHke, and there are the facts! In IS il
diphtheria ragged in the village, and q
physician was remarkably successful in
curing the patients. So confident did he
become that he boosted that no case of
diphtheria could stand before him, and
finally defed Almighty God to produce q
case of diphtheria that he could not cure.
His youngest child soon after took the
disease and died, and one child after an
other, until all the eight had died of
diphtheria. Che blasphemer challenged
Almighty God, and God accepted the chal.
lenge.
Do not think that because God has been
silent in your case, o, profane swearer!
that he is dead. Is there nothing now in
the peculiar feeling of your tongue, or
nothing in the numbness of your brain that
indicates that God may come to avenge
ing them? But these cases I have
noticed, [ believe, are only
few cases where there are
hundreds. Families keep them still to
avoid the horrible conspicuity. Phys-
clans suppress them throu Oh profess onal
confidence. 1t is a very, very, very long
roll that contains the names Of those who
died with blasphemies on their lips;
and the crime rolls on, up through parlors,
up through chandeliers with lights all
ab]aze, and through the pictured corridors
of club rooms, etc, out through busy ex-
changes where cath meets OATH and doU>l
through all the haunts of sin, mingling
with tie rafting dice and cracking bill
lard balls, and the laughter of her who
has forgotten the covenant Of her God;
and round the city, and round the earth a
seething, boiling surge filings its hot spray
into the face of a long suffering God.
Then look a moment at the evil of
drunkenness. Whether you live in Brook
lyn, or New York, or Chicago, or Cincin-
natl, or Savannah, or Boston. or in any
of the cities of the land, count up the
saloons on that street as compared with
the saloons five years ago, and see they
are growing far out of proportion. You
people who are so precise and particular
lest there should be some imprudence Or
rashness in attacking the ru Il traffic, will
have your son some night pitched into
your front door dead drunk. or your
daughter will come home with her children
because her husband has by strong drink
been turned into demoniac. The rum
fiend has despoiled whole streets of good
homes in our cities. Fathers, brothers,
sons, on the funeral pyre of strong drink!
Fasten tighter the victims! Stir up the |
flames! Pile on the corpses! More men,
and children for the sacrifice! Let |
us have whole generations on the fire of |
evil habit; and at the sound of the cornet, |
flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery and dulcilner |
let all the people fall down and worship |
King Alcohol, or you shall be cast into the |
fiery furnace under some political plat
form!
indict this evil as the fratricide, the
parricide, the matricide, the uxorcide, the
'egicide of the century. Yet under what
innocent and delusive and mirthful names
alcoholism deceives the people. 1t is a
cordial" 1t is 'bitters." 1t is an "eye-
opener" It is an appetizer" 1t is a
'digester." lis an ''invigorator." 1t is
! 'settler." 1t is 'snight- cap.n Why
;ence of Perdition," "Conscience Stupe-
ier," Give Drachms of Heartache,"
Tears of Orphanage," "Blood of Souls"
'scab of an Eternal Leprosy," "Vencm of
! Worm That Never Dies"
Others are ruined by the common and
ll-destructive habit of treating CUSTOM
rs. And it is a treat on their coming to
own, and treat while the bargaining
progresses, and a treat when the pur-
base is made, and treat as he leaves
own. Others, to drown their troubles,
ubmerge themselves with this worse
rouble. Oh, the world is battered, and |
ruised, and blasted with this growing
vii! It is more and more entranced and
ortified. They have millions of dollars
Inscribed to marshal aud advance the
lcoholic forces. They nominate, and |
lect, and govern the vast maj GRITTY of
he ofice-holders of this country. On
heir side they have enlisted the might
st political power Of the centuries. And
ehind them stand all the mYrmidons of |
Nc neither world, Satanic, and Apollyon.
;, and diabolic. 1t is beyond ell human
fort to throw this bastile of ocean tiers or
apture this Gibralter of rum jugs. And !
'hile approve of all human agencies of
sform, would utterly despair if we had
othing else. But what cheers me is that
ar best troops are yet to come. Our chief
rtillery is in reserve. Our greatest Com
lander has not yet fully taken the field.
all hell is on their side, all Heaven is on /.
lr side. Now
Let God arise, and let His enemies be scat
red.