The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-04-26
TEMPERANCE NOTES.
THE BLIGHT OF DRUNKENNESS.
Sad Evidences of the Destructive Work
of Alcohol.

Sad Evidences of the Destructive Work
of Alcohol.
Then there is the drink curse which
overshadows the larger proportion of
these children. Its awful effect on
child-life in the slums could fill a whole
volume. First, there is the heritage.
Some of them are born of drink-soaked
parents. When we hear of child
born to parents who have some adj
vanced disease of lung or heart, or
brain, we pity it and look with fore
holdings upon it's future, feeling that
sooner or later it will become the prey
of its parents enemy. But how much
more should we pity the child of the
woman who has been drinking hard for
years, and of the man who has lost all
manly instincts in the saloon!
There have been sad cases in which
the mother has gone out to drink, leav-
ing the little ones without food or fire,
locked in their bare room. She has
been arrested, taken to the station
house by the police, and the little ones
have been found, long, weary hours
afterward, crying from hunger.
One little baby was rescued from its
fighting parents by our slum sisters,
and when taken to our Salvation army
nursery it was in stuper. A few days
afterward it died, and the doctor who
performed the autopsy said it died as
truly victim of alcoholic poisoning
as any older case he had had to dag
nose Be it remembered that this baby
was but fifteen months old. Not only
had it been nursed by drunken moth
err, but the liquor had been poured
down its little throat when it cried.
Perhaps its Tot is happier than those
who do not receive the liquor in large
enough doses to poison them right
away, but drag througha drink-cursed
life which ends in crime, state prison
or the electric chair.
Apart from the direct effect upon
these poor little bodies there is the
brutal treatment these little ones re-
ceive from drunken parents Many a
one, when it comes to us, has upon it
the marks of violence-cuts, bruises
and sears And generally they are
found in heart breaking condition of
neglect, details of which | could not
possibly desire in print To such as
these our slum nursery is a blessed
boon. The little ones are brought to
US early in the morning, and
through the day are lovingly and
tenderly cared for-washed, clothed
and fed-allowed to sleep in peace or
play in safety; and those who have
been mere bags of bones, wizened. old
and feeble, seem to grow back to child
hood under the sunny, loving influence.
There was one little one in our nur-
sery especially bright and sweet whose
name was Lilly. She was one of those
child-angels of which spolke-beauti-
full in disposition as well as face. She
would sing most sweetly the simple
little choruses of the Salvation army
songs taught them in the nursery, and
made a lovely picture with her sweet
face lighted up and framed with it's
wealth of golden curls. The parents
of the little ones are visited by the
slum officers, ard so they went
one day to the house where
Lilly's mother lived. On the thresh-
old they met the father-a rough,
brutal man. Holding out their hands
they greeted him, but he pushed them
away, saying he wanted nothing to do
with them or their religion, but that
he would believe in them if they would
90 in and ''get that woman converted"
with toss of his head toward the room
which he could hardly call home.
On entering they found that wom-
an drunk, and the room showing all
the signs of the wreckage and disorder
that her life had caused. To open the
conversation in friendly manner they
drew Lilly to them, and asked her to
sing lite song which was a great
favorite with her At that moment
they heard an angry voice at the
door threatening the child if she
dared sing it, and turning they saw
her father. The mother, ,enraged
by his interference, demanded of
the child that she sing it immedi-
ately. The father again threatened
her, and the little one stood trembling
between the two-not knowing which
to obey, and yet dreading the con-
sequence of disobeying either. Just
as the girls were going to withdraw
thelr request, anu Delore IHey couiu III
terfere, the mother sprang in fit of
rage upon the child, and twining her
hand in the bright curls, tore out by
the roots a handful of golden hair.
Thus can drink brutalize even a moth
er's heart.
There are other terrible consequences
that fall upon some of these little in
nocent victims. Their mothers take
them with them into the common lodg-
lighthouses to pass the night, and, fall
ing asleep in a drunken stupor, be-
come unable to protect their babies,
who are hence left to the mercy of the
brutes inhabiting such places, who
often respect neither weakness nor in
nocence.-Mrs. Ballington Booth, in
N. Y. Ledger.
DRINK AMONG SOLDIERS.