The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-10-26
THE DRUNKARD'S END.

THE DRUNKARD'S s END.
One beautiful afternoon in August there
came to me the heart-broken wife of State
prison convict We tried to plan for his
pardon and restoration to home and the
world. 1t was very sad case. He was the
only surviving son OF a very noble man
one who lived only to serve the poor. the
tempted, and the criminal. All he had, all
he was he gave unreservedly to help thieves
and drunkards His house was their home.
His name their bail to save them from pris-
on. His reward their reformation. 1t was
happy hour to hear him tell Of the hun
dreds he had shielded from the contamina-
tion and evil example OF prisons, and OF the
large proportion he had good reason to be-
lieve permanently savei. Out OF hundreds,
he once told me, only two left him to pay
their bail, forfeited by neglect to show them
selves at court according to agreement
only two!
Bred under such roof, the son started ia
life with generous heart, noble dreams, and
high purpose. Ten years Of prosperity,
fairly earned by energy, industry, and char
acter, ended in bankruptcy, as is often the
case in our risky and changing trade; then
came struggle for business, for bread
- -temptation-despai He
could not safely pass the open doors that
tempted him to Indulgence, forgetfulness,
and crime. How hard his wife wrought and
struggled to save him from indulgence, and
then to shield him from e1posurel How long
wife. and sister, and friends labored to avert
conviction and the State prison!
II would spare him gladly" wrote the
drinking. He shall never go to prison il he
will be sober man. But all this wretched.
ness and crime came from rum"
Manfully did the young man struggle to
resist the appetite. Again and again did he
promise, and keep his promise perhaps
month, then fall. He could not walk the
streets and earn his bread soberly while so
many open doors-opened by men VINO sought
to coin gold out Of their neighbours vices
State pressed on, and he went to prison. An
honored name disgraced, loving home
broken up, a wide circle of kindred sorely
panied. worthy, well-meaning man wrecked.
Sorrow and crime ''all come from rum, said
the keen-sighted lawyer.
As parted from the sad wife on my door,
step looked beyond, and close By the laugh
ing sea stood handsome cottage. The
grounds were laid out expensively and with
great taste. Over the broad piazza hung
laZily an Eastern hammock, while all around
were richly painted chairs and lounges Of
every easy and tempting form. Overhead
were quaint vases OF beautiful flowers, and
the delicious lawn was bordersd with them.
On the lawn itself gaily dressed women
laughed merrily over croquet, and noisy
children played near. 4 span or superb
horses paved the earth impatiently at the
gate while gay salutations passed between
the croquet players and the fashionable equi-
pages that rolled by. 1t was comfortable
home as we'll as luxurious one. Nature,
taste and wealth had done their best. 1t
was scene OF beauty, comfort, TASTE lux
ury and wealth. All came from rum. Silks
and diamonds, howers, and equipage, stately
roof and costly attendance, all came from
rum. The owner was one who in a great
city coined his gold out Of the vices OF his
fellowmen.
To me it was dissolving view. lost
sight OF the gay women, the frolicsome
children, the impatient horses, and the
ocean rolling up to the lawn. saw instead
the pale convict in his cell twelve feet by
nine, the sad wife going from judge to al
torney, from court to Governors Council,
begging mercy for her overtempted huS.
band. heard above the children's noise,
the croquet laugh, and the surf waves, that
lawyers stern reason for exarting the full
penalty of the law. All this comes from
rum.
Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor
drink. Woe unto him that buildeth his
house by uprighteousness and his chamber
by wrong, for the stone shall cry out Of the
wall and the beam out of the timber shall
answer it.-Wendell Phillips.
TEMPERANCE NEWS AND NOTES.
London has Ali clubs in Which intoxicauts
are sold.
There are about seventy temperance rep
resentatiyes in the Swedish Parliament.
There are eighteen Drawers in the new
British Parliament, six less tlan in its pre-
deceSSor.
The duties on spirits in India increased
from one million rupees in LS7O to ninety
millions in 1899.
The total amount Of British investments
in American breweries aggregated, Septem-
ber lst, S91, POP, S30
The quantity of cider-apples used in Mass
achusetts in 1891 was greater by l53 926
bushels than in 1890.
At the first temperance council ever held
by the Indians of the Omaha Reservation
they unanimously voted to set aside $4,000
from their pasture money to be used in the
temperance work.
The Woman's Christian Temperance
Union, of Chicago, has placed ''sot-
drinking machine" in the postoffice building
of that city. A penny put in the slot causes
1 H. to hand out q drink of cool water.