The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-05-23
A'True Story.

I left my New England home in my
boyhood. As I kissed my mother
good-by, she put her hands on both
my cheeks and said, "You are pure
now, my son. Ever keep your soul
pure and clean, and never touch a
glass of intoxicating liquor
The pledge I then made to her I
long kept, under strong temptations,
and in circumstances that severely
tried my good resolutions. Serving
through the war, I came out with a
cough that threatened quick consump-
tion. My physician recommended
codliver oil and whiskey. I took the
prescription. The former cured me
Of one disease; the latter brought on
one of deeper and deadlier nature.
Yet I was not conscious of it, till one
day a friend reused me with the
words "Major, you must be careful.
You are bringing disgrace to your fam
ily." I was shocked, and resolved
that this should never be said of me
again; but I still pursued the evil
way.
One morning, as I passed the open
door Of my daughters room, l saw her
on bended knees, and heard her sweet
! voice crying out, 20 God, spare my
father, and save him from a drunk
| ard grave p Then and there VOW
| ed before God that I would never
drink again. But I was drunk before
| night. A little later was summoned
to see loved sister who was sick. I
hastened to her bedside only to find in
darkened room her dead body. AS
I leaned over that marble form and my
tears fell upon her cold cheeks, then
with clasped hands, alone with the
dead, T told my God that the cup
| should never again soil my lips. In
three days I was as bad as eyer At
last, in fit Of desperation, I sent for
my father and mother to visit my
home, securing for them a palace-car,
making the long journey aspleasant as
possible. They came to my charming
home te meet their drunkard son. The
dear mother begged and prayed with
| and for me, that my lost purity might
be restored,
After their return, with the echo of
her agonizing petitions sounding in my
ears, I said, ''I will once more take the
pledge, and if broken now, Twill go to
the Pacific coast, leaving my wife and
children, to hide myself where they
shall never hear of me again. - With
this came the resolve to invite a few
friends to take one more social glass
together, and then sign the pledge. [
sent to Boston for the choicest liquors,
and one night when l had been left
alone in the house, inyited them in.
For an hour T waited and no one
came. I paced the floor and looked
| out into the moonlight, longing for
their presence, that 1 might satisfy
the appetite that began to clamor.
The clock struck nine, and no friends
came. Then rushed into my soul Wis
ions of chilhood, and the voice Of my
mother sounded out, "Keep your soul
pure and clean )" and her words of
tenderness awakened memories that
had long slept. I opened the Bible
and read, "No drunkard shall inherit
the kingdom of God" All does
that mean me Closing the book I
paced the room, and longed for COM
panionship that these painful thong hts
might be dispelled.
The clock struck ten. [ listened
for voices outside, but there was quiet
everywhere save in my own tempest
tossed soul. Then it flashed upon me
that alone I must meet the tempter,
and alone take the promised pledge. [
reached out my hand to unseal the
bottle that never looked SO attractive,
when voice within seemed to say,
stLet it remain untouched I; now is the
decisive hour and again I paced the
room and again with greater force ap-
petite begged for satisfaction the
struggle began to be more bitter, the
tempter made heavier assault, the
hour dragged YEARLY along, and the
clock struck eleven.
Then I felt that the next hour must
be the point on which my destiny for
eternity was poised. For I was i'm
pressed with the thought that if 1
could resist the tempter till midnight,
in some way, I knew not how, God
would bring to me a way of escape.
Oh, how I longed to break the bottle,
the contents Of which seemed more at
tractive than anything on earth and
yet that voice sounded out, 'Touch
but asingle glass, and you are lost.
Then said the tempter, "Why not
drink just once? You have resolved
tonight to take the pledge; it will be
alright to indulge in parting farewell
to an old friend"
[ again opened the Bible and read,
"'God SO loved the world that he gave
his only begotten Son, that whosoever
belieyeth in him should notperish but
have everlasting life." I fell upon
my knees, and with the open Bible
before me and the bottle by my side,
implored and prayed for strength to
hold on till midnight. Oh, how my ap-
petite begged and clamored: and yet /
was conscious that if I yielded it
would be fatal, and my soul would be
lost. The minutes dragged along, oh
so slowly. till eleven and q half
o'clock, and the voice cried, tOnly
hold on till twelve, and you are safe. -
Fifteen minutes passed, and then
came the sorest, bitterest conflict Of
soul which man ever experienced. l
had been in the midst Of great physi-
cal peril on the battlefield many time
when death came on the right and the
left in fearful form, but never had
been in such deadly danger as now
for it was conflict with heaven on
the one side, and hell on the other.
One who has never been under the
maddening control Of a master passion
cannot realize the agony that can be
concentrated into even few moments,
and the bitterness of that fifteen
minutes seemed prolonged into hours.
Can 1 hold out ? Will the tempter
vanish, bah1ed spirit, and leave me