The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-08-20
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE Of INreMPERANcE.

each speek telling the story. Of the hy's
One daS, out of idle curiosity, be fell 70
studying the fies a. their doom overlook
them.
One fly came to the edge Of the paper.
then went away for the time being.
Another fy did the same, but waded
boldly in, and was soon caught fest.
Another dy, flying down straight from
above, landed in the middle Of the 6y
paper. His pleasant buzz Of anticipation
soon changed to loud singing noise, that
told Of helpless rage and fear.
As the Aies landed on the paper each
acted in different way.
Some beat their winss frantically for Q
second or two. only 20 fall over cn their
sides very soon and succumb to the sticky
poison.
Others showed more inteIligense, and,
when they realized the danger, stood on
the tips Of their tiny legs, endeavoring 70
draw themselves up and fy away.
Now and then some fy, with Q violent
effort OF his muscles and OF his will, would
actually tear himself from the Ay paper
and escape.
heroic struggle. They. walled across the
paper. dragging their heavy lse!. and
the other hies in search Of some means OF
escape.
The man watched the flies, their differ.
ent kinds of efforts, their different ways OF
diving, the long struggles Of some, the quick
submission of others. Il was grewsoms
but interesting spectacle.
What interested him most was the stu
pidity Of the flies. and the fact that not
one Of them seemed to learn anything from
L. e L. II ~kk s&H Akn<|
dead on the sticky surface.
1T il evident" said the man, that thess
flies have absolutely no capacity Tor think
ing or for estimating consequences:
Each ay as he approaches the paper
lying dead on It. Each Of these 6iesi as he
goes back snd forth near this death trap
must see the other flies struggling. see
their useless efforts. hear their terrified
buzzing-yet each fy in his turn runs tho
risk, and, tempted by the sweet, sticky
"I suppose that each foolish fy thinks
that he will escape the fate Of the others.
Each one imagincs that b. can light on the
paper and get Of again. Perhaps each has
noticed the occasional hy that gets on the
fy naoer and does escape safely.
"What fools these aies are. What q fool
each one of them Is not to say to hinself
that what has ruined % many. other dies
viii surely ruin him. Why do they not get
out Of this room. II they can. or at least
keep as far away from the fly paper as pos
sible%
Having thus unused philosophical,y. the
man nut on his hat and went out, leaving
the flies and their foolishneas to take care
| Of themselves.
The man turned to the right, then
turned to the left. then went through .
| doorway. and then he was on the fly paper
that catches human being.
He was in drinking saloon. and he bad
a glass Of whisky in front Of him.
, the saloon a he studied the flies on the hS
What happens TO the man in Q saloon?
Exactly that which happens to flies on
the fly paper.
One man goes near the edge OF the
whisky habit, taxes little and goes away.
like the first -hy mentioned, who ap.
preached the edge Of the fly paper:
This human fy who takes little and
goes away 10 almost sure 70 come back
| again in time. ~'->s~s~-ssG
Other men who approach the whisky ay
paSsf take q little and promptly wade
1as TSe y hSGsn an victims s .h.. light on the
whisky fly paper have 40 many ways ct
struggling, a. many ways Of dying, a many
ways of suffering, and as few chances OF
escaping, as the ignorant dy that lights
on the sticky fly paper In the hot kitchen.
OF human Aies on the whisky hy paper,
some strusgle feebly for o while against
the habit that has caught them, and soon
succumb.
ends OF their feet touch the fly paper.
They keep their bodies erect, and for the
time being feel quite proud ct theIscives' Themselves
But their feet are on the fly paper, and
with nine out of ten of them It Is only Q
question Of time when the body and mind
will sink to the level of the feet, and that
will be the end Of the struggle.
An occasional human being escapes from
the whisky fly paper, and goes away TO
| tell others that "whisky never hurt him.:
This human fly does the most harm. He
sends others to whisky, and sooner or
later he Is pretty sure to 50 back there
| himself.
When you 90 into restaurant, or any
other place where fly paper 10 spread out,
take look at the struggling, suffering IN
sects dying slowly and horribly IN the
sticky mass that falsely attracted them.
You will wonder at the stupidity Of each
fly as it alishts, regardless OF the fats OF
others.
Don't duplicate that ays stupidity in
your own life.
Remember that what has ruined others
may ruin you. Keep away from the sa-
iooa and from the whisky bottle. Take
! walk through the Potteris Field some day
any man at the Morsue can tell you how
to get there-and you will find the fruits
OF the whisky bottle, quiet and peaceful Of
last in their final rest on the surface OF tho
fly paper that caught them.-New York
Journal.
a Bishops TestinoBy.
Bishop Tucker, of Central Africa, giving
his experience Of teetotalism to press
| representative, said: Il have been tee
totaler for twenty years. So far from re-
; GREETING it, would commence IL sooner
Ii / had the chance again. l find Aat in
Africa, not only is teetolar better fitted
to cope with the climate, but he IL better
fitted for the great physical exercise which
he has to undergo. l have marched some
10000 miles in Africa, and have never felt
the want OF anything like stimulant In
deed, felt sure that il had not been .
teetotaler it would have been impossible to
undergo the fatigue involved in some OF
the marching" The Bishop in his previous
pastoral visit covered about 1000 miles, en-.
tirely on foot This was harder than being
Bishop Of Bendigo.
The Crusade in Brief.