The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1894-03-15
The Arch Demon

There stands the Arch Demon of alcoholism
Its throne is white, and made of bleached
human skulls. On one side of that throne of
skulls kneels in obeisance and worship. DEM
Ocracy, and on the other side Republication,
and the one that kisses the cancerOus and gan
grened foot of this despOt the Oftenest gets the
most benedictions. There is d Hudson River. an
Ohio, a Mississippi of strong drink rolling
through this nation, but the rivers from
which l take my figures of speech empty into
the Atlantic or the Gulf, this mghtier flood of
sickness and insanity and domestic ruin and
crime and bankruptcy and woe empties into the
hearts and the homes and the churches and the
time and the eternity of a multitude, beyond all
statistics to number describe. All nations
are maued and scaritied with balefu stimulus
or killing narcotic. The pulque of Mexico. the
caShew of Brazil, the haSheeSh of Persia. the
opium of China, the guavO of Honduras. the
wedrO of Russia, the soma of India, the aguardi-
ente of Morocco. the arak of Arabia, the mastic
of Syria. the raki of Turkey, the beer of
Germany the whskey of Scotland the ale of
England. the all-drinks of America are doing
their best to stupefy, intiame. dement,. impOv-
erish. brutalize and Stay the human race
Human power, unless reinforced from the
heavens can never extlrpate the evils mention
Much SOOu UcCH dCCollVllSIcN ny IHc
heroism and fidelity of christian reformers. but
the fact remains that there are more splendid
men and magnificent women this moment going
over the Niagara abyss of inebriety than at
any time since the first grape was turned into
wine. or the first head of rye began to soak in a
brewery. When people touch this subject they
are apt to give statistics to how many millions
are in drunkards graves. or with quick tread
marching on toward them. The land is full of
talk of high tariff and low tariff. but what about
the HIGHEST OF ALL TARIFFS IN THIS
COUNTRY, THE TARIFF OF $500. 100000 which
rum put upon the United States in 1891, for that
is what it cost us. You do not tremble or turn
pale when | say that. The fact is. we have
become hardened by statistics. and they make
little impression. But if some one could gather
into one mighty lake all the tears that have been
wrung out of Orphanage and widowhOOd; or into
one organ diapaSOn all the grOans that have
been uttered by the suffering victims of this hOl-
OcarSt: or into one whirlwind all the signs of
centuries of dissipatiOn from the wicket of
one immense prison have look upon us the glar-
ing eyes of all those whom strong drink has en-
dungeOned. we might perhaps realize the appall-
ing deSOlatiOn. But, no. no. the sight would for
ever blast our vision: the sound would forever
stun Our souls. Go on with your temperance lit
erature; go on with your temperance platforms;
go on with your temperance laws. But we are
all hoping for something from above. and while
the bare arm of suffering. and the bare arm of
inyalidisn, and the bare arm of poverty. and
the bare arm of domestic desOlatiOn from which
rum hath torn the sleeve. are lifted up in beg
gary and SuppcatOn and despair, let the bare
arm of God strike the breweres. and the liquor
stores, and the corrupt politics. aud the license
laws. and the whole inferno of grogshOps all
around the world. Down. thou accursed bottle
from the throne! Into the dust. thou king of the
demijOhn! Parched be thy lips thou wine cup
with fires that shall never be quenched!''
Last years record shows that out of 1856
rests in Brooklyn 23,s42 could be traced to drunk
enness, and that over 80 per cent of the inmates
of the Kings County Pententiary are there either
for drunkenness or for crime which resulted
from it.-Rev T. Dewitt Talmage.
Hear as little as possible what is to the preju-
dice of Others.-EX.