The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1888-03-15
Anorica,s River Of sorrow.

Americas River Of Sorrow.
tAb:.,aes Of a sermon preached ty Rev: p, DIV ".
March nth, 1888.
There flows across the heart Of the
Chinese Empire mighty river. Rising
in the Sea Of the Stars, it courses its way
for two thousand four hundred and
eighty miles and empties into the Yellow
Sea. Other rivers are famous for the
good they do in tempering the climate,
irrigating the soil and affording high
way for commerce; but this river is ia.
nous only for the awful ruin it has re.
peatedly wrought. There are ten his-
toric records Of as many occasions on
which this capricious river has changed
it's bed, each time causing an unspeaka.
BILE calamity. On the 28th OF last Sep.
tember it once more forsook its channel
and permanently inundated one Of the
richest plains Of the Empire, seven thou
sand square miles in extent. On this
plain stood eleven prosperous and pop.
ulous cities. They are now at the bot
tom Of vast lake. Uncounted thou.
sands found watery graves. Millions
were left without food, clothing or shell
ter. They stood at the brink Of that
newly.made sea'gaxing at the remorse-
less waters which hid from them the
faces of their friends, their homes, their
all. Multitudes lost their reason in the
presence of disaster so appalling, and
myriads have perished from exposure
and hunger. No wonder that for ages
the Yellow River has been called "Chi.
mas Sorrow"
As I have meditated upon this colossal
woe Of China, have said Thank God
we have nothing like that in our coun.
try" Pestilence once in while in the
form of yellow fever or cholera stalks
certains sections of the land. We are at
rare intervals a little shaken up as in the
recent earthquake on the Atlantic sea-
board. A western town is now and then
struck with cyclone, or a few score of
people perish in a.Dakota blizzard. But
if all the physical calamities Of this coun-
try for century we're put together they
would not equal the misery Of single
overflow Of the Yellow River.
In the very midst of this reflection
however, in which we congratulate our.
selves upon our exemption, there rises
to view "America's River of Sorrow"
It sweeps across the continent from New
York to San Francisco, and spreads out
to every city, village and hamlet in the
land. 1t is river Of alcoholic liquors,
fed by thousands OF breweries and hun
dreds of distilleries. 81 100000, 900 is
invested in manufacturing the fluid !;
100000 men are busy pouring over
600, 100000 gallons Of Intoxicating
liquors yearly into the channel; 25 5,OOO,-
600 gallons foreign and domestic wines !;
65.OOo,00O gallons distilled spirits $780,
100000 gallons malt liquors, foreign and
domestic; 100 glasses per annum for
every man, woman, child and infant in
the Nation-liquor enough to keep the
adult population drunk from one years
end to another.
The saloon is the sluice by means OF
which the fiery liquid is drawn off and
distributed to every community, and the
river doesn't lack for sluices. The sa.
looms of the country, allowing twenty
feet front to each, would reach in an
unbroken line from Chicago to New
York City. In the States east of the
Mississippi there is one saloon to every
107 voters. In the States between the
Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains
there is saloon to every ll2 voters. In
the eleven mountain States and Terrific.
ries there is saloon to every 43 voters.
Through these countless gates Americas
River Of Sorrow peurs ita damning food,
submerging the arts and industries, the
hearts and homes of the people.
1t is estimated that the direct and in.
direct cost OF alcoholic liquors in the
United States for the past ninety years
is in round numbers fifty thousand mil
lion of dollars. That is twice as much
as the total national debts of the whole
world; five times as much as the aggre
gate production of gold and silver in al
countries from 1893 to 1875; three time,
the agricultural products in the United
States from 1s7O-S0; FIVE times the tota
expenditures Of the United States Gov
ernment from l7S9-lSS1 twelve time
the total cost of the railroads in tn,
United States and their equipments.
to the direct and indirect cost of alco
holic liquors in the United States TO
ninety years there is added the simpl,
interest at FIVE per cent, you have on
hundred thousand million of dollars, thir
teen thousand million more than tn
aggregate wealth Of the United States
Great Britain and Ireland. These be
wildering figures are at least suggestiv
OF the vast wealth submerged by tn
flood of alcoholic liquors. China's rive
at best has only destroyed a few hundre,
millions Of dollars, but Americas rive
has destroyed a hundred thousand million
If this colossal wealth had just bee,
dropped into bottomless pit, it woul
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