The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1899-05-27
TERRONS OF DRINK.
DR.. Talmage breaches of the Evils
of the Liquor Traffic.
In an Eloquent Sermon He Depicts
the Drunkard's WOe-The Rum
Fiend's Mission Is to De-
strOy all Good.
Copyright, 1890 by Louis Klopsch Wash
inotOn

At this time, when the evils of the
drink traffic are being widely discussed
and the movement for the abolition of
the degrading and brutalizing canteen
in our military camps is gaining many
supporters, this sermon by DR.. Tai
mage, dealing with the broader aspects
of the plague of intemperance should
cheer and inspire the friends Of tenn
perancc everywhere. His text is EXo-
dus 11:G, And there shall be great
cry throughout all the land of Egypt"
This was the worst of the ten plaques.
The destroying angel at midnight
tapped his wing over the land, and
there WAS one dead in each house. La
mentation and mourning and woe
through all Egypt. That destroying
angel has fed the earth, but far worse
has, come. He sweeps through these
cities. 1t is the destroying angel OF
strong drink. Far worse devastation
wrought by this second than by the
first. The calamity in America worse
than the calamity in Egypt Thousands
of the slain, millions of the slain. No
arithmetic can calculate their number.
Once upon time four fends met in
the lost world. They resolved that the
people of our earth were too happy,
and these four INTERVALS came forth to
our earth on embassy of mischief. The
one fiend said: "lll take charge of the
vineyards" Another said:' "I'll take
charge of the grainfields." Another
said: "l'll take charge of the dairy"
Another said: "I'll take charge of the
music" The four fiends met in the
great Sahara desert, with skeleton fin
gers clutched each other in handshake
of fidelity, kissed each other good-by
with lip of blue flame, and parted on
their mission.
The fend of the vineyard came in one
bright morning amid the grapes and sat
down on a root of twisted grapevine in
sheer encouragement. The fiend knew
not how to damage the vineyard, or,
through it, how to damage the world.
The grapes were so ripe and beautiful
and luscious. They bewitched the air
with their sweetness. There seemed to
be so much health in every bunch, and
while the tiend sat there in utter indig-
nation and disappointment he clutched
a cluster and squeezed it in perfect
spite, and 10! his hand was red with the
blood of the vineyard, and the fend
said: That reminds me of the blood of
broken hearts. I'll strip the vineyard
and I'll squeeze out all the juice of the
grapes, and I'll allow the juices of the
grapes to stand until they rot, and I'll
call the process fermentation" And
there was a great vat prepared, and
people came with their cups and their
pitchers, and they dipped up the blood
ofthe grapes, and they drank and drank
and went away drinking, and they
drank until they fell in long lines OF
death, SO that when the fiend of the
vineyard wanted to return to his home
in the pit he stepped from carcass tc
carcass and walked down amid great
Gauseway of the dead.
Then the second fiend came into the
grainfield. He waded chin deep amid
the barley and the rye. He heard all the
grain talking about bread and prosper
GUS husbandry and thrifty homes. lie
thrust his long arms into the grainfield
and he pulled up the grain and threw il
into the water, and he made beneath j.
great fires-fires lighted with sparl
from his own heart-and there were ;
grinding and smashing and stencil
and the people came with their bottles
and they poured the fiery liquid, ant
they drank, and they blasphemed, ant
they staggered, and they fought, ant
they rioted, and they murdered, ant
the fiend of the pit, the fiend of tn
grainfeld, was so pleased with their be
havior that he changed his residenc
from the pit to the whisky barrel, an
there he sat by the door of the bunghol
laughing in high merriment at tn
thought that out of anything so harm
less as the grain of the field he nigh
turn this world into seeming pande
monium.
The fiend of the dairy saw the cow
coming home from the pasture fielt
full uddered, and as the maid mike
he said: I'll soon spoil all that mess
I'll add to it brandy, sugar and nu
meg, and I'll stir it into a milk puncl
and children will drink it, and some {
the temperance people will drink it, an
If / can do them no more harm I'll Civ
them a headache, and then I'll han
them over to the more vigorous fiend
of the satanic delegation" And the
the fiend of the dairy leaped upon til
shelf and danced until the long row {
shining millpans almost qualied.
The fiend of the music entered
grogshop and there were but few GU
toners. Finding few customers,
swept the circuit of the city, and /
gathered up the musical instrument
and after nightfall he marshaled
band, and the trombones blew and IL
cymbals clapped and the drums be;
and the bugles called and the peop
crowded in, and they swung around
merry dance, each one with winegle
in his hand, and the dance BEGAN
wilder and stronger and rougher, unit
the room shook and the glasses crackt
snd the floor broke and the crow
dropped into hell.
Then the four fiendS-the fiend of II