The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1888-01-13
Written for the MONITOR.
WHY COUNTRY TOWNS SHOULD
TAKE 4 sEANDTN EVERY HODY'S
WAR"
BY MRS. FANNIE II. CARR.

newspaper, the moNfIpii, IS publlhneu
When she received the invitation she read
and re read 1t, from the fact that her i'm
preston of the place was that it was ST
moral and conservative that temperance
effort seemed snperfnous. When th,
evening arrived she found the largest
church packed to its utmost capacity
Referring to her impression of the town
she said that to her it seemed '1ike carry
ing Goals to New CASTLE to do earnest,
aggressive temperance work in that partic-
ular town. The next day, however, she
had reason TO reconsider the ''snap" judg-
ment. Her hostess, taking her out for a
stroll, pointed ont several of the best houses
in the town with the remark, "we.l, the
heads of these families ought to have been
at the temperance meeting last night.
When asked why, her reply was in one a
son fills drunkard's grave, IN another a
daughter is married TO an inebriate, etc.
When inquiry was made why young men
from such sheltered and refined homes,
and in a town proverbal for its morality,
should early fill drnnkard's graves, the an
men, in large numbers, leave these towns
and go to the great commercial centres
New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Chi
cago-and in the capacity Of clerks, COM
mercial statesmen, etc, away from the re-
straining influences of homo, fall, in many
instances, an easy prey to the seductive
power OF the vine cup" A a subsequent
lecture this incident was mentioned in
another place, (but the name Of the town
witheld), when S. p Goodwin, Esq, Presi-
dent of the Franklin Home, Phila., being
ing to the fact above indicated), ''Mrs.
Carr, yon may tell wherever you speak
that in my mercantile life of Chem about
thirty years, | know by actual count
more than 500 men who were employed
between Cd and 4th Sts., in Market street
jobbing houses, Philadelphia, who now fill
drunkard's graves, nine tenths of whom
were boys from country towns" This lat
ter fact certainly speaks for itself. Elabo-
ration or comment seem impairment. And
yet, lest at superficial glance one might
suppose that when the terrible truth is re-
corded that i'll the experience of one man
there was the awful fact of the knowledge
of 500 men, who, before they had reached
the prime Of life, filed drnnkaId's grave,
1 4 a., -,
lest, say, when this was apprehended one
might suppose lie had reach ed the depth oil
the misery indicated, do not let us forget
that in this world of ours we are so won
drously related that possibly in its last
analysis thousands were affected by these
moral shipwrccks, and how seriously God
alone knows. If the sorrow incident to
strong drink were confined to the drinker,
terrible as this is it would be compare
lively trivial, but when it is remembered
that each Of these five hundred Were con-
nected by the ties of blood, marriage, So
cial or business affinity with at least five
others, You have the appalling fact of sew
eral thousands whose lives were seriously
bhghted, and in numerous instances lost,
through the downfall of those SO vitality
related to them. AS this age demands
demonstration, suffer an object lesson.
There came into the temporary employ oi
the writer woman who, when she saw
your correspondent fondle her boy baby,
rs mothers are apt to do their first born,
would instinctively leave the room. Being
You never heard my story2' And then as
the ice was broken, she continued: ''Iou
know that was left widow with little
girl and boy to support. went out wash
ing, monthly Nursing, in short, anything
to put bread in these chiIdrens' mouths.
Some how or another | always had a
warmer corner in my heart for my boy
than my girl, perhaps it was because he
was more aflectionate. My neighbors and
friends demonstrated W it'll me for working
SO hard and advised me to bind my boy out
to farmer. But | never could do it, and
so to support him and give him an cduca-
ton | worked until long after midnight.
| sent him regularly to church and sun
day-school and he grew up to be all that
| could desire thought | didn't mind
working almost day and night for such a
boy and soon he would be grown up and
will be repaid for all my self-deaial and il
my old age he will be my staff. Well, it's
the old, old story-tempted and led
astray' In an evil hour he began to drink
and one Saturday night, he and compan
ion in drunken brawl killed a man, and
my son received eleven years in the Eastern
Penitentiary." And continuing with com
tenance marked with deep emotion, sh'
said: 81 never have gone ont in daylight
since he was sent to prison, il could pos
sibly avoid it, for think hear the peo
pie saying, DO you see heI? Well she's I
murderers' mother, and finished by say
ing ''the reason left tho room when you
caressed your child was because your bah,
bears wonderful resemblance to mine
His name is just the same, and il You don
think me too free, see you are just n
foolish about your baby as | was abcu