The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-08-28
REV. DR.. TAI.MAGE.
A TEMPERANCE DISCOURSE BY
THE NOTED DIVINE.

Subject: "The Worst Foe Of Labor"
lowing to great grief at the sudden death
of his lamented wife, Rev. DR.. 1. DE Witt
TalInage Cancelled his engagement to preach.
but in order that the vast congregation TO
which he speaks through the press may not
be disappointed. famous and always-flme-
" sermon delivered by him on previous
occasion is supplied for this week.
TEXT. He tha. earneth wages. earneth
wages to put it into bag with holes.
Haggai j.. 6.
In Persia. under the reign of Darius Hy-
staspes, the people dill not prosper. They
made money. but did not keep it. They
were like people who have = sack in which
they put money, not knowing that the sack
is torn. or eaten OF moths. or in some way
made incapable of holding valuables. As
fast as the coin was put in one end OF the
sack it dropped out of the other. It made
no difference how much wages they got, for
they lost them. HE that earneth wages,
earneth wages to put it into bag with
holes"
What has become Of the billions and bill
lions OF dollars in this country paid to the
working classes? Some OF these moneys
have gone for house rent. or the purchase OF
homesteads. or wardrobe. or family expenses,
or the necessities Of life. or to provide COM
forts in old age. What has become OF other
billions? Wasted in foolish outlay Wasted
at the gaming-tabe. Wasted n intoHcants
Put into bag with hundred holes.
Gather up the money that the working
classes have spent for rum during the last
thirty wears. and will build for every work
ingman a house. and lay out for him q gar
den. and clothe his sons in hroadcloth anh
his daughters in silks. and stand at his front
door prancinC span OF sorrels or bays. ano
secure him policy of life insurance. so that
the present home may be we'll maintained
after he is dead. The most persistent, most
oyerpowerinS enemy Of the working classes
1s intoxicating LIQUOR. II is the anarchist OF
the centuries. and has boycotted and Is now
boycotting the body and mind and soul OF
American labor. 1t is to it worse foe than
monopoly, and worse than associated capl-
tai.
1t annually swindles industry out OF a
large percentage OF its earnings. II nolas
ont its blasting solicitations to the mechanic
or operative on his way to work. and at the
noon-spell. and on his way home at even
tide; on Saturday when the wages are paid.
1t snatches a large part OF the money that
might come to the family. and sacrifices 1t
among the saloon keepers. Within eight
hundred wards Of Sands Street Methodist
Church. Brooklyn. it has fifty-four saloons,
and is plotting now for another. Stand me
saloons OF this country side by side, and II
Is carefully estimated they would reach from
New York to Chicago. Forward, march.
saws the rum power and take possession OF
the American Nation, The rum business is
pouring its vitriolic and damnaose liquids
down the throats of hundreds of thousands
OF laborers. and while the ordinary strikes
are ruinous both 70 employers and
employes, I proclaim strike universal
against strong drink. which. If kept
up. will be the relief of the working classes
and the salvation of the Nation. l will un-
dertake to say that there is not healthy
laborer in the United States who. within
the next ten wears, If he will refuse all intoX-
icatins beverage and be saving may not be-
come capitalist on a small scale. Our
country in. a wear spends one billion five
hundred million and fifty thousand dollars
for rum. OF course the working classes 90
q great deal of this expenditure. Careful
statistics show that the wage-earninS classes
of Great Britain expend in liquors one hun
dred million pounds. or five hundred mill
ion dollars year. Sit down and think, .
workiDgman! how much you have expend-
ed in these directions. Add it all up. Add
I'D what your neighbors have expended. and
realize that instead of answering the beck
of other people you might have been your
own capitalist. When you deplete work
ingman's physical energy you deplete Lis
capital.
The stimulated workman gives out before
the unstimllated workman. My father said:
ST became temperance man in early life,
because noticed in the harvest field that.
though was physically weaker than other
workmen. could hold out longer than they
They took stimulants. I took none" \
brickmaker in Englrnd gives his experience
in regard to this matter among men in his
employ. He says, after investigation: 1.-The
beer-drinkers who made the fewest bricks
made six hundred and flfty-nine thousand;
the abstainer who made the fcwest bricks,
seven hundred and forty-six thousand" "
The difference in behalf of the abstainer
over the indulger. eighty-seven thousand.
There came very exSausting time IN the
British Parliament. The session was pro-
longed until nearly all the members got sick
or worn out. Out of six hundred and fifty
two members only two went through un-
damaged: they were teetotalers.
When an army goes out to the battle the
soldier who has water or coffee in his can
teen marches easier and fights better than
the soldie. who has whisky in his canteen.
Rum helps a man to fight when he has only
one contestant, and that at the street cor
ner But when he goes forth to maintain
some great battle for God and his country.
he wants no rum about him. When the
Russians 60 to war corporal passes along
the line and smells the breath of every SOL
dier. II there be in his breath taint of in
toxicating liquor, the man is sent back to
the barracks. Why? He cannot endure IA
tigue. All our young men know this. When
they are preparing for regatta, or for ball
club, or for an athletic wrestling, they ab-
stain. Our working people will be wiser af-
ter while, and the money they fling away
on hurtful indul2ences they will put into CO.
operative associations, and so become capi-
talists. II the workingman put down his
wages and then take his expenses and spread
them out, 80 they will just equal, he Is not
wise. [ know workingmen who are in a
perfect fldget until they get rid Of their last
dollar.
The following circumstances came under
our observations: A young man worked hard
to earn his six or seven hundred dollars
yearly. Marriage day came. The bride had
inherited Ave hundred dollars from her
grandfather. She spent every dollar Of 1t on
the wedding dress Then they rented two
rooms in third story. Then the young man
took extra evening employment; almost ex-
hausted with the days work, yet took even.
ing employment 1t almost extinguished his
eyesight. Why did he add evening employ
mept to the day employment? To get money
Why did he want to get money? To lay up
something for a rainy day? No. To get his
life insured, so that in case Of his death his
wife would not be beggar? No. He put
the extra evening work to the day work that
he might get hundred and fifty dollars tc
get his wife a sealskin coat. The sister ot
the bride heard OF this achievement, and was
not to be eclipsed. She was very poor, and
she sat up working nearly all the nights fol
great while until she bought sealskln
coat. have not heard OF the result on that
street. The street was full OF those who are
on small incomes, but l suppose the con-
tagion spread, and that everybody had 6