The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-03-13

ton. The stimulant no sooner dies within
him, than he realizes every disgraceful in
cident in this debauch. The picture drives |
frantic with grief. remorse and shame. !
His physical suffering is nothing in COM !
parison to the unutterable mental anguish.
From this time he firmly intends to redeem
the past, and fancies in his own heart that
hs will never drink to excess again. Try as
hard as he will, he cannot say in his heart,
~ will never touch another drop as long as
I live" He cannot get rid Of the idea that
under such circumstances in the futurs no
there is in drinking moderately. Every
drinking man. who has passed this
stage, will endorse this statement,
the disease beginning to fasten on
the victim, and is the entrance to the third
stage. His very buoyancy and resolve beget
overcontidence. and he grows less careful;
He begins to feel proud Of his record. and
determination to conquer every tempta-
ton. Soon there springs into life an unac-
countable desire for change and excite
ment; for something, he knows not what.
He grows restless, nervous and depressed at
times. In q moment of high mental or
physical excitement, or abnormal depres-
sion. rs the case may be, he takes one drink
/ and again falls. lie fights a hard fight for
| days or weeks, according to his strength,
but he cannot get away from that one
| drink. which has broken down the barriers
| Of his resolve and he cannot build them up
| again, try as hard as he will. He grows de-
| pressed. discouraged, and finally. in de-
spair, plunges recklessly into another de-
| bauch. His life from this time is q series
of stunbles, falls, ups and downs. a state
of Drunkenness, relieved by sober and lucid
intervals. which grow shorter as the sprses
grow lOnRer.
1t is in his stage of the disease that some
few have, by the exercise of their own will,
reformed, through religious or moral in
1uences, but for every one who does reform
there are thousands who are lost. Suicides,
maniacs, criminals and tramps leave the
main body along the road in this third
period. The remainder reach the fourth
and last stage, as it may be, years before
the victim completely destroys the conf
dence and hope of all interested in him, but
finally he does arrive at that point. It is
during this third stage, as | have called it,
that whisky begins to change his nature.
Alcoholism fails TO relieve or excite IA it
did formerly. 1t loses its exhilarating
power. Instead Of transforming him from
the remorsGful, conscience stricken man
into the jolly fellow of old, it deadens his
brain, subjugates his muscle. He grows
morose, ill-mannered and QUAR- elsome.
activity and mental alteration, we now
find him, after n few days of hard drinking,
in the back room of n saloon, on a table OF
q chair or on the floor in Il drunken stupor.
He has entered tho fourth stage of his
disease. Alcoholism has conquered mind
aud body. The man is a slave, no can only
be relieved from hts bondage bv medical
skill; without it he is utterly hopeless anc
. doomed.
/ believe that it is an accepted fact TIM,
: every desire of the heart to do right anc
good is an unuttered PRAYER. While | ma,
/, not agree with Leslie T.. Kelley regarding
T theology. l myself recognize tho hand q
. tho Master in the undertaking of this BOO,
0 to humanity.
noticed, some time ago, an item in tn,
= New York dispatches to the effect that ia,
+ Gould had evidently experienced n chang
of heart, and rs an evidence of such hn,
1 contributed 10000 to charity work. A row.
@ erend doctor, Il famous divine. had curl
@ ous,y asked whore he had received th
a money from. intending, no DOUBT, that
was next to sacrilege to accent of none
obtained through speculation or usury, |
my memory serves mo right, he waa nm
sweIed by a brother divine, i,1'he eourco 6
70 n gilt was not of such great moment us til
use made of it,"
Ut have noticed the downfall nnd record E
the Rev. l. s. Knlloch, n most gifted NUN
l. orator, II man Of commanding preaont
Ks and powerful magnetism, who no don't
g. prenched tho word with effective powe
% and has been instrumental in bringing sou
N TO Christ, and yet he himself was eorrup
III Ii only goes to show that God blesses i
$50 word to some soul by whomsoeyor prenche,
es but does not necessarily bless the preeche
~ ! draw attention only to these instancea
ls Impress upon Your minds that we shou
not always inquire too closely ns 10 Il
p. / source of good QiftB. providad thov haov 81