The Opelousas courier., 1894-06-23

President, Miss Stella Truman.
Vice-President, Mrs. r. r. Settoon.
Rec. Secretary, Mrs. S. T. Crawford.
Cor. Miss Florence Truman.
Treasurer, Mrs. NJ. NJ. Hayes.
PLEDGE. C
4 l hereby solemnly promise, God help
ing me, to abstain from all alcohol. Ii
quors as a beverage, including beer,
wine and cider, and that | will employ
all proper 9 to discourage the use
of and traffic in the same.
1t is hard to believe, but we are told
that numbers Of so-called intelligent
citizens assert and a few of them actu-
ally believe that prohibition will ruin st,
Landry parish. Such blindness is la
mentable. Please go to the record
books of the parish-O, noble voters
examine them closely, carefully and
honestly, see how much revenue the
saloon brings into the treasury; get it
we'll fixed in your mind now, down to a
fraction of a cent. Quite a snug little
sum-, is it9
But don't stop, that's only one side of
the question. Go now to the criminal
records, count the number of cases d.
rectly attributable to whisky, find out
just how much these suits cost the par
ish-that's quite a sum too, isn't it
Compare now the receipts and expendi-
ture, which is greater? How much
clear gain is there to the parish /?
Now leave dollars and cents out of
the question and consider the men
around you. Are there any drunkards
among them? Yes, but they'll go to
other parishes for liquor anyhow, you
say. OF course they will, when men
have fallen so low in the scale of being
as to become drunkards God pity
them!-we can't expect them to be-
come respectable just because the par
ish does.
Are there any boys in the parish ?
Any young men who are in danger
Don't you know one nice, bright young
man, of good family, of superior educa-
ton, yet who has a fatal weaknesses for
the wine cup which will eventually
bring him to mentaf moral and physi-
cal degradation unless the temptation
be removedq
Don't you know any whom you would
like to save from the shame of slavery
to strong drink 2.
Are there none with inherited appe-
tite for drink, as yet unawakened
Think of these; consider that you are
"your brothers keeper" that in the
sight of God and the world you are res
ponsible for your conduct towards him.
Then, il you are an honest, honorable
man with a wholesome regard for duty,
you will in July cast your vote against
the licensing of saloons in st. Landry
parish.
1t may be a startling idea, but it is
as true as truth itself, that every man
who votes to license saloons is morally
responsible for the harm they do. He
is the alder and abettor Of the whisky
seller. When you go down the street
respected citizen-should a pitiful, tot
tering drunkard reel against you, don't
push him rudely aside. On the con-
trary, gaze on the wreck with pride and
say: ''This is my work / did this!"
Then go and take your seat in the
church c0nsecrated to Gods service.
partake of the holy communion /; pro-
claim to the world your goodness; but
remember this-GoD KNOWS. Voting
right is just as much a Christian duty
as living right.
"He that keepeth the whole law, yet
offendeth in n point is guilty of the
whole"
Don't forget the w. C. r. U. meeting
at the High School Tuesday afternoon
at 4:30.