The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-03-25

accomplished for the overthrow Of drunken
ness! Have its forces ever been marshaled!
No, not in this direction. Not long ago q
great ecclesiastical court assembled in New
York, and resolutions arraigning strong
drink were offered, and clergy men with
strong drink on their tables and strong
drink in their cellars defeated the resolu-
tions by threatening speeches. They could
not bear to give up their own lusts.
I tell this audience what many Of you may
never have thought of, that to-day-not in
the millennium, but to-day-the church
holds the balance Of power in America; and
il Christian people--tae men and the women
who profess to love the Lord Jesus Christ
and to love purity and to be the sworn enc
mics of all uncleanness and debauchery and
sin-if all such would march side
by side and shoulder to shoulder
this evil would soon be overthrown.
sand churches and Sunday-schools in Chris
very short time it would take them to put
down this evil, IL all the churches Of God,
transatlantic and cisatlantic, were armed OH
this subjecti
Young men OF America pass over into
the army Of teetotalism. Whisky, good to
preserve corpses, ought never to turn you
into a corpse. Tens Of thousands of young
men have been dragged out Of repectability
md out Of purity, and out Of good char
,cter, and into darkness by this Internal stuff
:alled strong drink. Do not touch it! Do
not touch It'll
In the front door Of our church in Brook
Hn, q few summers ago, this scene occurred:
Sabbath morning young man was entering
Tor divine worship. A friend passing along
the street said, Joe. come along with me:
am going down to Coney Island and we'll
aave gay Sunday" mo-" replied Joe; II
have started to go here to church, and I am
going to attend service here" "Oh, Joe," his
friend said, 'tyou can go TO church
my time! The day Is bright
md we'll 60 to Coney Island, and
we'll have splendid time" The temptation
was too strong, and the twain went to the
beach, spent the day in drunkenness and
riot. The evening train started up from
Brighton. The young men were on It. Joe,
b bis intoIication, when the train was In
hull speed, tried to pass around from one seat
10 another and fell and was crushed.
Under the lantern, as Joe lay bleeding his
life away on the grass, he said to his COM
tede: "John, that was bad business, your
taking me away from church; it was very
bad business You ought not to have done
that, John. want you to tell the boys to
morrow when you see them that rum
md Sabbath breaking did this for
ne. And John, while you are telling
,ault." Isl not time for me to pull out from
.he great organ of Gods word, with many
banks Of keys, the tremolo stopP "Look not
lpon the wine when it is red, when it moveth
itself Alright in the cup, for at last it b;teth
ike O serpent and stingeth like an adder"
But this evil will be arrested Blucher came
40 just before night and saved the day at
Waterloo. At o'clock In the afternoon it
looked very badly for the English. Generals
Ponsonby and Pickton fallen. Sabers broken,
days surrendered, Scots Grays annihilated.
Only forty-two men left out Of the German
brigade. The English army falling back and
alling back. Napoleon rubbed his hands
together and said: "Aha! ahal we'll teach
shat little Englishman a lesson Ninety
,hances out of hundred are in our favor.
Magnificent! magnifcentp He even sent
messages to Paris to say he had won the day:
But before sundown Blucher came up, and
he who had been the conqueror Of Ansterlitz
became the victim of Waterloo. The name
which had shaken all Europe and filled even
America with apprehension, that name went
lown, aud Napoleon muddy and hatless, and
.razed with his disasters, was found feeling
,or the stirrup Of horse, that he might
mount and resume the conflict.
Well my friends, alcoholism is imperial,
and it Is a conqueror, and there are good
2eople who say tho night Of national over
throw is coming, and that it is almost night.
But before sundown the Conqueror Of earth
and heaven will ride In on tho white horse,
and alcoholism, which has had Its Austerlitz
of triumph. shall have its Waterloo OF de-
feat. Alcoholism having lost its crown, the
grizzly and cruel breaker Of humali hearts,
crazed with the disaster, will be found feel
inc in vain for the stirrup in which to re-
mount its foaming charger. $50, y LORD,
let Thine snemies perishp'