The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-05-13
TEMPERANCE NOTES.
THE HOME INFLUENCE.

| They DO for Their Boys Welfare.
"Do you know that our boys are GO
ing more and more to the saloons?" a
farmer friend said to me not long since
Indeed did not. If any spot on earth
could be considered safe from this aw-
full plague l thought it was the farm
home.
but they are" he continued. "a
days ago sat in friends office, oppo-
site saloon, and counted thirteen
farmer boys among those who entered
that saloon during a little more than
an hour"
The statement set me thinking and
set me watching as we'll. l fear it is
too true. Our town is small and has
perhaps few attractions, yet every Sat
urday evening sees the streets filed
with young people from the country
| The saloons are brilliant and busy.
| Whose boys are there l cannot tell
God grant it may be neither yours nor
mine. Somebody's boy is there.
Dear friends, this question no longer
belongs to the city alone. The temper
ance question is yours. Unless you
take hold Of it vigorously your own
| households will be made desolate
| There are two ways of working for
temperance. One is to tear up and de-
| stroy the evil traffic in intoxicants, the
other to spare no effort in cultivating
whatsoever things are true and pure
and lovely" The first named method
has, | think, received the greater at
tention for many years. With what
success you all know. OF late, many
earnest workers have been seeking in
| the second a more excellent way"
A company of organized workers, not
| long since, held their sessions in a
room where mechanic was making
some needed repairs. Manifesting a
strong interest in the affairs of the
meeting the workman was asked if he
had something he would like to say.
81 thank you very much" was the
immediate response, ''for | really have
have had work to do here during
your last three sessions, and have been
much interested and pleased by many
| things l have heard. But, ladies'
pardon me, beg of you; the feeling is
constantly present that, while your
work here has a certain merit, it is
mostly valueless because you have COM
menced at the wrong end. The tenn
perance pledge is splendid safeguard
for the fellows who can summon suffi-
| cient strength of character to keep it.
But to young man without home, or
with a home in name only, who wants
and must have friends, society and
amusement, pledge-keeping is some
times an utter impossibility.
"But if a young man has any sense of
| right any honor" the president inter
ruptcd severely
HE may have great deal of honor
honor that nothing could tarnish, given
| the right conditions; but his environ
ment is too much for him. He is ex-
| pected to live in prison, and he can
not do it."
There was a moments pause, and
one of the ladies took advantage of it
TO ask: "Will you kindly tell what you
consider the right end of this matter?"
THE home end" was the instant re-
| spouse, and the words were electrical
There was not woman, young or old,
who did not respond to this quick, close
touch of truth with every throb of her
heart and every nerve of her body.
You see before you, ladies'" the
speaker went on, "a man twenty-five
years old, who was practically home
less and motherless. do not say that
my mother did not love me, but do
gay that no human interest was ever
allowed to interfere with the cleanli-
ness and order of the house. This was
her first and last consideration. had
love and, believe, talent for me-
chanics, and if | could have had the
| tools | needed and place that could
have called my own, with full liberty
to whittle, plane and carve, should
not at eighteen have spent all my even
| ings outside with doubtful compan-
ions. As long as there was no dust on
my bureau, no finger-marks on the
door, no litter on the carpet. it made
small difference to my mother where
was. The back yard even was too sa-
| cred place to be desecrated with shaw
ings, and though | would have been
satisfied with cellar for workshop,
that was denied me. From morn
ing till night | never heard anything
but celebrations not to spill, not to soil,
not to make a litter, and to wipe my
feet and put things where found them.
Well, l got into bad company,
went into liquor saloons and drank
with the rest. l never went home in
toxicated because l knew the conse-
quences of not being able to wipe nv
feet would be very disagreeable. 1t
certainly never occurred to me that my
mother would care about my condition,
outside of the trouble and disorder
| might cause and the disgrace of be-
ing seen by the neighbors. In this way
precious years We're wasted worse
than wasted, and long before this |
should have been utterly irreclaimable
II it had not been for very lovely and
a very sensible old lady who won nv
confidence and who offered me a home.
She found me a teacher, provided me
with tools, and in exchange for this
kindness l promised to stop drinking
and to spend my evenings in the house
| am now self-supporting and it will
| not be long before l shall occupy bet
ter position than my present one. So.
ladies, l know that if the mothers of
our bows do not take practical hold of