The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1899-07-05
E$OHALsFs sS,;:*S Fsxrrs
" ABSOLUTELY PURE
Makes the food more delicious and wholesome
Masters Made Slaves.
Edward VI. Pok, Editor Ladies Home
Jour. al.

Edward W. Pok, Editor Ladies Home
! Jour. al.
One thing which led me to make
up my mind never to touch liquor
was the ruin saw it bring to some
Of the finest minds with which I have
come in contact. I have seen, even
in my few years Of prc cfessional life,
some Of The smartest literary men
dethroned from splendid positions,
owing to nothing else but their in
diligence in wine. I have known men
with salaries of thousands of dollars
year come to beggary from drink.
Only recently there applied to me
for any position I could offer him,
one of the most brilliant editorial
writer's in the newspaper profession
"a man who two years ago easily
commanded one hundred dollars for
a single editorial in his special field.
The man became 80 unreliable from
drink that editors are now afraid of
his articles, and, although today be
can write as forcible editorials as at
any time during his life, he sits in a
cellar in one of our cities writing
newspaper wrappers at one dollar a
thousand. That is one instance OF
several that I could relate. I do not
hold my friend up as terrible ex-
ample. He is butone OF a type Of
men who convinced me, and may con-
vince others, that a clear mind and
liquor do not 60 together.
I know it is said when one brings
up such an instance as this: 80, we'll,
that man drank to excess. One glass
will not hurt any one." How Go
these people know that it will not?
One drop Of kerosene has been known
to throw into fame an almost hope
less fire, and one glass of liquor may
fan into fame a smoldering spark
hidden away wberew We never thought
it existed. The spark may be there,
and it may not be. Why take the
risk? Liquor will never do a healthy
boy or young man the least particle of
good; it may do him harm. A man
who will willingly tempt young
man whom he knows has principle
against liquor is a man for whom the
halter is too good.
Tbep, as I looked around and came
to know more of people and things,
I found the always unanswerable ar
gument in favor of the young mans
absteDeDce-that is, the most success.
ful men in America today are those
who never lift wine glass to their
lips. Becoming interested in this
fact, 1 had the curiosity to Inquire
into it; found that of the twenty
eight leading business men in the
country, whose name l selected at
random, twenty two never touched
a drop of wine. I made up my
mind that there was some reason for
this. If liquor brought safe pleas
ure, why did these men abstain from
il? If, as some say, it is stimulant
to busy man, wby..do not these men,
directing the largest business inter-
ests in this country, resort to it? And
when I say that these were the men
whose opinions in great business
matters were accepted by the leading
concerns of the world, I concluded
that their judgment in the use of
liquor would satisfy me. If their
Judgment in business matters could
command the respect and attention
of the leaders of trade on both sides
of the sea, their decision as to the
use of liquor was not apt to be
wrong.