Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1893-11-14
WORDS OF WISDOM.
An Old Man Utters His Solemn
Warming.

All Olu N1an OttcTS hiS SOlenil
Warming.
Editor Mississippi Leader:
| have almost reached my three
score and ten years, consequently
must soon pass off this stage of
action; but before l 60, permit
me, through your paper, to give
a word of warning concerning
strong drink to those whom /
must leave behind. 1t is the curse
of curses, the woe of woes; more
to be dreaded than famines or
wars, cyclones or earthquakes. 1t
lays its satanic hand upon human
ity, male and female, from the
unborn babe to the gray-haired
father and mother tottering upon
the verge of the grave. To warn
those who are free and those who
are yet on the sunny side of re-
demption, ! shall state briefly
part of what | have seen and know
of its fiendish work.
One of my brothers-in-law,
, when married, was loved and re-
spected by all who knew him; but
he took to drinking, also to keep
ing whisky by the barrel for sale.
He went from that to the half
barrel, then to the keg, and final
| ly to the bottle. He became u
confirmed drunkard himself, vast
ed every thing he owned and kill
ed his wife a few months before
whisky killed him. His children
were thrown upon the mercy of
the world; his oldest son while a
mere boy, was lost in the war.
His second son was as good and
Industrious as any boy in the COM
munity until he fell in company
with those who drank. He went
to Texas and there spent every
thing he made for whisky, which
soon brought him to his grave.
He was found dead in the bed one
morning, and the man for whom
he worked had to pay the expense
of his burial. His youngest son
has been all that whisky could
make one, and through his intem-
perance, though now reformed, is
an old man when he should be in
his prime. His youngest daugh-
ter fell in fit on the ballroom
floor while chipping the light fam
tastic toe,' and was carried away a
corpse.
Some of our most stalwart men,
some older and some younger
than /, have long since yielded
to it's deadly work and passed
from time to eternity. l have
known friends to 90 to balls to-
gether, partake of this fiery fluid
and one stain his hands with the
life blood of the other. l knew
girl who lived to be in the TWEEN
ties who never walked and could
hardly talk or feed herself, all of
which was caused by whisky.
Men among my acquaintance who
could have been a power for good
in the land, have had their minds
and health destroyed by strong
drink.
Yes, l have seen it take cover
ing from the cold, bread from the
hungry, strength from the strong,
youth from the young, beauty
from the beautiful, knowledge
from the wise, prosperity from
the prosperous and life from the
living. Worse still, it takes away
the hope of heaven and gives the
despair of hell.
Oh! May the time soon come
when our Christian men will rise
up as one man and vote this de-
mon out of existence. My final
advice to the young is: "Touch
not, taste not, handle not" and
do everything in your power to
save yourselves and loved ones
from its grasp; and the only way
to do that is to put it entirely out
of your reach and theirs.
Bro. Hobbs, may the Lord
bless you in the work already be-
gun. Respectfully,