The Springdale news., 1898-07-22
on the criminal side of the courts

It CT let IL alone. ''Oh, we'll, MT. Small" some one will say, "wnat right have yout to come around ana say what we shall or shall not do. We do not need guardian. 1t IS such flat headed, flannel old fools as this who say they can take It or let 1t alone. A man gets drunk, and when he goes home to hide his shame and modification from the world he IS met at the door by his wife who endeavors to make him forget hls sorrows and that they are not so great as he inn agines. Next morning when he starts to town his wife follows him to the door and begs him to remrm- Der her, their children, and most of all his own soul, and not visit the saloon. He swells up and says, .'Oh, you needn't be uneasy. That was just an accident yester day. can take 1t or let 1t alone as chsose." That night he comes home in the same debauched condl- ton as before. If such fool as that doesn't need guardian 10 lunatic on the face of the earth does
 Some men drink openly and above aboard, They say. "l take little whenever I feel like It. Its my business and 1 don't care who knows 1t. can qnit when ever want to" These are the hardest fellows. 1 have some respect for the man who drinks and lies about it. 1t shows that he realizes the evil of hls way, but the other fellow occupies a different dLtlluuc. Hc IlidH Mho say hS can quit whenever he chooses lies, but the devil makes him keep on telling it. It is like the man who caught wolf by the two ears ir the middle of the road in tine mid die of the night. He had 1t but had to have he p to turn 1t loose. You are profound spiritual philos- opher if you know whether it has you or yol have it. It is some times hard for man to tell whether he married hls wife or she married him. A man down in Georgla married twice and got left on this proposition both times. I He married the third time, and de- cided to have the matter settled at once and for all At the break fast table next morning he said, "Sallle, you remember last night the preacher said we were one. "i es, John,' she said, ''isn't that right?r "Yes, and I am glad of it, but we ought to settle which one.n
 Every man thinks lie knows what is good for hlm, and don't want no lol 2 haIrcd crank or short halred woman round telling him wha. to do. He says he can quit liquor when he wants to, but he goes on, and dles death of deg i radatlon and goes down to a bot i tomless pit.
 The demon took hold of me, and my devoted wife plead with me and pointed to where 1t would lead. N laughed at her fears. God sent little children to bless my home. 1 looked down on their heavenly l smile as they were sleeping and dreaming sweet innocent dreams of | childhood. l looked across the | bars of thelr cradle, but could not l see the cloud which was over spreading thelr young lives. My subs bserviency and slavery increased every day; every day 1t became more humiliating; every day and hour 1 yielded more and more, and at last I realized I was driving downward and hellward. The in- stlncts of my youth came back to me; recollections of the happy home ano mothers prayers were before me. In my desire for re- lief l turned to the physicians, but in vain. 1 travelled and consulted the Eastern specialists, spending thousands of dollars, but met de- feat on every side, and had about given up all hope. have the greatest respect for the skill of physicians, and would not say one word derogatory to their protes- sion, tor l am indebted to them for the cure of many ills of the blood. Drunkenness IS not a disease of the | flesh alone, but is a double disease. of the spirit first, the flesh next, and there IS only one who can ef- feet cure-the Great Physician of Galllee, the Son of God. Friends aided my wife and children in their prayers and applications ii my be- half. Finally was advised to leave Atlanta and seek men of high |