The Progress., 1897-05-29

| and pence; result, happiness" But, o
worktngman, take your morning dram
and your noon dram and your evening
dram, and spend everything you have over
for tobacco and excursions, and you In
sure poverty for yourself and your children
| forever!
II by some generous fat of the capitalists
| of this country or by q new law Of the
government of the United States 25 per
| cent or so per cent or 100 per cent were
| added to the wages of the working classes
| of America, 1t would be no adyantaee to
hundreds of thousands of them unless they
| stopped strong drink. Aye, until they
quit that evil habit, the more money the
more ruin, the moro wages, the more holes
in the bag.
My plea Is to those working people who
are In a discipleship to the whisky bottle,
the beer Jug and the wine flask. And
what say to them Will not be more ap-
propriate to the working classes than to
the business classes, and the literary class
es, and the professional classes, and all
classes, and not with the people OF one aee
more than of all ages. Take one good
square look at the suffering Of the man
whom strong drink has enthralletl, and nc
member that toward that goal multitudes
arc running. The disciple of alcoholism
suffers the loss OF self respect. Just a.
soon as n man wakes up and finds that he
Is the captive of strong drink, he feels de-
meaned. do not care how recklessly he
acts. He may say, So don't CARE" he does
care. He cannot look pure man in
the eye unless 1t Is with positive force of
resolution. Thrce-fourths of his nature is
destroyed; his self respect Is gone; he says
things he would not otherwise say; he
does things he would not otherwise do
When a man Is nine-tenths gone with
strong drink, the first thing he wants to
DO is to persuade you that he can stop any
time he wants to. He cannot. The Phil
istines have bound him hand and foot. and
shorn his locks, and put out his eyes. and
are making him grind in the mill of q
great horror. He cannot stop. will prove
1t. He knows that his course Is bringing
ruin upon himself. He loves himself. II
he could stop, he would. He knows his
course is bringing ruin upon his family.
He loves them. He would stop II he could.
He cannot Perhaps he could three months
or year ago; not now. just ask him to
stop for q month. He cannot He knows
he cannot, SO he docs not try.
Drink victims.
had a friend who was for Is years 60
Ing down under this evil habit He had
large means. He had given thousands Of
dollars to Bible societies and reformatory
institutions Of all sorts. He was very gem
tal, very generous and very lovable, and
whenever he talked about this evil habit
80
ne Kept going on, going on down, down,
down. His family would say, ~ wish you
would stop" why he would reply, s'I
can stop any time II / want to-" After
awhile he had dclirium tremens. He had
1t twice, and yet after that he said, SCI
could stop at any time II wanted Ia"
He is dead now. What killed himl Drink. |
drink And yet among his last utterances |
was. :" car stop at any time He did |
not stop It because he could not etop II L
Oh, there Is a point In ineEriation beyond /
which II man goes he cannot stop!
One OF these victims said to q Christian ]
man: "Sir, II / were told that couldn't |
get drink until tomorrow night unlese l
bad all my fingers cut OF, 1 would say, l
Bring the hntchet and cut them on I
now" have dear friend In Philadel-
phin whose nephew came to him one day.
and when he was exhorted about his evil i
habit said: "Uncle. can't give It up. II
there stood q cannon and 1t was loaded
and glass of wine were set on the mouth I