Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1899-06-09
TERROKS OF DRINK.
DR.. Talmage breaches of the Evils
of the Liquor Traffic.
In an Eloquent Sermon He Depicts
the DrunkRrd's Woe-rhe Rum
Fiend's Mission Is to De-
stroy All Good.
Copyright. 1899. by Louis Klopsch, Wash


Copyright, 1899, by Louis Klopsch, Wash
ington,
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 DIR. Tai
mage, dealing with the broader aspects
of the plague of inte&perance should
cheer and inspire the friends of tenn
perance everywhere. His text is Exc
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 fled 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 nj mber.
Once upon time four fiends 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: "I'll take charge of the
vineyards" Another said: "lll take
charge of the grainfelds." Another
said: "Tll take charge of the dairy"
Another said: "I'll take charge of the
music" The four tiends 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 fiend of the vineyard came in one
bright morning amid the grapes and sat
down on root of twisted grapevine in
sheer acknowledgment. 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 fiend sat there in utter indig-
nation and disappointment he clutched
aIuctor aud cnnaa1n1 IL in naTfaat
spite, and 10! his hand was red with the
blood of the vineyard, and the fiend
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 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 to
carcass and walked down amid great
causeway of the dead.
Then the second fend 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 il
great fires-fires lighted with a spark
from his own heart-and there were Q
grinding and smashing and a stencil
and the people came with their bottles
and they poured the fiery liquid, and
they drank, and they blasphemed, and
they staggered, and they fought, ant
they rioted, and they murdered, ant
the fiend of the pit, the fiend of the
grainfeld, was so pleased with their be
havior that he changed his residence
from the pit to the whisky barrel, ant
there he sat by the door of the bunghol'
laughing in high merriment at thu
| Ahdb oub vi NllInk oo ildl III
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 field
full uddered, and as the maid milkec
he.said: "I'll soon spoil all that mess
I'll add to it brandy, sugar and nut
meg, and I'll stir it into a milk punch
and children will drink it, and some o
the temperance people will drink it, ant
il / can do them no more harm I'll Civ,
them headache, and then III han,
them over to the more vigorous fiend
of the satanic delegation" And thel
the fiend of the dairy leaped upon tn
shelf and danced until the long row o
shining milkpans almost quaked.
The fiend of the music entered
grogshop and there were but few Gus
toners. Finding few customers, h
swept the circuit of the city, and h
gathered up the musical instrument
and after nightfall he marshaled
band, and the trombones blew and tn
cymbals clapped and the drums bea
and the bugles called and the peopl
crowded in, and they swung around i
merry dance, each one with winegles
in his hand, and the dance becam
wilder and stronger and rougher, unit
the room shook and the glasses cracks
and the floor broke and the crow
dropped into hell.
Then the four fiends-the fiend of tn
vineyard and of the psainfeld and q
the dairy and of the music hall-wen
back to their home, and they held hig
carnival because their work had bee
so well done, and Satan rose from hi
throne and announced that there wa
no danger of the earths redemption S
long as these four fends could pay sue
tax to the diabolic. And then all tn
demons and all the sprites and all tn
lcnds filed their glasses and clicke