Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1897-06-09

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b. their own fault. They might
10 ueen well of, but they smoked or
chewed up their earnings, or they lived be-
yond their means. while others Oh the same
wages and on the same salaries went on to
competency. I know a man who is all the
time complaining of his poverty and crying
Out against rich men while he himself keeps
two dogs and chews and smokes and Is full
to the chin with whisky and beer. wilkins
Micawber said to David COpperfield: Cop
perfeld, my boy, Fl income, expenses, 2Os.
3D.; result, misery. But, Copperfeld, my
happiness" But, o workingman, take
your morning dram, and your noon dram,
and your fevening dram, and spend every
thing you have over for tobacco and excur-
sions, and you insure poverty for yourself
and your children foreverl
Ii by some generous fiat of th5 capi-
taiists of this country or by new law of
the Government of the United States
twenty-five per cent. fifty per cent. or
100 Per cent. were added to the wales of
the working classes of America, IL would
be no advantage 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 more wages the
more holes in the bag.
My plea is to those working people who
are in discipleship to the whisky bottle,
the beer Jug and the wine flask. And what
i say 10 tutu Will De more
to the working classes than to the busin esS
classes and the literary classes and the pro-
feSsional classes and all classes and not
with the people OF one age more than of all
ages. Take one good square look at the
suffering Of the man whom strong drink
has enthralled and remember that toward
that goal multitudes are running. The
disciple of alcoholism suffers the loss Of
self respect. Just as soon as a nah
wakes up and finds that he is the cap;
tive of strong drink, he feels demeaned.
do not care how recklessly he acts. He
may say, Il don't care; he does care.
He cannot look pure man in the eve un-'
less it is with positive force of resolution.
Three-fourths of his nature is destroyed;
mis- 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 Philistines have bound
him hand and foot, and shorn his locks and
put out his eyes, and are making him grind
in the mill of a great horror. He cannot
stop. l will prove it. 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
If he could. He cannot. Perhaps he could
three months or year ago; not now. Just
ask him to stop for a month. He cannot
he knows he cannot, SO he does not try.
God only knows what the drunk ard
suffers. Pain flies on every nerve, and
travels every muscle. and gnaws every
bone, and burns with every flame, and
sttngs with every poison, and pulls at him
with every torture. What reptiles crawl
over his sleeping limbs. What fiends stand
by his midnight pillow. What groans tear
his ear. What horrors Dshiver through his