Connecticut western news., 1899-05-04
PLAGUE OF ALCOHOL.
REV. DR. TALMAGe DISCUSSES THE
 LIQUOR TRAFFIC.

Ftend's Mission Is to Destroy All
 Good-A Call to, Christians.
 TCopyright. Louis Klopsch 1S991
 WASHINGTON, April 80.-At thi. time. when the evils of the drink traff C are being widely discussed and the movement for the abolition of the de grading and brutalizing canteen in our military camps is gaining many sup porters, this sermon by Dr. Talmage, dealing with the broader aspects of tn. plague of lntemperance, should cheet and inspire the friends of tenpesant everywhere. His text is ExoduD nj. C. "And there shall bo great uy throughout all the land of Egypt"
 This was the worst of the ten phaguss ! The destroying angel at midnight flai, ,- ped his wing over the land, and theIc was one dead in each house. Lamenta tion and mourning and woe through all Egypt That destroying angel has fsc!I the earth, but tar worse has coass. He sweeps through these cities. It II the destroying angel of strong datA,h Far worse devastation wrought hy tl1as second than by the first. The calamity in America worse than the calamity iii Egpyt Thousands of the slain, millions of tho slain. No arithmetic can calcsi late their number.
 Once upon time four fiends met ill the lost world. They resolved that tho people of our earth were too happy, and these four infernals came forth to our earth on embassy of mischief The one fend said, "I'll take charge of tho vineyards. Another said, "I'll tako charge of the grainfelds. Another said, "I'n take charge of the dairy. Another said, "I'll take charge of sho music. The four fiends met In the great Sahara desert. with skeletoa fin. gers clutched each other in handahaktl of fidelity. kissed each other geedby with lip of blue flame and partsa on thear mission.
 The fiend of the vineyard came ia enc bright morning amid the grapes and pat down oh root of twisted grapevine in sheer Encouragement. The flend knew not how to damage the vineyard, or, through 1t, how to damage the wolld. Inc grapes were so ripe and btIautl ful and luacious. They bewitched the air whtA, their sweetness Thexe seemed to be sO much health in every bunph, nd while the f1end sat there in utter lng ig nation and disappointment he clRtG ,ed . cluster and squeezed it in peri ret spite, and, 10 his hand was red with he blood of the vineyard, and the fl nd said: "That reminds me of the bloo1 ,of broken hearts. I'll strip the vineys I'd, and I'll squeeze out all the juice of he grapes. and I'll allow the juices of !ihe grapes to stand until they rot, and 'l'n 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 of the grapes, and they drank and drank and went away drinking, and they drank until they fell in long lines of death, % that when the flend 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.
 Laughter of the Ffend.
 Then the second fend came into the grainfield. He waded chin deep amid the barley and therye. He heard all the grain talking about bread and prosper ous husbandry and thrifty holnes He thrust his long arms into the grainaeld, and he pulled ur the grain and threw 1t into the water, and he made beneath 1t great tires-fres lighted with spark from his own heart-and there were . grinding und mashing and stench, and the people came with their bottles, and they dipped up the fiery liquid, and tAsy drank. and they blaspheIned. and they staggered, and they fought. and they rioted, and they murdered, and the fiend of the pit, the fend of the s1ainfield. was so pleased with their be- hsvior that he changed his residsnce from the pit to whisky barrel, and there he sat by the door of the bunghole laughing in high merriment at the thought that out of anything so harm less as the grain of the field he might lurn this world into seeming pands- lsonium.
 The fend of the dairy saw tho cows ipming hcme from the pasture field, ipll uddered. and as the maid nillzed jp said, "I'll soon spoil all thst mess; it'll add to it brandy, sugar and nut .teg. and I'll stir 1t into milk punch. JRd children will drink it and eome of the temperance people will drink it. and .ll can do them no more harm IT give 'ihena headache, and then I'll hand :lhena over to the more vigorous fiends af the satanic delegation" And then 'lhe dend of the dairy leaped upon the nhe1f and danced until the long row of ,ihining milkpans almost quaked.
 The fend of the music entered to4ners. Finding few customers, he swept the circuit of the city, and he gathered up the musical instruments and after nightfall he marshaled a band, and the trombonea blew and the symbals clapped and the drums beat and the bugles called and the people crowded in, and they swung around in merry dance, each one wi1h a wineglass in his hand, and the ,ance became wilder and stronger and tougher, until the room shook and the ajasses cracked and the floor broke and the crowd drop ped into hell.
 
 vineyard and of the grslInfeld and of tbe dairy and of the munIc hall-went bock to their home, and they held high carnival because their work had been sQ we'll done, and satan Kose from his throne and announced tlbat there was h., danger of the earth's redemption so long as these four fends could pay such tax to the diabolic. And then all the demons and all the sprites and all the 6ends filled their glasses and cliekAd them and cried: "Let us drink-drink to the everlasting prosperity of the liq- uor traffic Here's to woe and darkness and murder and death Drink Drink"
 The Plague of Drink.
 But whether by allegory or by ap- palling statistic this subject is present. cd you know as we'll as that it is inl- possible to exaggerate the evils of strong drink A plaguel A plaguel In the first