Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1892-08-11

The following extract is from an
address delivered at the hate com
of the A. and NJ. College,
by student Of the soph-
more class.
Mr.. G. Champenois, of Shubuta, the
author of these noble sentiments, is
young man about sixteen years of age.
If it is Gods will, We hope that he
may be largely instrumental in bring
ing about the deliverance for which
he 30 earnestly pleads.
In the good old times OF long ago.
this great western world of ours WAS
so rich in natural resources, that our
foTefathers may have thought 1t i'm
possible that the much dreaded howl
of the wolf of hunger should ever be
heard at the door of so many of it's
future inhabitants.
To prove to you that their dreams
have not been realized, ask you, in
imagination, to view with me the
slums of New York or any other Of
our large cities.
Here You sec two ragged urchins
pummelling zach other for dear life,
while the drunken father stands by,
aud with voice that is made terrible
by the demon whisky, lie urges them
on. There you see youths with
blearcd eyes and bloated faces, seat
ed in some dingy corner, indulging in
one of the lowest vices-that of gamb-
ling. Yonder you sec n mother who
with tear stained eyes is looking mp
to her dissipated husband, begging
him for penny with which to buy
food for the starving child which she
holds closely to her breast, as If to
protect it from the wolf of hunger
which threatens to carry 1t to tho
grave.
Yes, this is true, and can VIC call
ourselves Christians in the true sense
of the word, while such heart rending
scenes are passing before our eyes !
No not until we have made I'll hon
est endeavor to stop this tide Of pain
crime and poverty.
The question of how to aid the poor
is now before us. A problem which
many have spent their lives in solv-
ing.
While tho methods employed for
the relief of the poor are increasing
from year to year, yet VIC arc not sat
isfied; We feel that we are only scratch
ing the soil with harrow, while it
needs steam pillow.
&c 81 H,Nr hn hnr
rid, desolating tide of poverty is rising
faster than we can build our dykes to
keep it OUT
If We wish to stop the stream OF
poverty we must destroy the muddy
fountain from which it springs.
What are the sources through which
so much misery fows3 They are the
dram bishops and the gambling hells
These are the twin wees that bring
sin, sorrow and that which is worse
than death itself, to thousands; and il
we would restore peace and happiness
to homes where now reign quite the
opposite, we must put ourselves
shoulder to shoulder, and with 8
mighty cry equal to tho rebel yell OF
our fathers) graphic with these mon
stor evils.
Many people pour their abuses upon
the drunkard, and claim if the drank.
en- father would quit drinking the case
would be better. No! don't abuse the
drunkard; instead of doing so let rs
make one combined effort and destroy
the sources of this evil If VIC knew
what a struggle virtue has made tc
hold its own, in these places where
vice is king, NC would pity, rather
than abuse the unfortunate ones who
are cnsnared therein.
Some may think it impossible to
destroy the sources of drunkenness
but they are mistaken in this conclu-
sion. If all of us will do our whole
duty, We can annihilate them. When
the people work together they can ac-
complish anything. Had all done
their duty in past election days there
would not be nearly so many dram
shops and gambling hells in Mississip-
pi rs there are o-day.
Then let us be up and at work, and
together we will accomplish tho great
est victory ever recorded and that
without the shedding of one single
drop of blood. If we fail to do this,
the responsibility rests upon us, and
| fear that many of us will never hear
the rlaudit, "Well done good and
faithful servant"