The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1902-08-28

to think It very funny. indeed, and the
owner of the drinking place was congratu-
lated on his pretty wit.
But unfortunately in that sign there is
more of grim truth than Of gay humor.
The man who takes to whisky soon tinds
that it does interfere with his business,
and he finds also that when he lets whisky
interfere with his business he might as well
-"Gve up his business" II he doesn't
his business will give him up.
Business and whisky do not travel far to-
gether. The other dav young man, APP
parentlv with fine business prospects. was
found dead He had committed suicide.
Various explanations were offered tor ms
despair and self-destruction. He left let.
ter in which he expressed self-approval and
fhe belief that he had been treated'untalrlv
by the world Bnt the real story was left
behind him. easy to read. Beside him there
was pint bottle partly filled with whisky.
and there were other bottles OF the same
kind in his room empty. although he had
had the room but short time. Those bot
ties told that whisky had interfered with
his life. and, taking the advice Of the bar
room mirror, he had given up his life.
Two davs since an unfortunate woman
was found dead in her lonely cabin, She
had been kind to animals, to men and
women more unfortunate even than herself.
But her life was hideously lonely and sad:
She had had friends wealth and n good
chance in life. Kind neighbors explained
matters gently when she was found dead.
They tried 70 explain why her friends
never saw her, although they sent her
money. They tried to explain the miser-
able, lonely ending, telling stories of early
romance. etc.
But the story was told more simply than
that. Under the dead body there was
found whisky bottle almost empty, and
J this fact was made public at the inquest,
The unhappy woman had lacked food. and
the animals that she sought to befriend
were starving with her. But she had man
aged somehow to get that whisky, OF which
she left little only because she was too
weak at last to lift the flask to her lips.
She had sold her clothing TO buy the
whisky.
It was the same story whisky had in
tcrfered with her life and her friends, and
she had given up life and friends, com
PEELED to do so by whisky.
No names are printed here; no names
are needed, You read such pieces OF news,
quickly told in commonplace language
every day. If YOU read attentivelv the
gruesome tale of life's tragedies and fail
ures the suicides and murders. YOU will
usually find the partly empty whisky bot
tie sticking out somewhere in the narra-
tive. In almost every case you find that
the unfortunate one has taken the witty
saloon owners advice, "If Whisky Inter
feres with Your Business-Give Up Your
Business"
We do not wish to preach or moralize
unduly.
Men and women have drunk through all
ages. They drink less now than ever, for
tunately. Some of them will doubtless
continue to drink so long as hard work,
keen competition, unwise living, disap-
pointed homes and constant temptation to
escape LIES realities. shall continue to
make whisky apparently friend
The Young man who killed himself near
the half empty bottle, the sad. abandoned
woman who died OF hunger in her loneli-
ness and with whisky near her, had prob.
ably strong excuses for their weakness ard
failure
But let their sad ending be none the less
q lesson to you, Young men.
Bear in mind that motto on the bar
room mirror, and say to yourself: | shall
have no whisky jokes in my career. I'll
give up whisky, and never give it a chance
to make me give up NV business.
Remember that safety, as well as self
respect and the duty of setting Il good ey-
ample, demands that You let the stuff
alone.
Make up your mind that if you fail in
your life work it will not he because YOU
exchanged all your prospects for fuddled
feeling in the head. an abnormal quicken
ing Of the nu,se, some hours wasted in
Dragging. and a headache well deserved-
Arthur Brisbane. in the New York Even
ing American and Journal.
a Temperance Lecture from Texas.
We saw on the streets of Grapeand one
dav last week a thing clothed in the hl.
bilments Of man. His gait was swagger-
ing, his ewes b,oated and his young face
furrowed by dissipation-so drunk ne could
scarcely stand alone. With an oath that
would disgust the devil himself he de-
clared; - am an anti from the top of my
head TO the so,es OF my feet and have got
seven Gallons of whisky right in town to
help their cause" For one minute we
stood ard looked upon this picture and
thought it this or any OF its immediate an
cestors were created in the image Of God
ii there WIS ever anything in his makeup
even aDDroSimatiua divinity how wonder.
ful had been the fall.
Before us stood a man. young in years
but totally depraved, whose soul was abso.
lutelv dead to every high and noble senti.
ment: whose destiny for time and eternity
was sealed bv the demon rum Then we
remembered that once he was an innocent
hahe. the Joy OF a fond mother and the
pride and hope OF a dotng father; that
once his innoGent heart beat responsive to
the higher and uobler purposes Of life. that
the difference het ween him and the noblest
specimen Of manhood in all the country
was simp'v the effect of the strong drink.
Then the blood in our veins became chilled
ard orr heart grew sick. and we cried:
MY God. is IL anv wondor good men and
women all over this country are arrayed
against this monster curse |'-Crapeland
fF,;;as) Messenger.