The Russellville Democrat., 1890-08-07

 l fight His hair is matted, and makes 1 him look like wild beast His lip is
 bloody and cut Who is this battered and bruised wretch that was picked up by the police and carried in drunk, and foul and bleeding? Did l call him man the secondP He is man the frstl Rum transformed him? Rum destroyed his prospects. Rum disappointed parental expectation. Rum withered those gar lands of commencement day Rum cut his lip. Rum dashed out his manhood.
 Rum. accnrsed rum.
 This foul thing gives one swing to it's
 scythe, and our best merchants fall; their stores are sold, and they sink into | dishonored graves. Again it swings it's scythe and some of our best phy- sicians fall into sufferings that their wisest prescriptions can not cure. Again it swings it's scythe and minis 1 ters of the Gospel fall from the heights
 of Zion, with long resounding crash of ruin and shame. Some of your own households have already been shaken.
 Perhaps you can hardly admit it; but where was your son last night? Where was he Friday night? Where was he l Thursday night? Wednesday night? Tuesday night? Monday night? Nay, have not some you in your own bodies felt the power of this habit? You think that you could stop? Are you sure you could? Go on little further, and am sure you can not. l think if some oi l you should try to break away, you | would find chain on tho right wrist and one on tho left; one on tho right
 foot and another on the left. This ser pent does not begin to hurt until it has wound round and round. Then it begins to tighten, and strangle. and crush, until bones crack, and the blood trickles, and l the eyes start from their sockets, and tho mangled wretch cries: 70 God! 0 Godl help! help!" But it is too late; and not even the fires of woe can melt the chain when once itis fully fastened. I have shown you tho evil beast. Tho question is: Who will hunt him down, and how shall we shoot him? answer. First, by getting our children right on this subject Let them grow up with an utter aversion to strong drink. Take care how you administer it even as medicine. If you find that they have a natural love for it, as some have, put in a glass of some horrid stuff, and make utter nauseous Teach them. as faithfully as you do tho Bible, that rum is fiend. Take them to the aims house, and show them the wreck and ruin it works Walk with them into the homes that have been scourged by it. If drunkard hath fallen into a ditch, take them right up where they can see his face, bruised. savage and swollen, and say: Look, my son. Rum did that!" Looking out of your window at some one who, in- toxicated to madness, goes through the street, hrandishing his fist blasphem- ing God, bowling, defying, shouting, reeling, raving and foaming maniac, say to your son: Look; that man was once child like you" As you go by the grog shop, let them know that it is the place where mon are slain, and their wives made paupers, and their children slaves Hold out to your children all warnings all rewards, all counsels, lest in after days they break your heart and curse your gray hairs A man laughed at my father for his scrupulous temper ance principles and said; T am mora liberal than you. l always give my children the sugar in the glass after we have been taking a drink" Three of his sons have died drunkards and the fourth is imbecile through incorporate habits.
 Again: We will battle this evil by voting only for sober men. How many men are there who can rise above the feelings of partizanship and demand that our officials shall be sober men.
 l maintain that the question of so- briety is higher than the question of availability; and that, however emin- ent a mans services may be, if he have habits of intoxication he is unfit for any office in the gift of Christian peo- pie. Our laws will be no better than the men who make them. Spend few days at Harrisburg, or Albany. or Washington, and you will find out why, upon these subjects, it is impossible to get righteous enactments-
 Again: We will war upon this evil by organized societies. The friends of the
 
 nually issue their circulars; raise fab ulous sums of money to advance their interests; and by grips passwords signs and stratagems set at defiance public morals. Let us confront them with organizations just as secret, and, if needs be, with grips, and passwords, and signs, maintain our positio There is no need that our philanthropic socie- ties tell all their plans. I am in favor of all lawful strategy in the carrying on of this conflict l wish to God we could lay under the wine casks train which, once ignited, would shake the earth with the explosion of this mon strous iniquityl
 Again: We will try the power of the pledge. There are thousands of men who have been saved by putting their names 10 such a document l know it is laughed at; but there are some men who, having once promised a thing. do 1t "Some have broken the pledge" Yes; they were liars, but all men are not liars. l do not say that it is the duty of all persons to make such signature, but do say that it would be the salva- ton of many of you. The glorious work of Theobald Mathew can never be estimated. At his hand {, GOO, 900 of peo- pie took the pledge, and multitudes in Ireland, England, Scotland and Amer ica have kept it till this day. The pledge signed to thousands has been the pr oclamation of emancipation.
 Again: We expect great things from inebriate asylums. They have already done a glorious work, I think that we arc coming at last to treatinebriation as it ought to be treated, namely, as an awful disease, self-infioted, to be sure, but, nevertheless, a disease. Once fast ened upon man, sermons won't cure him; temperance lectures will not eradicate it; religious tracts will not re- move it; the gospel of Christ will not arrest it. Once under the power of this awful thirst the man is bound to go on; and, if the foaming glass were on the other side of perdition, he would wade