The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1900-05-09
FROM THE FIRST WARD.

day.
Nobody can change the past history
of the world, and only few can add
anything to the history of the future
that will be worthy of place in the
common school books.
The chief and his assistants, Mayor
Sergeant, the Fire Committee of Coun-
ell, ex-chief Van Sewer and members
of the Fire Patrol visited the Hibernia
engine house last Thursday evening
ON tour of inspection. In the absence
of the foreman, President James
Moonan took the committee in hand
and showed them through the build
ing. The chief and his assistants and
also the mayor were much pleased with
the condition of the house and appara-
tus, and complimented the boys very
highly for their good taste in keeping
things in such fine condition. After Il
few compliments were passed around
amongst the fire laddies, the commit
tee retired, being we'll pleased with
their visit.
In speaking of the gang of roughs,
last week, We should have made some
remarks concerning the cause of all
this drunkenness. The men who sell
according to n recent decision of q
Judge of one of our courts, as the men
who get drunk and commit the depre-
dations. According to this Judges
decision, man has no more right to
sell whiskey to man that he knows
gets drunk, than he has to sell to an
Indian, although the man may be sober
Mt the time when he calls for his whis-
key. Now in accordance with this
decision, we think it well for some of
our hotel keepers to begin to look
about them before they are called up to
the bar of justice. They must not
think because they pay license to sell
the poison, that they are privileged
characters shall not so into details
upon this all.important question now,
but shall relieve my mind upon the
whiskey traffic some time in the near
future.
A mans character is like II fence
made of upright hoards-if there is one
week board in it, or few boards
knocked off, he is liable to break
through at such places and escape for
time from nil the good intentions and
resolutions inside the enclosure, and
run wild, like steer in the wheat.
| Now man with no appetite for strong
drink and the companionship of joyial
and convivial friends needs only n chalk
line drawn between himself and the
saloon--a chalk line resolution-sort
of moral streak drawn in his imagina-
ton, like the equator and the lines of
latitude and longitude used in marking
off the different parts OF the sphere on
which we live. For several years |
gave mp the use of tobacco, after having
been its slave eyer since ] was big
enough TO stand on tip toes and spit
through the key-hole of the school
house door. By and by, | caught my
self whiting Mt the knothole with an
imaginary knife and wishing that come
thing would come along and knock the
| fence down or else lift me over for
| few moments and put TINT lovely old
taste in my mouth Just once again.
Sometimes ! pass that gap in the fence
for weeks without Il peep through the
moral gate / am sustaining, but very
often my dog will tree a cat near the
broken panel, which attracts my atten
| ton to the windward and the outlines
| of the saloon can be seen in the open
ing looming up like the ghost of an old
friend to whom | owe some debt of
honor, and who will not rest in his
grave until | pay of the obligation
and help the landlord buy II piano fer
his second wife. Perhaps the saloon
man keeps that cat there for the specific
purpose Of attracting my dogs indiyi-
dual attention and can thus reach out
and touch the button Of my old APP
petite; but when | see the cat, | am
sort Of satisfied that there is an adder
in the wine glass that bites worse than
Il fly blister on the abdomen of colicky
man, and pass on so full of noble re-
solutions that You couldn't drive u
mortal sin into my system with n base
ball bat. But | don't feel absolutely
safe. Some day ] may pass by that
way when my besetting sin may get
the better of my will-power, and my
dog may chase that cat clean into tho
bar room and draw me after him by the
subtle power which drags men from
the path of rectitude and fills them up
to the chin with government revenue
and patriotism that lands IN yom
head with an aching regret that stays
with You long after you have paid your
| fine and go home to be the black sheep
Of the family for more than week.
| Reduced Rates to Camden, Ind, via Penn
syIvania Railroad.