The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-06-06
THE IINE-kILN CLUB.
Brother t.2rdner Makes a Esid and retiinl
Attack oa the E,il> Of Rum.

Attssk on the Evils Of Rum.
There was an unusually large at
tendance as the meeting opened, and
it WAS whispered from one 20 the other
that Brother Gardner had something
ON his mind. His countcnance had 4
serious look as he took his seat. and
during roll-call he WAS busy with Il
letter. When the secretary had fin
i>hed his call the president arose and
said:
MY friends. heah am letter from
Asheville. Moth Caroliny, inclosing
dc purceedin's of late temperance
meetin' held by dc Guild people OF
dat nayburhood, an akin me to pub
licly state my views on de suhjick Of
temperance. No, a man among you
hez cher heard me preach temper
ance. Some Of YOU Who war drink
in too deeply hey bin made to walk
chalk. but | hasn't forced my Opin-
yuns upon YOU. see my Guild
friends slyin' in an slippin' out of
saloons, am although | know~dey
leave money dar which am sorely
needed at home. haven't 4 word OF
advice to give. | often meet n good
man drunk. but doan' chide him.
| SEE Young men gwine to destruck-
sun by dc aid IT whisky, hut | doan
hold them back. Why. Bekase-
First. Advice unasked am words
frown away.
Second. To he known a> phi
lanthropist am about rs bad as to he
known a. a fool.
IAN da, | could say or do for de-
cade OF 'ar> wouldn't lessen the num-
her of drunkards by one. DE man
who makes practice Of gittin
drunk am, in my opinynn, 81 low
down in his moral natur' dat his fcl-
bowman had better let him finish dc
hizness without interrupshun. Let
me say few words to tic men in Ills
club:
")o W know what "A glass Of beer
a day means: Thirty-iiye cents Il
week a dollar forty month about
sl1 u var. Nobody stops at one
glass. Just make dat 81 year.
VIVA, hey W got to show iur your
money when dc var ends How
much better docs yer hrcaf smell Z
How much stronger am your muscle !
Fifty long vars ago, when was
a slavc-boy on dc plan'asmln, ! saw
a spccter. II had limbs which tot
tered. 1t had hands which tremblcd.
II had hollow eyes, n tootllless mouth,
Il face 50 drawn an pinchcd dat II blue
light seemed To dance aroun' il. !
asked de name Of nc specter, an an
old man answered, 'Rum!'
IL hcv seen dat specter almOas
cherry day since. 1t has followed
friends Of mine to dc altar--it has
jincd tic funeral purceshun when desc
friends war buried When men fust
see it dey cry out in disgust, but lit
tic by little dat grim, relentless spec
ter gifts foothold. II pats you on
dc back. Il walks arm in arm wild
you. II becomes Il boon companion.
De broken voice Of father, dc sobs
Of a mother, dc tears Of brothers an
sisters do not reach de heart of dis
spccter. II has no heart--no soul.
~ hcv heard il laugh as tic poo
ole drunkard fell down In dc snow Ia
freeze to death.
II hcv heard It exult as lie young
man was brought home drunk fur dc
fust time.
~ hcv seen il stan ut dc cottage
window an dance In glee as dc br,l-
tai blows Of Il drunken father smotc a
suffcrin mother an innocent chill'cn.
II hev heard il ridiculin youth be-
kase he would not be led into tempta.
shun.
~ look back for twenty years an
ask what has has become Of Ben an
Tom an Sam an Il score Of others.
Dead, alas! How by disease MOI
They locked arm with the spccter.
Drink, an drink alone was rcspon-
,ible fur 10 ont o five deaths.
~ look aroun' me to-day an see
dc spectcr seekin' new victims. II
has victims in cherry graveyard In dc
world-its dead sleep on dc noun
tains an under dc sea, but it am not
satisfied. II has made millyun
widows, but its hand is relentless.
II has made five mi|Iyun orphans, but
de number mus increase.
ode young man who puts liquor in
his mOuf am holdin' "A kcen-edged
razor to his froat an walkin' ober
broken ground. lie am stealth away
an sellin' to de dram-shops his rev.
crence for his father, his love for hi.
mother, his brothcrly feelin' fuI
brothers an sisters. lie am exchang'
in honesty, industry an dc respeck
Of his fell0w.men fur-whati
"Rum' A specter walkin' besid,
him wild noiseless step. A serpent
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