The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-11-11
TEMPERANCE NOTES.
A SAD STORY.
An Incident Illustrative of the Dreadful
Power Of Rum.

An Incident Illustrative Of the Dreadful
Power Of Rum.
Looking over the daily papers not
long since this heading appeared among
the local items: "A Sad Story" 1t was
short, concise story, printed in ten
lines of the column devoted to items Of
local nature: Frank Talbot, young
man twenty-six years old, died in the
Jail last night Of consumption. He had
been committed for drunkenness the
week before. When he was told he
could not live long he told his story to
the physician. He had been living in
the city under an assumed name for q
year because he did not wish to dis
grace his friends. His family did not
know where he was although they had
always been kind to him and tried to
do all they could to save him. But
liquor had made complete slave of
him. He had good position in his
native town but lost it because his
head was not kept level enough to fill
the responsibilities He would have his
sprees. Being naturally of a delicate
constitution the exposures incident to
a vagrant, drunkard's life had told
upon him. His friends were notified OF
his illness but he had passed away be-
fore their arrival"
A sad, sad story, indeed! But the
boy who heard it read said: she
needn't have been drunkard; he
might have behaved himself" Yes,
yes, he might have been somebody OF
whom his friends would have been
proud, but instead of that he was a
source of sorrow to them. That young
man had good parents and good Chris
tian teaching, but liquor was his
master. Once he was a temperate,
happy boy, but some time he took a
first drink, and that was the beginning
of all his ruin and shame. You boys
may not have as yet been tempted by
this form of evil but the temptation is
sure to come to you as it has to others.
Many boy as bright, as well beloved,
as well brought up and cared for as
you have been, has become drunk
ard.
Older tempters have argued with
him that man who cannot drink as
much as he thinks good for him and
no more, is not very strong charac
ter. But let me tell you, my boys, the
only safety from being overcome witt
strong drink is to let it entirely alone.
No arguments for or against will be
necessary then. The power of the habit
of liquor drinking once formed is some
thing very hard to be overcome.
In the police reports Of daily paper
few weeks since the arrest of q mid
dle-aged man for serious crime was
mentioned. His crime, and two-thirds
of all the crime committed, was due to
the same cause-strong drink. Follow
ing the notice was this statement made
by the prisoner:
.Drink was the cause of my rum.
Nobody knows the power of such an
appetite but the man who has suffered
from it. Years ago / took my dying
mothers hand and promised her
would never drink another drop
meant just what / said. l tried hard te
keep my promise, but the terrible
thirst for liquor overcame me, and in 9
few weeks I was drinking as hard al
ever. Two years ago my little CIR
died. She begged me on her death
bed to stop drinking, and l promised
her l would. l called upon God t.
witness the promise. I wanted to keel
it, but after my little girl had gone
the terrible thirst for liquor came
again. fought against it, but it over
powered me. Drink had destroyed my
will-power. l loved my child, bu
chains were forged about me that
could not break"
So you see, boys, how very hard it il
to reform after one has formed thu
habit of drinking The problem o
rescuing the country from this terrible
curse is agitating the wisest heads
They feel that 1t must be driven out
but what is the best way to do it? Tha
is the question. You boys can solv'
tue problem, as far as you are individ
ualiy concerned. by being determines
that you will never take even on
drink. If every boy would make tina
resolution and keep it, old King Alec
hol's head would soon tumble off ant
roll into the bottomless abyss.
This is very serious matter, and IL
view of the ruined lives--thousands o
them-the broken-hearted mothers, tn
sorrowing friends, and the unlimite'
amount of human misery caused b.
this power for evil, beg that you viii
consider this momentous subject, an
pied ge yourselves to do all you can, i
the name and with the help Of tn
Lord, to exterminate ''the serpent o
she still."-Susan Tean Perry, in tn
Evangelist.
CURES FOR SORROW.
The Folly OF Seeking Consolation
| Drink.