St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-31
SWEARING OFF.

pie who read these lines have deter
mined before the sacred altar of their
hearts that, from tomorrow thenceforth
forever, they will avoid the temptal
lions cunningly set by the arch enemy
for their overthrow, and keep stead
tasty In the paths of temperance, sobri-
ETY., virtue and rectitude. Nothing more
largely attests the saving grace of innate
mas culine manhood than the power to
swear off and to stay swore off from
vicious habit. No FLOODED horse Will ever
win any race worthy of the winning who
has not the horse sense to know just
when TO slacken 1.-The pace that kills. %
Each Individual man has some peculiar
sin that besets HIM at every turn in
LIES highway. 1t lies in wait for him
by the roadside, sits down beside him at
the desk, walks in the furrow behind
him as he plows. and, mayhap, stands at
his elbow as he dlspenses the Living
Word from the sacred desk. Brethren,
in this wicked world, beset, as we are.
with temptations and tripped by in
herlted or constitutional weaknesses,
each one has some pet sin or precious
vice that he loves to coddle.
It is just at this point where the gate
should be closed against his satanic
majesty, The aggregate of mankind
would grow just and wise and temper
ate and virtuous with such astounding
rapidity if each entity in the social
whole would stand guard upon himself,
and not devote so much time and money
and energy i'll struggling to reform his
neighbor.
Therefore, let him who is conviyially
inclined. and prone to indulge in stimu-
lantS 10 excess, swear off absolutely.
from the use of strong drink. There is
something to be said in favor OF the
moderate use of good liquor. 1t often
opens the long-disused and dusty par
lors of generosity and charity in the
soul. 1t sometimes breaks the shell of
SelflShneSS, SO that the chick of public
spirit may enter upon all independent
existence. At any rate. it at times tenn
porarily induces men to love each other,
and opens long vistas of cooperation
through the forests and morasses of
modern competition. But its use is al
ways a close neighbOr to abuse; and
such abuse provokes extravaganza in
useless expenditure, destroys little by
little the love of home and wife and
children, conduces to Iawlessness,.
hatred and reyenge-too often ending
in AFFECT ruin, disgrace. poverty and
crime. 1t is good, therefore, to swear
off from strong drink.
1t lesser degree, perhaps, tobacco
especially the deadly cigarette for the
young-and all the long list of narcotics
and nerve Stimulants are dangerous.
They are the stepping stones down
ward. and poison the stream of human
growth at the fountain. Swear off, and
stay swore off. Life will be happier,
existence more useful. and personal
efforts better directed without their in
f1uence.
There is one vice which is too little
preached against in these money-getting
days; and yet it is written clearly,
plainly, explicitly in the Sacred Book
that 1.-THE love of money is the root of
all evil" There would probably be no
use in recommending to tue soul cor
roded by avarice to ''swear Off" If there
is such thing in Gods spiritual chem.
istry as the objectionable sin, it is the
inordinate love of money. This vice
enters into, controls, vitiates and cor
rupts the whole moral and social sys-
TEN. 1t kills charity, prompts to crime,
strangleS justice and assassinateS
mercy. 1t stands behind every bar
where poison is dispensed to the young,
the thoughtless AMI the generous. 1t
builds bawdy houses, peoples prisons,
and provokes murder.
1t is too often respectable. and some
times, even-let US hope rarely-reclines
piously in cushioned pew within the
halIowed precincts Of those temples
dedicated to the example and service of
the great Spiritual Master who, while
on earth, took rank Gn financial stand
ing) with the tramps and pariahs of His
generation.
If the victims OF avarice could be
tempted to swear off, would not this
generation discover the first faint
glimpses of the dawn Of the AIillen-
mum? Doubtless. But they will not
There is hopo for the drunkard, the
gambler. the sufferers from nicotine
poisoning, even for the magdalens.
The thief is not beyond redemption. the
assassin may be saved, the all-round
wicked may freely come to the foot of
the cross. but the eye of the needle Is
too small for the miser.
He can't swear off. The man of avar-
ice-thoroughly saturated with the pas
sion for gain-may just as well be given
over to the devil at once.
And while the unrighteous and those
prone to vicious practices are conjured
to ''swear Off" is there not class of
very respectable gentlemen-and few,
very few, ladies-who might take adj
vantage of tomorroW'S anniversary to
"swear on?" There is much suffering,
as we'll as sin, in the world. "The poor
we have always with you." 1t would be
excellent for those in comfort and COM
parative affluence to promise before the
altar of their conscience-not on the
street corners or in the temples, but
alone with their God-that they will use
their stored wealth to bring comfort to
! the widowed and the fatherless. The
winter is cold, employment is scarce,
wages low, the poor are often too proud
TO ask. Let each one who is in comfort
make the pledge that he or she will
make one other who is unfortunate to
participate in that comfort. But the
greatest of these is charity"
Finally. let each reader of these lines
swear off from his pet favored vice, and
then make the reformation complete
and permanent in the eyes of his Maker
by swearing on'' to some positive vir-
tue, to be III some manner helpful to
brother or sister fallen by the wayside
| under the cruel blows of adverse fate.
And let US all eXclaim with Caliban,
| the reformed man-monster:
and I'll be wise hereafter and seek
for grace-what thrice-doubie ass
was /, to take this drunkard for goi.
and worship this dull fool ]"