The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1890-08-07

that paradise into a helll / sketch two
men that you know very we'll. The
first graduated from one of our literary
institutions His father, mother, broth
ers and sisters were present to see him
graduate. They heard the applauding
thundors that greeted his speech. They
saw tho bouquets tossed to his feet.
They saw the degree conferred and tho
diploma given. He never looked so
we'll. Every body said: What a noble
brow! What a fine eye! What graceful
manners! What brilliant prospectsr'
All the world opens before him, and
cries: "Hurrahi hurrah!"
Man the second: Lies in the station
house. The doctor has just been sent
for to bind up the gashes received in a
fight His hair is matted, and makes
him look like a 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 | call him man
the second? He is man the first! 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. accursed 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
its scythe and some of our best ply
sicians fall into sufferings that their
wisest prescriptions can not cure.
Again it swings its scythe and minis
tiers 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
Thursday night? Wednesday night?
Tuesday night? Monday night? Nay,
have not some ofyou 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 of
you should try to break away, you
would find a chain on tho right wrist
and one on the Left one on the 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
the eyes start from their sockets,
and the mangled wretch cries: 80 God.
o God! help! helpw But it is too late;
and not even the fires of woe can melt
the chain when once tits fully fastened.
l have shown you the evil beast.
The 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 glass OF some horrid stuff,
and make utter nauseous. Teach them.
as faithfully as you do the 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
ditch, take them right up where they
can see his face, bruised, savage and
swollen, and say: Look, my son.
Rum did THAR Looking out
of your window at some ono who, in
toxicated to madness, goes through the
street, brandishing his fist, blasphem-
ing God, bowling, defying, shouting,
Keeling, raving 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 it is
the place where men 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: Il am moro
liberal than you. / 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 partnership and demand
that our officials shall be sober men.
maintain that the question of So
briefly 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 tho gift of Christian peo-
Pile. Our laws will be no better than
the men who make them. Spend few
days at Harris burg, 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
rum traffic have banded together; an
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 position. There
is no need that our philanthropic socie-
ties tell all their plans. / 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 iniquity!
u . q ,a