The freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1886-18??, 1886-09-15

there are not less than a million
and half idlers from intemper-
ance, whose labor alone, at s1.5O
per day, would be worth not less
than TWO hundred and twenty
five million dollars daily, or would
aggregate in one year the vast sum
of sixty-seven billion five hundred
million dollars! This would sup
ply our whole population with
bread for about eight and one half
years!
It would give daily to twenty
million families each, tor i've
years and twenty-seven days, four
onespound loaves of bread!
The belt of land required to pro-
duce this vast amount of food,
would be equal to five miles wide,
running clear around the globe.
COSTS s9oO,O0O,0O0 ANNUALLY.
The direct cost of the actual liz
uor drank, is no less annually than
$9OO,OOO,OOO, besides all the costs re-
sultant, of courts and crimes and
accidents, not less than $90O,OOO,-
900 more, as estimated by the
most competent judges.
How all this injuries society, dam
ages every legitimate line Of bust
ness, pours into the vile Golfers of the
saloons the money that ought to
90 into the hands of farmers, me-
chanics, traders and honest bust
ness men!
CURSES THE HoME.-MAKEs A Low
ING FATHER MURDERER AND
How it saps up the earnings of
the father, and carries poverty and
drunkenness and brutality to his
home! May I ask you to look for
moment into only one of the
myriad wretched homes?
In Western Ohio lived a fine
young man, well to do, with his
beautiful wife and boy of two years.
He was allured into one of
these pits of hell, by some of his
companions, and soon his wife dis
covered at times, he was under the
influence of strong drink. The
habit grew upon him till she was
alarmed. One day she said to her
little boy, "Willie, 1 am afraid
your dear pa is becoming drunk
ard. Won't you help me persuade
him not to drink any more whis-
ky?'
When the father came home, the
little fellow climbed upon his knee
and twined his little arms around
his neck, and kissing him while
the mother expressed her ankle
ties and fears, the little fellow
said: You'll promise me not to
drink any more, won't you, Papa ?"
And overcome, the naturally de-
voted father pledged him he would
never drink again.
But the tyrant appetite had al
ready got his burning chains
around his victim, and not long af-
ter this that father came stagger-
fng into his little home. The moth
err had stepped out moment. The
little boy was in the front room,
and seeing him stagger, cried out:
"Papa, you have been drinking
again"
In his mad delirium, he sprang
like tiger upon his innocent boy,
and selling him, said, "Yod lit
tie rascal, Tll teach you how to
speak to your fatherW and with
all demons strength, hurled him
against the wall of the room, and he
fell upon the carpet dead! The
father, realizing what he had done,
was instantly sobered, and then
broke forth in the most passionate
wall, for he loved that boy as his
very life, 20, what have | done? l
have killed my boyl | have muir
dered my son! O, how can l ever
meet his mother? How can bear
to live with this horrid deed ever
in my mind? No, never can
I do ?" He rushed into his bed
room, opened drawer, drew out
his revolver, stood over the dead
body of his boy, discharged the
weapon and fell dead across the