Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1890-08-09

drinking customs win prevail. and the plow-
| share of death. drawn by terrible disasters.
will go on turning up this whole continent
| from end to end with the long. deep. awful
( furrow of drunkards' graves.
! Obi how his rum fiend would like to go
and hang up skeleton in your beautiful
house, SO that when you opened the front
| door to go in you would see it in the hall:
and when you sat at your table you would
see it hanging from the wall: and when you
| opened your bedroom you would find it
| stretched upon your pillow and walking at
night, you would feel its cold hand passing
over your face and pinching at your
! heart!
There is no home so beautiful but is may
be devasted by the awful curse. 1t throws
| its ]argon into the sweetest harmony What
was it that silenced Sheridan, the English
orator, and shattered the golden scepter
with which he swayed parliaments and
| courts? What foul sprite turned the sweet
rhythm of Robert Burns into a tuneless
babble? What brought down the majestic
form of one who awed the American Sem
ate with his eloquence, and after a while
carried him home dead drunk? What was
it that swamped the noble spirit of one of
the heroes of the last war. until in a
drunken fit he reeled from the deck of
Western steamer and was drowned? There
was one whose voice we all loved to hear.
He was one of the most classic orators of
the country. People wondered why man
OF so pure heart and so excellent a life
should have such sad countenance always.
They knew not that his wife was sot
call upon those who are guilty of these
indulgences to quit the path Of death. Obi
what a change it would make in your home
Do you see how everything there is being
desolated? Would you not like to bring
back joy to your wife's heart, and have
your. children come out to meet you with as
much confidence as once they showed?
Would you not like to rekindle the home
lights that long ago were extinguished? It
is not too late to change. 1t may not en-
tirely obliterate from your soul the memory
of wasted years and a ruined reputation
the wrinkles which trouble has ploWed. It
may not call back unkind words uttered or
rough deeds done, for perhaps in those
awful moments you struck her! 1t may not
take from your memory the bitter thoughts
connected with some little grave. But it is
not too late to save yourself, and secure for
God and Eour family the remainder of your
fast going life.
But perhaps you have not utterly gone
astray. | may address one who may not
have quite made up his mind. Let your
better nature speak out. You take one side
| or the other in the war against drunken
ness. Have you the courage to put your
foot downright, and say to your COM
panions and friends, L will never drink in
toxicating liquor in all my life; nor will I
nothing to do with strong drink. 1t has
turned the earth into place OF skulls and
has stood opening the gate to a lost world
| to let in its victims, until now the door
| swings no more upon its hinges, but, day
and night, stands wide open to let in the
| agonized procession of doomed men.
| Do I address one whose regular work in
| life is to administer to this appetite2 For
Gods sake get out of that business! If a
woe be pronounced upon the man who gives
his neighbor drink, how many woes must be
! hanging over the man who does this every
| day and every hour of the day.
| Do not think that because human govern
ment may license you that therefore God
| licenses you. l am surprised to hear you
men say that you respect the Original
| package" decision, by which the Supreme
Court of the United States allows rum to be
taken in states like Kansas. which have de-
cided against the sale of intoxicants. |
| have no respect for a wrong decision. L
care not who makes it. The three judges
| of the Supreme Court who gave minority
report against that decision were right,and
the Chief Justice was wrong. The right Of a
state to defend itself against the rum traffic
| will yet be demonstrated, the Supreme
| Court not withstanding. Higher than the
| judicial bench at Washington is the throne
of the Lord God Almighty. No enactment,
national, state or municipal, can give YOU
| the right to carry on a business whose one
/ effect is destruction.
| UOu KNOWS DeILcE Luau you 40 yOuISou
the number of drinks you have poured out.
You keep list; but a more accurate list
has been kept than yours. You may call it
| burgundy, bourbon, cognac, Heidsleck,
sour mash or beer. God calls it strong
drink. Whether you sell it in low oyster
cellars Or behind the polished counter of a
first class hotel the divine curse is upon
you. I tell you plainly that you will meet
| your customers one day when there will be
no counter between you, When your work
is done on earth and you enter the reward
of your business all the souls of the men
whom you have destroyed will
crowd around you and pour
their bitterness into your cup. They
will show you their wounds and say. You
made Them" and point totheir unquench--
able thirst and say, You kindled it, and
rattle their chain and say, You forged it"
Then their united groans will smite your ear.
and with the hands out Of which you once
picked the sixpences and the dimes they
will push you off the verge of great pre-
! cipices, while rolling up from beneath and
breaking among the crags of death will
thunder, Woe to him that giveth his neigh
| Dor dri,.i"