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

thirst for intoxicating liquors that he
cut off his hand at the wrist called fos
a bowl OF brandy in order to stop the
bleeding, thrust his wrist into the bowl,
and then drank the contents.
Stand not, when the thirst Is on him,
between a man and his cups. Clear the
track for him. Away with the children;
no would tread their life out. Away
with tho wife; he 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 1t worthless
as a straw. Give me the drink Give
it to me! Though the hands OF blood
pass up the bowl, and the soul trembles
over the pit-the drink! give it to me!
Though it be pale with tears; though
the froth of everlasting anguish float on
the foam-give it to me! drink to my
wife's woe, to my children's rags; to my
eternal Punishment from God, and hope,
and Heaven! Give it to me! the drinkp
Again: We will contend against
these evils by trying to persuade the
respectable classes of society to the
Punishment of alcoholic beverages.
You who move in elegant and refined
associations; you who drink the best
| liquors; you who never drink until you
lose your balance, let us look each
other in the face on this subject You
have, under God, in your power the re-
demption of this land from drunken
ness. Empty your cellars and wine
closets of tho beverage, and then come
out and give us your hand, your vote,
your prayers, your sympathies. Do
that, and / will promise three things:
! Q) That you will find unspeakable
happiness in having done your duty.
| (2) You will probably save somebody
perhaps your own child. (3) You will
not, in your last hour, have regret
that you made the sacrifice, if sacrifice
| it be.
AS long as you make drinking respect
able, drinking customs will prevail, and
the plow-share of death, drawn by terri
BILE disasters, will go on turning up this
whole continent, from end to end, with
| the long, deep, awful furrow of drunk
ards graves.
Oh! how this rum fiend would like to
go and hang up skeleton in your beau
tiful house, SO that when you opened
tho 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 bed
room, you would find it stretched upon
your pillow; and waking at night, you
would feel it's cold hand passing over
your face and pinching at your heart.
There is no home so beautiful but it
may bedevas tated by the awful curse. 1t
| throws its jargon into the sweetest har.
mony What was it that silenced Sher
idan, the English orator, and shattered
the golden scepter with which he
swaycd parliaments and courts! What
foul sprite turned the sweet rhyt
of Robert Burns into tuneless babble?
What brought down the majestic
form of one who awed the Amer
lean Senate with his eloquence, and
after 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
reelcd from the deck of Western
steamer, and was drowned? There was
one whose voice we all loved to hear.
lie was one of the most classical ora
tors of the century. People wandered
why man of so pure heart and so ex-
celent life should have such a sad
countenance always. They knew not
that his wife was a sot.
l call upon those who are guilty OF
these indulgences to quit the path OF
death Oh! 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 wifo's heart, and have your chill
dren come out to meet you with as
much confidence as once they showed?
Would you not like to rekindlo the
home-lights that long ago were
eXtinguishcd? 1t is not too late
to change. 1t may not entire
ly obliterate from your soul the memory
of wasted years and ruined reputa-
ton, nor smooth out from your anxious
brow the wrinkles which trouble has
plowed. 1t may not call. back unkind
words uttered, or rough deeds done; for
perhaps in those awful moments you
struck her! II 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 your family the remainder of
your fast-going life.
Do l address one whose regular work
in life is to administer to this appetite?
For Gods sake go 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
government may license you that, there
fore, God licenses you. / am surprised
to hear you men say that they respect
the ''original-package" decision, by
which the Supreme Court of the United
States allows rum to be taken into
Kansas, which have decided against
tho sale of intoxicants. l have no
respect for 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 State to defend itself against
the rum traffic will yet be demonstrate
ed, the Supreme Court notwithstand-
ing. Higher than the judicial bench at
Washington is the throne of the Lord
God Almighty. No enactment, Ma
tional, State or municipal, can give you
the right to carry on a business whose
~ l. 1n1 tNy,