The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-04-16
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Forceful Utterances of Rev. Thosdcra
L. Cuyler on Young Men and the Drink

L. Cuyler on Young Men and the Drink
Demon.
Senator John Sherman, of Ohio, in
his recently-published autobiography,
tells us that when he was youth of 16
he 'fell into very bad habits" The
young fellows of his age in the town of
Lancaster met for convivial purposes,
drank each others health, and on more
than one occasion he became intoxicat-
ed. Once he went home very sick from
drinking. His good mother received
and put him to bed and watched over
him very tenderiy. He says: Il was
not stupid enough to be unconscious of
my degradation and her affection; I
then and there resolved never to be in
such a condition again, and from that
time to this 1 am not conscious of hav-
ing been under the influence of liquor"
He adds that, of the young men who
were his contemporaries, "a very large
proportion became habitual drunkards
and died prematurely."
The great statesman shows his trans
parent candor in recalling this painful
episode of his youth, and points very
solemn warning to his young country
men. And it is sadly-needed warning.
Cornwall habits, such as came very
near wrecking the Ohio statesman in
his youth, are fearfully on the increase.
The social clubs that are so increasing
ly numerous among our young men are
not conducted on total abstinence prin-
ciples; quite the opposite. Wine, cigars
and cards are well-nigh universal in
these clubs. Champagne, claret, punch
and other alcoholic beverages are seen
more frequently at weddings, recep-
tions and other festivities in private
houses than they were few years ago.
At our watering-place hotels the base
ment drinking-rooms are largely pat
ronized by young men; the billiard
tables and the bars are in close proX-
unity. Let anyone look into the gilded
and gorgeous barrooms in New York
or Brooklyn on any evening, and the
swarms of well-dressed young men to
be seen there would horrify him. The
shabby and ragged young men are to
be found in the low groggeries, by day
as we'll as by night.
The ugly fact is that the state Of
things which Mr.. Sherman described in
an Ohio village 60 years ago is coming
back again. Endless discussion is going
on about license, high or low" "pro-.
hibition," limiting the number of sa-.
looms" etc, and yet all the time the
amount of liquor drinking is fearfully
on the increase. Of course, the liquor
is not furnished gratuitously, and the
sale Of intoxicants is increasing i'm;
mensely. And it will go on and increase
as long as good people think and talk
only about liquor selling, and expend
all their breath in denouncing the in
iquitous saloon" Parents, Sunday
school teachers and pastors have got to
learn that prevention is about as big a
word as prohibition" and that just
as long as boys and young men grow up
with drinking habits liquor will be got
and will be drunk and will send it's vic,
tins to perdition. The simple reason
why liquor is sold in certain places in
Vermont, Maine, Kansas and in other
regions where excellent prohibitory
laws exist is that SO many liquor drink
ers live in these places, and will get
their tipple in spite of righteous laws.
An evil demand produces the evil sale.
Senator Sherman's good mother did
not overlook her dear boys temptation
or danger; if she had, the nation might
have lost one of it's most eminent states
men. My good mother corrected me Sc
verely in my early childhood for having
once slipped some cherry wine that was
left standing on the sideboard of a
house not her own. Then she induced
me to sign pledge of entire abstinence;
and but for that should probably have
been swamped into ruin by the drink
ing customs of college life. Parents
have tremendous responsibility; and
SO have teachers; and so have pastors
and churches; and their foremost duty
is to save the young from the drink
demon by timely precaution.
"Pshaw!" says some flippant scoffer,
"that means moral suasion!" Yes, my
friend, it does: and Jesus Christ meant
moral suasion when He came into this
world to teach us how to live. The
apostles meant moral suasion. Every
sensible mother means moral suasion
when she teaches her child to be -
Christian. All good preaching means
moral suasion. Take all the moral
suasion out of the world and it would
be a hell! And if more efforts are not
made to keep boys and young men,
from forming the drinking habit we
shall have an unlimited amount of
liquor sellers and tremendous crop
of inebriates. Let us strive hard, my
good friends, to shut up the accursed
drinking dens on Gods Sabbath! Let
us aim at suppressing them on every
day of the week; but the surest way
never to suppress them is to suspend
all efforts to prevent young men from
forming the habit of drinking intoXi-
cants. 1t is the drinkers who support
the sellers of alcoholics. The time to
save men and women from the drink
demon is-before they begin. - Rev,
Theodore L. Cuyler, in Young Mems
Era.