Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-03-03
w, C. T. u. COLUMN.
THE ONLY HOPE.

once one OF the aOleSU Judges OIL d
supreme bench. His learning was
vast and thorough. When he was
himself he was a prince in social life,
but he loved the cup. At last he was
persuaded to enter a temperance fra
ternity and he finally became the
chief of the order in his state. For
years his experience was the old
story. At times the right had the
mastery, and | wrestled with him to
decide GAS for me 1 will serve the
Lord" But he waited for a more
convenient season, and at last this
star of science and Jurisprudence
went out in darkness, for he died
dead drunk, alone, in the hot hold of
an Atlantic coasting steamer.
Another, who stood at the head of
his profession as a mechanical engi-
neer, had the genius of the order
which has produced some of those
marvels of invention for which our
country is famous. Though he was
much my senior, our mechanical
tastes drew us together as brothers.
Incorporate habits gained power
over him until he was the terror of
his lovely wife and daughters, and Of
his grey haired mother. He would
listen to the writer, however, even
when writhing in mania pOtu. [
grappled his case, entering into it
with so much interest that it haunted
me in my dreams, and | would cry
out in my sleep. AS often as he fell I
rescued him from horrid drink dens.
At last | met him when his eyes
| showed that he was then in one of his
sprees. He grasped my hand and
assured me he had just pledged him
self, under oath, before a magistrate,
proffered hand and lovingly looking
him in the face, said to him, "John,
it's of no use for you to sign pledges,
! or join societies. You will come to
Christ, or drunkard's grave will be
the doorof bell to your poor SOUL"
! He had a wild revel that night, but
those words kept ringing in his ears,
and he accepted refuge on the Rock
from which no temptation can move
him.
Another case was a sea captain,
whom l found at meeting for sailors,
in Boston. He rose with others for
prayer, and at the close of the hour I
singled him out for conversation, but
he was so drunk it seemed of no use
to speak to him. l therefore wrote
the warning on a card, verbally made
in the other case, and put it in his
pocket, where he found it when he
was sober. That arrow, too, went
home and he became noted for
efficiency in Christian work among
seamen.
These and other thrilling expert
ences have led me to the conviction
that the grace of God is the only
hope for one in the charmed circles
of social tipping, or of "moderate'
AOlh POAohCO OOSAOIAOD 1alo
be the advance guard to halt the
march of the enemy, but the only
force able to rout the Rum Fiend il
the Estill snail voice" The gospe
of Jesus of Nazareth is the only hope
in thousands of cases, of which these
are types. Drunkards often die sud
denly with so-called heart disease, o.
something else. Each Of them, tht
same as every other human soul, i
to meet One in judgment who says
"No drunkard shall enter the king
dom" A hundred thousand are
yearly marching to eternity. Thou
| sands of them via the madhouse
which gets big majority of it's re
cruits through intemperance. W.
, say to those of them still here, "Com
to Jesus just now" by deciding i
earnest, to serve Him, and daily AM
: regularly reading the Bible and pray
ing for help. Pray for help to decide
Every moment Of delay is one of re
jecting Him, and makes one strouge
to reject and weaker to accept.