Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1890-08-08

u
formed him. Ram destroyed his prospects.
Rum disappointed parental expectation.
Rum wlthered those garlands of commence
ment day, Rum cut his lip. Rum dashed
out his manhood. Rum-accursed rum.
This foul thing gives one swing TO its
scythe and our best merchants fall. Their
stores are sold and they sink into dishon-
ored graves. Again it swings its scythe,
and some of our oest physicians fall into
suffering7 that their wisest prescriptions
cannot cu-e. Again it swings its scythe.
and ministers of the Gospel fall from the
heights of Zion, with Iong-resoun ling
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 1ight? Where
was he Friday nights Where was he
Thursday night? Wednesday night? Tues
day night? Monday night? Nay, have not
some of you in your own bodies felt the
power Of this habit? You think that you
could stop? Are you sure you could? Go on
a little further, and [ am sure you cannot. l
think If some Of you should try to break
away you would find chain on the right
wrist and one on the left; one on the right
foot and another on the left. This serpent
does not begin to hurt until it has wound
round and round. Then it begins to tighten
and strangle and crush until the bones crack,
and the blood trickles, and their eyes start
from their sockets, and the mangled wretch
is too late, and not even the fires of woe can
melt the-chaiD when once it is fully fastened.
have shown you the evil beast. The CUES
ton is Who will hunt him down and how
shall we shoot him? I answer first, by get
ting our children right on this subject. Let
them grow up with an utter aversion to
strong drink. Take care how you admins
ter it, even as medicine. II you find that
they have a natural love for it, as some have,
put in glass of it some hurrid stuff, and
kNor.lr
faithfully as you do the Bible that rum is a
hend. Take them TO the aImshouse and show
them the wreck and ruin it works. Walk
with them into the homes that have been
scourged by it. If drunkard had fallen in
to ditch take them right up where they can
see his face bruised, savage and swollen, and
say: Look my SON. Rum did thatp Look
ing out Of your window at some one who,
intoxicated to madness, goes through the
street brandishing his fist, disappearing God,
q bowling, defying, shouting, reellng, raw
ing and foaming maniac, say to your son:
Look, that man was once a child like you"
AS you go by the grog shop let them know
that that is the place where men are slain, and
their wives made paupers, and their children
slaves. Hold out to your children all warn
ings, all rewards, all counsels, lest in after
lays they break your heart and curse your
gray hairs. A man laughed at my father
Tor his scrupulous temperance principles,
and said: Il am more liberal than you. I
always give my children the sugar in the
glass after we have been taking a drink"
Three of the 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 par
rfsanship and demand that our officials shall
be sober men?
/ maintain that the question Of sobriety is
higher than the question Of availability, and
that however eminent mans services may
be, If he have habits of intoxication he is I'M
lit Tor any Office in the gift OF Christian
people. Our laws will be no better than the
men who make them. Spend a 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 Or
ganized societies. The friends of the rum
traffic have banded together; annually issue
their circulars; raise fabulous sums of money
to advance their interests, and by grips, pass
words, signs and stratagems set at defiance
public morals Let us confront them with
organizations just as secret, and, if need be-
with grips and pass words and signs main.
tain our position. There is no need that our
philanthropic societies tell all their plans. [
am in favor of all lawful strategy in the car
rying on Of this conflict. l wish to God we
could lay under the wine casks train which,
explosion of this monstrous iniquity!
Again, we will try the power of the
pledge. There are thousands of men who
have been saved by putting their names to
such document. I know it is laughed at,
but there are some men who, having once
broken the pledge" Yes; they were liars
But ali men are not liars. / do not say that
it is the duty of all persons to make such
signature, but do say that it would be the
salvation of many of you. The glorious work
of Theobald Mathew can never be estimated.
At his hand four millions of people took the
pledge, and multitudes in Ireland, England,
Scotland and America have kept it till this
day. The pledge signed to thousands has
been the proclamation of emancipation.
briate asylums. They have already done
glorious work. I think that we are coming
at last to treat inebriation as it ought to be
treated, namely, as an awful disease. self in
hicted, to be sure, but nevertheless disease.
Once fastened upon man sermons won't
cure him; temperance lectures will not eradi-
cate it; religious tracts will not remove it;
the GosDel of Christ will not arrest it. OncS
under the power of this awful thirst the nah
is bound to go on: and if the foaming glass
were on the other side Of perdition he would
wade through the fires of hell to get it. A
young man in prison had such strong thirst
for intoxicating liquors that he cut off his
hand at the wrist called for bowl of brandy
in order to stop the bleeding, thrust his
wrist into the bowl, and then drank the con-
tents.
Stand not when the thirst is on him be-
tween a man and his cups. Clear the track
for him. Away with the children he would
tread their life out. Away with the wife;
ne would dash her to death. Away with the
cross; he would run it down. Away with the
Bible; he would tear it up for the winds.
Away with heaven; he considers it worth
less as a straw. 'Give me the drink! Give
it to me! Though the hands of blood pass up
the bowl and tie soul trembles over the pit