Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1898-01-27

the spare ten minutes here ar there
every day, rise hend and shoulders
in prosperity and character and iutlu-
cncc above the loungcrs who read
nothing or read that which bcdwarfs.
See all the forests of good American
literature dripping with honey. Why
pick mp the honcy-comhs that have
IN them the fiery bees which will sting
You with an eternal poison while you
taste itf One book for You or me may
decide every thing for this world and
the next. IL was turning point with
mr " hen, in a bookstore in Syracuse
one day, | Pic',cd up book called
The beauties of RuSkin." II was only
II book of extracts, but il was all pure
honey, and | was not satisfied until
had purchased all his works. at that
time expensive beyond an easy capac-
ity tn own them, and with what de
light l went through reading his
Seven Lamps of Architecture" and
his stones of Venice" II Is impo,>iblc
for me To describe, except 10y saving
that il gave me "A rapture for good
books that will last me while my life
lasts. All around the church aud the
world to-day there are busy hives of
intelligence occupied by authors and
authorcsscs from whose pens drip
distillatinn which is the very nectar of
Heaven, and why will You thrust your
rod of inPuisltivcncsS into the death
full saccharinc of pcrditiun?
Stimulating liquids also come into
the category of temptations delicious
hut dcathfuL You say, II can not
bear the taste of Intoxicating liquor,
and how any man can like it is To me
an amalcmcnt.' Well, then, it is no
credit To You that YOU do not take it.
DO not brag about your total absti-
nrncc, because it is not from any prin-
ciplc that you reject alcoholism, but
Tor the reason that You reject certain
styles of food-you simply don't like
the taste of them. But multitudes of
people have natural fondncSS for all
kinds of intoNlcantS They like il SO
much that il makes them smack their
lips tn look at it. They are dyspcptic
and they like to aid digestion: or they
are annoyed by insomnia. and they
take it To produce sleep; or they are
troubled, and they take it to make
them "bliriouN; or they feel happy, and
they must celebrate their hilarity.
They begin with mint julip sucked
through two straws on the Lonr
Branch piazza and end in the ditch.
taking from jug liquid half kcro-
Scnc and half whisky. They not only
like il, hut it is an all-consuming passion
of body, mind and soul. and after a
while have it they will, though one wine
glass of 1t should cost the temporal
and eternal destruction of themselves.
and all their families, and the whole
human race. They would say: Il am
sorry ii is going To cost me and my
family and all the worlds population
so much, but here it goes To my lips. and
now let it roll over my parchcd tongue
and down my heated throat, the sweet
est, the most inspiring, the most de-
licious draught that ever thrilled
a human frame" To cure the
habit before il comes to its
last stages various plans were
tried in oldcn times. This plan was
recommended in the books. When .
man wanted to reform he put shot or
bullets into the cup of strong drink
one additional shot or bullet each dav.
that displaced so much liquor Bullet
after bullet, added day by day, of
course the liquor became less and less
until the bullets would entirely fill up
the glass, and there was no room for
the liquid, and by that time it was said
the inchriatc would I've cured. Whcth-
er any one ever WAS cured ia that Way
| know not, but by long experiment it
is found that the only way is to stop
short oil, and when a man docs that
he needs God To help him. And there
have been more cases than you can
count when God has So helped the man
That he left off the drink forever: and
could count a score of them. some of
them pillars in the house of God.
One would suppose that men would
take warning from some of the omin-
Gus names given to the intoxicants and
stand .atf1inNpehe devastating influ-
ence. You have noticed, for instance,
that some of the restaurants are called
The Shades" typical of the fact that
it puts mans reputation in the shade,
and his morals in the shade, and his
prosperity in the shade, and his wife
and children in the shade, and his i'm
mortal destiny in the shade. Now, find
on some of the liquor signs in all our
cities the words 'Old Crow" nightly
suggestive of the carcass and the filthy
raven that swoops upon it. "Old Grown
Men and women without num-
bers slain of rum, but unbu-ied, and
this evil is pecking at their glazed
eyes, and pecking at their bloated
check, and pecking at their destroyed
manhood and womanhood. thrusting
beak and claw into the mortal remains
of what was once gloriously alive, but
now morally dead. 'Old Crown But
alas. how many take no warning.
They make me think of Cesar on his
way to assassination fearing nothing:
though his statue in the hall crashed
into fragments at his feet, and a scroll
containing the names of the conspira-
tors was thrust into his hands, yet
walking right on to meet the dagger
that was to take his life. This infatu-
alton of strong drink is SO mighty in
many a man that, though his fortunes
ing, and his dometic interests are
crashing, and we hand him long
scroll containing the names of perils
that await him, he goes straight on to
physical, and mental, and moral assas-
sination. In proportion as any style
of alcoholism is pleasant to your taste
and stimulating to your nerves, and
for time delightful to all your phys
zeal and mental constitution, is the
peril awful. Remember Jonathan and
the forbidden honey in the woods of
Bethaven.
Furthermore, the gamesters indul-
gence must be put in the list of temp
tations delicious but destructive. You
who have crossed the ocean many
times have noticed that always one of
the best rooms has, from morning till
late at night, been given up to gam
bling practices. | heard of men who
went on board with enough for a
European excursion who landed with
out money to get their baggage up to
the hotel or railroad station.