Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-03-15
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL:
THOUGHTS WORTHY or CALM
REFLECTION.

A Pleasant, Interestings and Instructive
Lesson, and where 1t Nay be- Found
A Learned and Concise Review Of the
same.
Wine Moeksr.
The lesson for Sunday. March Is,
nay be found in Prov. ~: III.
| INTRODUCTORY.
Thank God for q temperance lesson
oncs in while. The truth Is In Gods
word, and SO 1t gets itself into the In
ternational series very frequently. We
are 80 apt to neglect this subject.
| Every while there Is cessation Of
hostilities as regards the evils Of in
| temperance. But the other side are
not neglectful. Sat IN and his legions
| go right on doing what they can to de-
bauch legislatures, weaken religious
and domestic influence, and destroy
morality and integrity out OF the land.
Even where vigilance Is exercised be-
hold the insidious advance OF the evil
one. just now there has been handed
to us. writing q, we do from one OF the
+, strongest high-license cities in the
Union, the record OF twenty-four new
petitions for bars in q ward where
thirty-nine already exist This in
well-watched municipality. Prohibi-
tion does not prohibit. Well, high
license-licenses!
POINTS IN THE LESSON.
swine is mocker." There stands
the legend The illustrations are olt
upon the street, and have been since
the word was writ. AS Peloubet
quotes, sadly enough:
1.-THE drunkards will never be dead.
will tell you the reason why:
new one comes to take bis place
As fast as the old ones die"
To mock means, first of all, to STAN.
mer, rs of foreigner trying to speak
our tongue. Have you not heard it?
The man who drinks has sunk himself
to the brute and babbles out of half
brutality rather than a whole hui
mainly.
But shall we take it in its derivative
sense, to scorn to deride! There is
nothing abroad that brings such scorn
upon civilization as the white mans
"fire-water." Moreover there is moth
ing in our midst that produces scorn
and derision for holy things like "the
DEVILS drink" 1t is suggestive that
this is the same word to be found in
the warning of the first Psalm, Nor
sitteth in the seat of the scornful."
Raging" is a strong word. Strong
drink is raging" literally, making a
noise. Yes, bowling, roaring, present.
ly smashing the furniture, little lat
err, breaking heads-all the time break
ing hearts. Have you ever lived next
door tol drunkard's home? Or to a
saloon? or the potter bar of club
house? Raging covers it.
"The fear of a king is as the roaring
of a lion" The king has power to de-
stroy. 1t is wise to fear him and keep
out of his way, as you do out of the way
of a roaring lion. Who so provoketh
him to anger sinneth against his own
soul" 1t is like rushing stIaight into
the hungry lions lair. So do men
trife with strong drink. And is it not
strong? 1t is "king" over some men
king Alcohol"-and o how truculent,
how mel ciless, this king.
The things that follow are the things
that go with inebriety, the concomit-
ant, of drink; strife, sluggardliness,
penury, mendicancy, illiteracy, i'm
becility, fait ilessness. These are the
legitimate progeny of drunkenness.
But of the just man walking in his in
tegrity, another sort OF posterity-"
children are blessed after him." or,
bringing out perhaps more clearly the
Douay: "Shall leave behind him blessed
children"
HINTS AND ILLUSTRATIONS.
Here is an opportunity for some good,
practical talk, particularly to the
young men of to-day. Speak out
plainly, as plainly as does the Bible on
the curse of drink and on the utter
folly of life given to worldliness and
frivOlity. He who Is severest with sin
is kindest to the soul. When Judge
Seward sent his son William to college
he gave him 81, 600 with which to get
an education. Young Seward came
home at the end of the freshman year
with the money gone and many bad
habits learned. you've got all that I
can give you," said his father. you
must work your own way through.
severe, was he not? But kind, too,
kind to the son, and to the nation
which that thoroughly awakened young
man afterward helped to preserve.
What is it to be "a man of under
standingy" Said Mr.. Malloch in an ar
ticle some years since in the Forum on
"The Object of Life: "The fact of sin
and suffering in the universe is a seri-
Gus problem to the Christian and the
infdel alike; but to the infidel it is
knot that turns into q moose, and the
atheist hangs himself at his own gal
lows"
"A man of understanding will draw
it out. A deep well requires long
chain. Gods own cable must be let
down into his wells of salvation.
"The just man walketh in his integ-
rity." Get good purchase for the
feet. Be ready; there's long walk
ahead. An infidel lay upon his dying
bed. His friends gathered around.
With that sad impotency of speech
which human kind show at the last his
companions tried to stay him up.
Hold on, hold on, comrade," they
said. Hold on" he cried, rallying a
moment, and lifting his despairing face
toward them, in Gods name, what
have left to hold on to-"
"Whosoever is deceived thereby is
not WISE" That is the negative way OF
putting it. There is another way, not
so gentle and pleasant, hut telling the
same truth. The man who allows him
self to be deceived to-day by strong
drink is-a fool. With all the warning
of Gods word and of human experience
the man who puts himself under the
power of Satan rum is indeed worse
than a fool. he is a murderer-the
murderer of his own soul. Wilberforce
became fond of the faro bank. He saw
a desperate victim blow his brains out
there one night. That was enough: he
had the sense to turn from it. Pitt did
<ho eax,~o NTH hia pack Of cards and