The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1886-07-30
their parents are drunken, or lazy, or rsck-

their parents are drunken, or lazy, o. reck.
lsssly improvident.
Ihave no sympathy for skin flint saw
ing, but l plead for Christian prudence,
You say IL IL impossible now to lay up
any thing for rainy day. I know it, but
we are at the day break Of National pros
perity. Some people think IL is mean to
turn the gas low when they 60 out of the
parior. They feel embarrassed il the door.
bell rings before they have the hall light
cd. They apologize for the plain meal IL
You surprise them at the table. Well. il 10
mean II IL Ii only to pile up . miserly
hoard. But il It be to educate your chill
dren, IL 1t be to give more help to your
wife when she does not feel strong, IL It be
to keep your funeral day from being hor-
rible beyond all endurance because it is to
be the disruption and annjhilation Of the
domestic circle-if IL 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 of, 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. know . man
who was all the time complaining of his
poverty and crying out against rich men,
while he himself keeps two dogs and chews
and smokes, and il full to the chin with
whisky and beer. wilkins Micawber said
to David Copperheld:
"Copperfeld, nv boy, one pound In
come, twenty shillings and sixpence ex-
penditure; result misery. But, Copper.
field, my boy lone poundincome, nineteen
shillings and sixpence; result, hsppi.
ness"
But, o 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. II by
some generous fat of the capitalists of this
country, or by new law of the Govern.
ment Of the United States, twenty five
per cent or ffty 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
moro money the more ruin; the more
wages the more holes in the bag.
The disciple Of alcoholism suffers the
loss Of his self-respect- Just a. soon a. .
man wakes up and finds that he is the
captive Of strong drink he feels demeaned.
I do not care how reckless he acts. He
may say: "I don't care" He does care.
He can not look pure man in the eve UNI
less 1t il with positive force Of resolution.
Three -fourths of his nature is destroyed;
his self-respect Is gone; he says things be
would not otherwise say, he does things
man Is nine-tenths gone with strong drink,
the drst thing he wants to do IL 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
bis eyes, and are making him grind in the |
mill Of great horror. He can not stop. I |
viii prove It. he knows that his course 10 |
bringing ruin upon himself. He loves |
himself. II he could stop he would. He |
Knows that his course is bringing ruin upon |
his family. He loves them. He would |
Itop II he could. He can not. Perhaps he |
sould three months or . year ago, mot (
now. just ask him to stop for . month. |
BE can not; he knows he can not, 90 he
loes not try. had . friend who for nf- |
cen years was going down under this
WI habit, He had large means. He had |
Iiven thousands Of dollars to bible socie-
iss and reformatory institutes Of al sorts.
30 was very genial, very generous and
vsry lovabls, and whenever he talked
bout this evil habit he would say:
II can stop any Time" But he kept GO
Nc on, going on, down, down, down. His
'amily would say:
III wish you would stop"
"Why," he would reply, ~ can stop any
lime II want tor
After awhile he had delirium tremens:
70 bad IL twice; and Jet, after that he
aid:
II could stop at any time II wan-ed
On
He Il dead now. What killed him. Ruml
lum! And yet among his last uttsrances
vas:
II can stop ct any tame.n
He did not stop II be because he could
ct stop Il. Oh, there II point in lnebria-
lon beyond which u . man goes, he can
ct stop!
One Of these victims said to . Christian
nan:
s'6ir, u I were told that couldn't re&
drink until Tomorrow night unless had
u my fingers cut Oh, would say: Bring
hs Ratchet and cut them Oh now.,n
l have . dear friend in Philadelphis
nose nephew cane 20 him one day, and
men he was sxhortsd about his evil