Smyrna times., 1886-01-06
For the Smyrna Times.
New Years Eve in New York

work. An unseen artist had touched
the pane. They were covered with fill
| lgree-the most beautiful arabesuue
you ever saw. Palms and ferns and
dellcately-tashiOned geOmetrical de-
signs spread all over them. 1t was the
work OF Jack Frost. 1t was so cold
that the steam from the locomotives on
the elevated roads overhead sailed
around in white t1urries for blocks. and
then fell in tiny crystals on the hurry
ing people below. Away down this
| great street l could see the vast multi
tudes hurrying under the pale, silvery
halo of the electric lights that stood
like sentinels along the way.
l turned into Fourth street and faced
the cold wind that seemed pregnated
with tiny needles that penetrated every
seam in your clothing and made your
face burn with pain. AS 1 hurried
along something lying upon the side
walk attracted my attention-some-
thing that needed a great wall of love
and care to shut out the eyes of the
great city. 1t was a young girl with
long, soft, brown hair, that hung
around her shoulders. Her face was
fair and her form shapely. At first it
seemed as though she was sleeping,
but closer examination showed that
she was trying to raise herself from the
cold sidewalk. 1t is hard to imagine a
more stupid or pitiful expression than
that which rested upon her features.
as she blinked in a vague and aimless
manner at small flask lying on the
pavement at her feet. Just as l was
about to assist this unfortunate crea-
ture, who seemed half-dead with cold.
to rise, heavy step caused me to look
around and l saw at my elbow the
| form of policeman.
You needn't trouble yourself, sir"
he said, " she is drunk. 1t is q great
pity that so young girl has come to
such shame and disgrace"
The policeman shook the girl and
raised her to her feet. The soft brown
hair was blown across her pale face,
| and she pushed it back. Then she be-
gan to cry, the tears rolling down her
dimpled cheeks, looking like diamonds
under the electric diamonds
crystalized at the fountain of sorrows.
The policeman threw the flask in the
middle of the street, where it fell with
crash and was shattered into
thousand fragments which sparkled like
diamond-dust as they fell on the flag
stones.
That's the curse of the world" he
said. i've seen more crime and suf-
fering from the bottle than any other
twenty curses. Just look at this young
creature whom God has made beautiful
and see what a mere animal she has
become under its influence
The girl laughed in an idiotic way as
she staggered in the grasp of the blue
coated philosopher. Let me 90" she
stammered, "it's me-"
Come with me and 1 will show you
some more wrecks that rum has
made" said the policeman, as he
started to the station-house with this
poor girl, who was somebody's dar-
ling"
Inside of five minutes we were at
the police station, where another
| policeman was telling thesergeant how
he dragged a drunken man four blocks
in order to keep him out of the wagons.
The young girl was arraigned before
the sergeant. Then she told, in thick
tones, that she had never been arrested
before, and that she would never drink
/
! go. The sergeant shook his head and
said: IF l let you go now, in the con-
ditiOn you are in, you would fare worse.
As you are young and respectable
looking, I'll give you bed to sleep in
tonight. You are like thousands of
others l have seen, fear.j tYOu have
learned to take strong drink at home,
and that is an incurable disease"
The sergeant took me to the lodging
room when he saw I was interested in
| his conversation. "There YOU see
what drink will bring women to-" he
said. Every one of those poor, rag
ged, homeless creatures lying on those
boards, owes her trouble and poverty
to rum, and still men who pretend to
be thinking men, laugh at those people
they call probibitiOnists and call them
religious fools"
On low platform of pine boards lay
| eight or ten women of all ages. Some
young and just entering woman
hood, and would, had not this viperous
| poisonous breath scOrched and burned
the beauty from their cheeks and left
| thereon the terrible scab of shame, been
suitable ornaments for society. One
old woman sat up, with her bony, yell
low, skinny arms clasped about her
knees. You could see, through all the
dirt and debauchery, that one day, not
very long ago, she possessed many at
fractions, and doubtless moved in good
society. She was breathing heavily. as
if asleep, and yet her eyes were open.
Another was lying on her side with her
hands. across her face, seeming as
though she tried to hide from our gaze
the shame written there. A young
woman, about twenty years Of age, was
grOaning in her misery and shame.
The chances are hat every second
woman you see here has a husband
and children alive" said the sergeant
but drink has broken up their homes
If there was no strong drink sold in
New York for the next twelve months
the authorities could dismiss One-half
of the police force. Women and men,
when they have once created the ap-
petite for rum, will sit down to drown
, some trouble that has come to them
little dreaming of the terrible fate they
are inviting. Young men will take &
glass of beer, which to them seem.
very insignificant, but if they could lis
| ten 10 some OF Jue experiences JndJ WE
hear in this place from men and wO
men who are picked up from the
streets, they would sooner drink no
lead because the one is a quick deatl
and the other lingering hell of misery
and shame. One glass of beer is no
much, but when that glass is taken thu
germ that is created in hell is planted
in their system. They soon learn t
take a glass every evening, then tive
glasses, and, in a year or two beer il
: not strong enough, whiskey is substi
/ tuted, and then, goodbye respectable
: ity, home, friends; and when these ar
: gone they care not for themselves anC
! | drink to drown the memory of thOs,
things Of other days that they hOnOre'
= and loved before the white foam 0
beer took down in its snowy whitenes
the serpent that crawls through thei
veins and stings all the germs of man
> hood to death. That young girl tha
. was brought in by the policemen yOl
Z came with is here for the first time, an
!. doubtless this is the first time she ha
4, been arrested. You saw her and pitie
z her. Come this way and see one tina
!. few years ago was as pretty as she.