Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-08-12
DEATH IN THE CUP.
THE TEMPTATION THAT HAS SLAIN TINS
OF THOUSANDS.
Nations Curse Discussed by DR.. Talmags-Ths
Dnnkards Loss 10 Himself 10 Humanity,
and 10 GOd-An Eloquent Tsm-
psraues Sermon.
Special 1slsqram 10 Me Rseiasr.

HELENAi Nj. H. August ll.-I1e E7f'
T. De Witt TAlmsge, d. D., preached here
to-day to vast congregation. Taking for
his text, "Who slew all these?" ii Kings
K, 10, he preached a powerful discourse on
Drunkenness the Nations Curse" He
said:
see long row Of baskets coming up
toward the palace of King Jehu. l am
somswhat inquisitive TO find out what 10
in the baskets. l look in and find the
CORY heads of seventy slain princes. AZ
the baskets arrive at the gate OF the palace,
the heads are thrown into two heaps, one
on either side the gate. In the morning
the king comes out, and he looks upon the
bleeding, CHASTITY heads fthe msssacred
princes. Looking on either side the gate,
be cries out, with a ringing emphasis,
who slew all theee?"
We hsve, my friends, lived TO see
more fearful massacre. There is no use OF
my taking your time in trying to give you
statistics about the devastation ana ruin
and the death which strong drink has
wrought in this country. Statistics do not
seem to mean anything. We are so har-
dered under these statistics that the fsct
that fifty thousand more men are slain, or
| ffty Thousand less men are slain, seems to
make NO positive impression on the public
mind. Suffice it TO say, that intemper-
ance has slain sn innumerable
COMPANY OF PRINCES
the children of Gods royal family; aud
at the gate of every neighborhoOd there
are two heaps Of the slain; and at the door
Of the household there are two heaps OF
the slain; and at the door of the legislative
hall there are two heaps Of the slain; and
st the door of the university there are two
hesp3 of the slain; and at the gate of this
nation there are two heaps of the slain.
When I look upon the desolatiOn am
always frantic with the scene, while cry
out "Who slew all thes.?" / can answer
that question in half a minute. The min
listers of Christ who have given no warn
ing, the courts of law that have offered
the licensure, the women who give strong
drink on New YEARS. day, the fathers
and mothers who have rum on the side
board, the hundreds of thousands Of Chris
tian men and women in the lsnd who
are stolid in their indifference on this sub
iect-they slew all these.
I propose in this discourse TO tell you
what think are the sorroWs and the
doom OF the dfunkard, so that you TO
whom / speak may not come TO the tor
ment.
Some one ssys: "You had bstier lei
those subjects alone" Why, my bTelh-
rem, we would be glad to let them alone il
they would let Ms alone; bat when l have
in my pocket now four requests saying,
pray for my husband, pray for my son,
pray for my brother, pray for my friend,
who is captive of strong drink" l reply,
we are ready 20 let that question alone
when it is willing to let us alone; but
when it stands blocking up the way to
heaven and keeping multitudes away
from Christ and heaven, dare not be ST.
lent, lest the Lord require their blood at
my hands.
think the SUI iect has been kept back
very much by the merIiment people make
over those
SLAIN BY STRONG DRINK.
l used to be very merry over these thinSe,
having keen sense OF the ludicIous
There WAS something very grotesque in the
gait of dfunkard II is rot so row; for
saw in one Of the streets of Philadel-
phia sight that changed the whole sub
ject to me. There was a young man being
led home. he was very much intoxicated
he vas raving with intoxicatiop. Two
young men were leading him along. The
bows hooted in the streets, men laughed,
women sneered; bat happened to be very
near the door where he went init was
the door of his fathers house. / cav him
20 up stairs. | heard him shouting, hOot
ing and blasphemipg. He had lost his
hat, and the merTiment increased with the
mob until he came up to the door, and as
the door WAS opened his mother came ont.
When l heard her cry that took all the
comedy away from the scene. Since that
time when SEE man walking through the
street, reeling the comedy is all gore,
and it is a tragedy of tears and groans and
heartbreaks. Never make any fan around
me about the groteequeness Of a drunkaId.
Alas for his home!
The fret suffering of the drunkard is in
the loss of his good name. God has 30 ar
ranged it that no man ever loses his good
name except through his own ect. All the
hatred of men and all the assaults of devils
cannot destroy a mans good name, if he
really maintains his integrity. If man
is industrious and pure and Christian, God
looks after him. Although he may be
bOmbarded for twenty or thirty years, his
integrity is never lost and his good name
is never sacrificed. No force on earth or
in hell can capture such Gibraltar. Bat
when it is said of man, HE drinks, "
and il can be proved, then what employer
wants him for workman? what store
wants him for a clerk? what church wants
him for a member who will trust him?
what dying man wOuld appoint him his
executor He may have been forty years
in building up his reputation-it goee
down. Letters of recommendation, the
backing up of business firms, brilliant
ancestry cannot cave him. The world
shies Off Why? 1t is Whispered sll
through the community, ''He drinks; lie
drinks" That blasts him. When a man
lcse1 his reputation for sobriety he nigh!
as we'll be at the
BOTTOM OF THE SEA.
There are men who have their good name
as their only capital. You are now achiev-
ing your own livelihood, under God, by
vour own right arm. Now look ont that
there is no doubt Of your sobriety. Do
not create any suspicion by going in and
out Of immoral places, or by any odor OF
your breath, or by any glare of your eye,
or by any unnatural flush Of your cheek.
You cannot sfford to do il, for your good
name is your only capital, and when that
ls blasted with the reputation OF taking
stsong drink, all is gone.
Another loss which the inebriste suffers
is that of self-respect Just as soon as a
mrn wakes mp and finds that be i1 the
captive Of strong drink he feels demeaned.
do not care how reckless be acts. He
msy say, 81 don't care:n he does care.
He csnnot look q pure man in the eye,
unless it is with positive force of resolu-
hOu. Three-fourths of his nature is de-
stroyod; his self-Tespect gone; he says
things he would not otherwise say; he
does things he would not otherwise do.
When man is niue-tenths gone with
strong drink, the first thing be wants
to do is to persuade you that he can stop
sny time he wants to. He cannot The
Philisiines have bound him hand and foot,
aud sho1n his locks, and put cut his eyes,
aud are making him grind in the mill OF a
great horror. He cannot stop. 1 Will