The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1898-01-29

sex. InuJ young nun OF young NoLhhh
can, by the right literary and moral
Improvement of the spare ten minutes
here or there every day, rise head and
shoulders in prosperity, and character,
and influence above the ioungers who
read nothing, or read that which be-
dwarfs. See all the forests of good
American literature dripping with
honey. Why pick up the hOneycombs
that nave in them the fiery bees which
will sting you with an eternal poison
while YOU taste it? One o may for
you or me decide everything for this
world and the next.
Stimulating liquids also come into
the category of temptation delicious
but beautiful. Yousay, II cannot bear
the taste of Intoxicating liquor, and
how any man can like it Is to me an
amazement. Well, then, it is no
credit to you that you do not take it.
Do not brag about your total absti-
hence, because it is not from any prin-
ciple that you reject alcoholism, but
for the reason that you reject certain
styles of food-you simply don't like
the taste of them. But multitudes of
people have a natural fondness for all
kinds of intoXicants. They like 1t so
much that it makes them smack their
lips to look at it. They are dyspeptic
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 max them Obvious; or they
feel happy, and they must celebrate
their hilarity. They begin with mint
julep sucked through two straws on
the Long Branch piazza and end in
the ditch, taking from a jug a liquid
half kerosene and half whisky. They
not only like it, but it is an all-con-
suming passion of body, mind and
soul, and after awhile have it they
will, though one wine-glass of it
should cost the temporal and eternal
destruction of themselves, and all their
families, and the whole human race.
They would say, 81 am sorry 1t is 60
ing to cost me, n my family, and all
the worlds population sc very much.
but here it goes to my lips, and now
let 1t roll over my parched tongue and
down my heated throat, the sweetest.
the most inspiring, the most de-
licious draught that over thrilled
a human frame" To cure the
habit before it comes to its last
stages, various plans were tried
In olden times. This plan was recon-
mended in the books: When a man
wanted to reform he put shotor bull
lets into h cup or glass of strong
drink-one additional shot or bullet
each day, that displaced SO much liq-
uor. Bullet after bullet added day by
day, of course the liquor became less
and less until the bullets would en-
tirely fill up the glass, and there was
no room for the liquid, and by that
time it was said the inebriate would be
cured. Whether anyone ever was
cured in that way ! know not, but by
long experiment it is found that the
only way Is to stop short off. and when
a man does that he needs God to help
him. And there have been more cases
than you can count when o has SO
helped the man that he left OFF the
drink forever; and l could count a
score pf-them, some. of them pillars In
the house of God.
One would suppose hat men would
take warning from some of the oni-
nous names given to the intoXicants, |
and stand off from the devastating in
huence. You have noticed, for in.
stance, hat some of the restaurants
are called 1.-THE Shades" typical of the
fact that 1t puts a 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 immortal destiny in the shade.
Now, l find. on some of the liquor signs
in all our cities the words "Old Crow"
nightly suggestive of the carcass n
the filthy raven that wool upon 1t.
''Old Crow Men and women without
numbers slain of rum, but unburied.
and this evil is pecking at their
glazed eyes, and pecking at their
bloated cheek, and peckinR at
their destroyed manhood and
womanhood, thrusting beak and
claw into the mortal remains Of what
was once glorionsly alive, but now
morally dead. 'Old Crown But alas!
make me think of Caesar on his
to assassination. fearing nothing;
though his statue in; the hall crashed
into fragments at his feet, and n scroll
the names of the conspir-
Rtors wa 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
are crashing, and his health is crash
and his domestic interests are
crashing, and we hand him a long
scroll containing the names of perils
that await him. he goes straight on to
physical, and mental, n moral assas-
sination. In proportion as any style
of alcoholism Is pleasant to your taste
and stimulating to your nerves, and
for q time delightful to all your physi-
cal and mental constitution, Is the
peril awful. Remember Jonathan and
the forbidden honey in the wood at
Bethaven.
Furthermore, the gamester's iRdul-
gence must be put In the list of temptas
lions delicious but destructive. You
who have crossed the ocean many
times have noticed that always n of
the best rooms has, from morning I'M
til late at night, been given up to
gambling practices. I 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. To many
there Is a complete fascination in
games of hazard or the risking of
none on possibilities. 1t seems as
natural for them to bet as to eat. In
deed, the hunger for food is often over
powered by the hunger for wagers. II
Is absurd for those of US who have
never felt the fascination of the wager
to speak slightingly of the temptation.
1t has slain a multitude Of intellectual
and moral giants, men and women
stronger han you or l. Down under its
power went glorious Oliver Goldsmith,
and Gibbon, the famous historian, and
Charles Fox, the renowned statesman,
in olden times, senators of the
States, who used to be as regu-
larly at the gambling house all night
as they were in the halls of legislation
by day. oh, the tragedies of the faro
table! l know persons who began
with q slight stake In q ladies' parlor,
and ended with the suicides pistol at
Monte Carlo. They played with the
square pieces of bone with black marks
them. not knowing that satan was
playing for their bones at the same
time, and was sure to sweep all the
off on his side of the table.
State legislatures have again and
again sanctioned the mighty evil by
passing laws in defense of race tracks,
and many young men have lost all