, 1892-01-04

h T O. wv
ing in the mire with which it is filled, mis-
cradle caricatures on humanity, inspiring
only grief, pity and disgust. Recoverin,
4 at length our senses, we started forward
throughsthe lowlands of shame and humil
iation, aud pushed forward until we cam,
to the dark forest Of temptation, through
4 which we foundered with halting steps
until we saw before us the yawning HiI gnHiI
Of second drunk. Into this W.
were ruthlessly hurled to agar
wallow in the mire, and tC
to Chamber out only to shortly fall into an
other and another of similar character, but
each little deeper and more difficult to gel
out Of than the last, and it was noticeable
that these fits now occurred with much
greater frequency than formerly.
| YouWill remember that all this time onl
friends and good angles lowered upon the
! Hanks of the army. and made frequent and
| vigorous, but Intellectual efforts TO secure
our discharge, or induce us to desert They
accomplished little besides securing fol
some of us an occasional furlough while we
were passing through the district of tenn
porary abstinence.
Emerging at length from this land o1
drunken pits, between which especially in
the, lands of shame, regret, remorse, DISCUS!
and helpless rage, we had suffered much,
we saw rising before us the shining nights
OF the mountains Of reform, prominent
"
eagerly forward for the hardships difficult
eulties and dangers Of our position were be-
coming terribley apparent, and seriously
alarming to us. We reached the summit
and halted. Our friends rallied round us
bringing with them the assistance Of all
the powers of moral restraint, while we
summoned the forces Of will power and
self control
For time things went well with us. We
made successful stand against thgtMinions
Of our tyrant, and though daily we saw the
ruling columns of our former comrades file
past us III the valleys below, we hoped to
never again be forced to take up that dreary
march. We made various excursions into
the sunny valleys of respectability, happi-
ness and prosperity, and were greatly i'm
pressed and satisfied by their many pleas
ant characterrectics.
After time we wandered into the fa.
miliar region of old associations and sud
denly out of the forest of temptation,
which skirts the entire line of march,
leaped the minions of king alcohol, who
seized and forced us again into the ranks
Of the advancing host. There we were
fiercely assailed by the combined forces Of
appetite and opportunity, which at length
drove us into the narrow and dismal delile
Of habitual drunkenness.
Keeling in wretchedness unutterable,
along this horrible way, we sometimes
reform, but never reached them again.
We sometimes heard the protesting voice
of a friend, but it sounded feeble and afar
off, and it in no way checked our progress.
Sometimes the pitiful grieving face Of a
dear one, once loved SO tenderly, would
appear and appeal, but we staggered on as
though we saw 1t not.
Then came the passage of the chilling
waters Of the river of Lost Manhood. and
we entered the filthy sinks of the land Of
BeaStly Degradation. Passing through
this we came suddenly upon vast ampi-
theatre, wherein were being depicted all
the awful horrors of delerium tremens
Frozen with fear at the dreadful scenes be-
fore us. we slIFaIiix ystE for ii ioixsNii d 5:ft
found, to our infinite terror, that we could
not halt. We saw great numbers in tor
lures that the damned might well compass
sionate, but we did not pause. We came
to the brink Of the great smoking pit Of
total destruction, and body, mind and soul
were being drawn toward it with irresista-
BILE power. All hope was gone, and the
great darkness of utter helplesness wrapped
us in its fearful folds.
1t was into this darkness that a faint
ray of hope i'll the shape of the gold cure
finally reached us; we have been led to
test the wonderful efficacy Of this wonder
full remedy, which is i'll my Judgment one
Of the greatest bOons and blessings ever
humanity. think that our test has been
satisfactory In my own case, / have the
clearest possible evidence Of its curative
properties, and l am positively certain that
have been and am saved from the most
terrible fate known TO human experience
a drunkard's life and drunkards s death.
So much for the bitter past. Now let
Us glance for moment at what can hardly
iali 70 prove the pTlghter future.
pioneers
yer, mere IN the nortnWest. we snail al
soon S, return 10 Ihe Ordinary duties OF lie.
Inc change III our personal appearance
VIII pe SO IlarKed, anu III our haplts OF
thought anu actio1 SO abrupt ana opposite
as 10 necessarily occasion much dlrecC re-
mark ARK anu conilneilt. -,
we snail nave 20 meet tne sneers OF IN
credulity from those, and they are still
many, whose pre Juulces VIII hot permit
Ihem 70 lnVesIlgaJe, ana whose ignorance
leads !helh to pias5ashIiy delend uhlounued
asseTtlon we shali encounter the chilling
iaugh q haTaly coilcealed contempt, from
the man VINO can always qult drinking
lal. Wnen ~ Wa.ics ~, pmI Wno, ny the way,
meyer upes ~ W. shall nave 70 listen 10 tne
llat, sIale anu un pIohtaple arguments Of the
apostie 81 seli-coilIIol lr, anu Will power, ana
llsten WIN slh,ulaIeo lhteresI ana deier-
ence, When we know ghat ne has not the
silghtesg - Cohcepgioh Oh What ne is talking
aooug. lneee Uiiiiise aiiu many oIners OF
no pleasant or & encouraging nature we we
must 7, mee1 as PEST we may, ana doubtless
they VIII soneglnes Try US sorely
But, comrades, at such times, let us
remember that q sneer IS not argument; a
LOUD laugh is noI demonstration nor IS
the insane papple oI lhexperence any
PROOF q mere assertion.
And, comrades. let ms further remember
that whatever storms descend, whatever
Esa,.a orrts,. Ic an Anof 4 4l.x
best Of the situation; yes, by far the great
81 odds d ldmagifnan1le ~ y Ine pest o. ~ me
darK CLOUDS q alhiosC hopeless despair
have been lilted, ana swept, away The
heavy letters nave peen knocked from our
lImDs. we can stana uprignt among men.
Ihe sun OF freedom Is SHINING bright and
clear apove our neaas ana the gracious