The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-03-23
DRUNKEN MOTHERS.
The Awful Consequences of Taking Liquor
AS Tonic.

The Awful Consequences of Taking Liquor
AS n Tonic.
Whatever you do" said Granny Sara
TO young Mrs. Martin, as she sat with
her first baby on her knee, don't take
to drinking ale or porter, or any strong
drink, on the notion that it is going to
do you good If there is one thing
more than another which makes
mother cruel, wicked unnatural, it is
drunkenness; and many are the moth
ers who become drunken, from these
small beginnings, ordered by the doc
tor"
"A great many women take such
things" said Mrs Martin.
Eyes, and great many perish by it,
body and soul have a niece who is
one of the matrons in a woman's prison.
She tells me that ninety one -hundredths
of the prisoners get there because of
strong drink; and of these ninety in
one hundred who drink, sixty have be-
gun by taking liquor as medicine or
tonic"
'Well, wouldn't wish to be drunk
en- mother" said Mrs. Martin, kissing
her baby.
Truly you might say that, if you
knew how bitter cruel drunken moth
ers are. Once l was hired to help in
soup-kitchen. A big, red-faced woman,
mother of four starving children, came
for bread and soup, and regularly car
ried both to sell for liquor at the dram
shop, leaving her poor babes crying
with hunger / found it out, and daily
took the soup and bread to feed the
children myself. She was so enraged
at that that she began to maltreat the
poor wretched little ones, and threat
ened to kill me- To save the limbs and
lives of the children had to call in po-
lice aid, and the woman was put in
prison and the children were sent to an
asylum"
Dear. dear! to think of such
mother" cried Mrs Martin.
Il speak from sore experience" said
Granny my poor mother drank. She
began with "A pint for strength and
the thirst grew. She stripped the
clothes from our backs to sell for drink.
When / was young girl, again and
again | lost a good place because my
mother took all my wages for drink,
and had neither shoes nor gown fit to
be in decent house. Oh, how l cried,
ragged and cold, turned out at fifteen
year old, to the dangers of the mid
night streets, while my mother raved
and ragged, drink maniac, in our room!
A good doctor, going home late from a
patient, found me crouching in a door
way, sobbing with terror. He took me
a, to his wife. She was one of the strong
women: strong to defend the weak,
and insist on the right. She took me
for servant, and saw to it that my
mother did not take a penny of my
wages. Wages were low, then. After
/ was comfortably clad, l saved up
my money for months, to buy
useful present for my mother:
1t was winter again and I bought
her pair of good blankets and took
them to her, as she was then ill in bed.
She would not speak except to revile
me, for cruel, ungrateful child. /
laid the blankets over the bed, and
cried out, with tears: ''Oh, mother! do
do say that you will like them!" But
she would not look at me nor my gift
One OF her nephews came In, and gave
her ten cents She loaded him with
thanks and praise, and as soon as he
was gone, she sent child from the
next room, out with it to buy her ten
cents worth of gin.
''In all her sickness she refused to
speak to me, and died without relent-
ing Oh! the tender mercies of drunken
mothers are cruel!'
Tears were in young Mrs, Martins
eyes She Rugged her child closer as
she said, ''Oh, please God, this little
one shall never have such a story as
that to tell of me. will never take
that first harmless glass, as they call
it, that may make me drunken
mother!'-Mrs j. McNair Wright, in
National Temperance Advocate.