The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-06-18
THE CURSE OF MANIl1ND.

Col. Ingersolrs Wonderful Word Picture
OF tho Blights of Alcohol.
The following wonderful piece of
word painting has been frequently pub
| lished, says the Richmond Star, but we
reprint 1t at the request Of several read
| ers, who desire o complete copy. Col.
| Robert G. Ingersoli. in addressing q
| jury in q case which involved the man.
| ufacture Of alcohol, made the following
terrible arraignment Of the demon:
II am aware that there la Q prejudice
against any man who manufac lures
| alcohol. believe that from the time
| 1t issues from the coiled and poisonous
worm in the distillery until It empties
into the jaws of death, dishonor and
crime, 1t demorslizes everybody that
| touches Il, from its source TO where iS
| ends. do not believe anybody can
contemplate the object without being
prejudiced against the liquor crime.
All we have to do, gentlemen, is to
think Of the wrecks on either bank Of
/ the stream Of death; of the suicides, Of
the insanity. OF the Ignorance. of the
| restitution, of the little children. tug.
| ging at the faded and withered Breast
| OF weeping and despairing mothers, of
wives asking for bread, Of men of genius
| 1t has wrecked, the men struggling with
imaginary serpents, produced by this
| devilish thing; and when you think of
the jails, OF the almshouses, of the
| prisons, Of the scatfolds upon either
bank, l do not wonder that every
thoughtful man is prejudiced against
! this damned stuff called alcohol.
"Intemperance cuts down youth in
It's strength, old age in It's weakness
1t breaks the fathers heat. bereaves
the doting mother, extinguishes natural
| affection, grasses conjugal love, bloss
| outs filial attachment, blights parental
hopes, brings down mourning age in
sorrow to the grave. 1t produces weak
| ness, not strength; sickness. not health;
death, not life. 1t makes wives widows,
| children orphans, fathers hends, and
all OF them paupers and beggars. IL
feeds rheum atism, invites cholera, inn
ports pestilence and embraces consump-
| tion. 1t covers the land with idleness,
| misery, crime. 1t fills your jails. sup
plies your almshouses and demands
your asylums. 1t engenders contro-
versies, fosters quarrels and cherishes
| riots. Ii crowds your penitensiaries
| and furnishes victims for your scaffolds.
sit Is the life blood of the gam bier.
the element of the burglar the prop of
the highwaYman and support of the
| midnight incendiary. 1t couutenances
the liar, respects the thief, esteems the
blasphe mer. 1t violates obligation,
reverences fraud and honors infalny. 1t
| defamea benevolence, hates love, scorns
virtue and ISLANDERS innocence. 1t in
cites the father to butcher his helpless
offspring, helps the husband to massacre
his wife and the child to grind the par
icidal axe. 1t burns up men, consumes
women, deserts life, curses God. despises
Heaven. 1t suborns witnesses, nurses
perjury, defiles the jury box and stains
judicial ermine. 1t degrades the citizen,
debases the legislator, dishonors the
statesman and disarms the patriot.
ut brings shame, not honor; danger,
not safety; despair, not hope; misery,
not happiness, and with the maleyo-
| lence of fiend It calmly surveys its
frightful desolation and unsatiated
havoc. 1t poisons felicity. kills peace,
ruins morals. blights confidence, Stays
regulations and wipes out national
| honor, then curses the world and laughs
at its ruin. 1t does all that and more
1t murders the soul. 1t Is the sum of
all villainies, the father of all abomina-
tions. The Devils best friend and Gods
worst enemy.