St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-07-03

neard or the result on that street. The
street was full of those who are on small
incomes; but I suppose the contagior
spread, and that every body had sealskir
coat, and that the people came out and
cried, practically, notliterally: "Though
the Heavens fall we must have sealskin
coat"
have no sympathy for skin flint saw.
ing, but plead for Christian prudence
You say it is impossible now to lay ur
any thing for rainy day. I know it, but
we are at the daybreak of National pros.
perity. Some people think it is mean tt
turn the gas low when they go out of the
parlor. They feel embarrassed if the door.
bell rings before they have the hall light
ed. They apologize for the plain meal il
you surprise them at the table. Well, it is
mean if it is only to pile up miserly
hoard. But if it be to educate your chill.
dren, if it be to give more help to your
wife when she does not feel strong, if it be
to keep your funeral day from being hor.
rible beyond all endurance because it is to
be the disruption and humiliation of the
domestic circle-if it be for that, then it is
magnificent.
There are those who are kept in poverty
because of their own fault They might
have been well off, but they smoked or
chewed up their earnings, or they lived
beyond their means. while others on the
same wages and on the same salaries
went on to competency. I know a man
who was all the time complaining of his
poverty and crying out against rich men,
rl,iI, hal i j -,
and smokes, and is full to the chin with
whisky and beer. wilkins Micawber said
to David Copperfield:
"Copperfield, my boy, one pound in
come, twenty shillings and sixpence ex-
penditure; result misery. But, Copper
field, my boy, one pound income, nineteen
shillings and sixpence; result, happi.
ness.'
But, 0 working men Of America, take
your morning dram. and your noon dram,
and your evening dram, and spend every
thing you have over for tobacco and ex-
cursions, and you insure poverty for your
self and your children for ever. If by
some generous fiat of the capitalists of this
country, or by a new law of the Govern
ment of the United States, twenty five
per cent or fifty per cent or one hundred
per cent were added to the wages of the
working classes of America it would be no
advantage to hundreds of thousands of
them unless they stopped strong drink.
Aye, until they quit that evil habit, the
more money the more ruin; the more
wages the more holes in the bag.
The disciple of alcoholism suffers the
L. &c l.. oJr
man wakes up and finds that he is the
captive of strong drink he feels demeaned.
do not care how reckless he acts. He
may say: 81 don't care" He does care.
He can not look pure man in the eye I'M
less it is with positive force of resolution.
Three fourths of his nature is destroyed;
his self-respect is gone; he says things he
would not otherwise say; he does things
he would not otherwise do. When
the first thing he wants to do is to
persuade you that he can stop any
time he wants to. He can not.
The Philistines have bound him hand
and foot, and shorn his locks, and put out
his eyes, and are making him grind in the
mill of great horror. He can not stop. I
will prove it. He knows that his course is
bringing ruin upon himself. He loves
himself. If he could stop he would. He
knows that his course is bringing ruin upon
his family. He loves them. He would
stop if he could. He can not. Perhaps he
could three months or a year ago, not
now. just ask him to stop for month.
He can not; he knows he can not, sohe
does not try.
One of these victims said to Christian
man:
"Sir, if were told that I couldn't get
3 drink until tomorrow night unless had
all my fingers cut off, would say: Bring
the Ratchet and cut them off now.'"
[ have dear friend in Philadelphia
whose nephew came to him one day, and
when he was exhorted about his evil
habit, said:
"Uncle, l can't give it up. If there
stood a cannon and it was loaded, and a
glass of wine were set on the mouth of
hat cannon and knew you would fire it
of just as l came up and took the glass,
would start, for must have it,"
Oh, it is a sad thing for man to wake
He says:
81 could have got rid of this once, but I
can't now. might haye lived an honor
able life and died a Christian death; but
here is no hope for me now; there is no
escape for me. Dead but not buried. I am
4 walking corpse. I am an apparition of
what once was. am Gagged immortal
beating against the wires of my cage in
his direction: beating against the cage
Until there is blood on the wires and blood
lpon my soul, yet not able to get out.
Destroyed without remedyv'
go on and say that the disciple of rum
'uffers from loss of physical health. The
,lder men in the congregation may re-
member that some years ago DR.. Sewell
vent through this country and electrified
The DeOple nv his lectures. in which ha