The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-09-10
II Whisky Interferes, with Your Business
Give Up Your Business.


Give Up Your Business.
MANY men who saw this sign appeared
TO think it very funny. indeed, and the
owner Of the drinking place was congratn'
lated on his pretty wit.
But unfortunately in that sign there -
more Of grim truth than OF gay humor.
The man who takes to whisky soon hnds
that it does interfere with his business,
and he finds also that when he lets whisky
interfere with his business he might a. well
Give up his business" II he doesnt
his business will give him up.
Business and whisky do not travel tar To-
gether. The other day . young man, ap-
found dead. He had committed suicide:
Various sxp!anations-were offered for his
despair and SELF He left let:
ter in which he expressed sclf-approvai and
the belief that he had been treated unfsiTly
by the world. But the real story was lefe
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 a short time. Those bot.
ties. told that whisky had interfered with
his life. and. taking the advice OF the bar
room mirror, he had gwen up his life.
Two DAYS 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 good
chance in life. Kind neishbors explained
matters gently when she was found dead.
They tried to explain why her friends
never saw her. although they sent her
money. They tried to explain the miser-
abe, lonely ending, telling stories OF early
romance, etc.
But the story was told more SIMPLY than
that. Under the dead body there was
found a whisky bottle almost empty, and
this fact was made public at the inquest:
The unhappy woman had lacked food. and
the animals that she sought to befnend
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.
II was TIE same story. whisky had in.
terfered with her life and her friends, and
she had given up life and friends. COM
PEELED to do 50 by whisky.
are needed. You read such pieces Of news,
quickly told in commonplace language,
every day. II YOU read attentively the
eruesome 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 hnd that
the unfortunate one Eas taken the witty
saloon owners advice. IF Whisky Inter
ie-es with Your Business-CiSe UP Your
Business"
We do not wish to preach or moraise
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 life's 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 and
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
give up whisky, and never give it chance
to make me give up my business.
Remember that safety, as well as sell
respect and the duty OF setting . good ex.
ample. demands that you let the stun
alone.
Make up yopr mind that IL you fail in
your life worry it will not be because You
exchanged all your prospects for fuddled
feeling in the head, an abnormal quicken.
ing OF the pulse. some hours wasted IN
Dragging. and headache well deserved
Arthur Brisbane in the New York Even
ing American and Journal. 90
A Temperance Lecture From Texas.
We saw on the streets Of Grapeland one
dav last week q thing clothed IN the ha-
biliments of man. His eait was swaeeer-
ing. his eyes b!oated and his young face
furrowed by dissipation-so drunk he 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 soles Of my feet. and have got
seven gallons OF whisky right in town to
help their cause" For one minute va
stood and looked upon this picture and
thought il this or any Of its immediate an
cestors were created in the image OF God.
il there was ever anything in his makeup
even approximating divinity, how wonder
full had been the fall.
but totally depraved. whose soul was sbso-
lutely dead to every high and noble senti-
ment: whose destiny for time and eternity
was sealed by the demon rum. Then we
remembered that once he was an innocent
babe. the joy Of fond mother and the
pride and hope Of doting father: that
once his innocent heart beat responsive to
the higher and noblcr purposes OF life. that
the difference between him and the noblest
specimen of manhood in all the country
was simply the effect Of the. strong drink:
Then the blood in our veins became chilled
and our heart grew sick. and We cried:
My God. is it anv wonder good men and
women nll over this country are arrayed
against this monster curse"-Grapc.aad
(Texas) Messenger
LavieRe Down and Out.
Poor "Kid" I.avigne. Down and out.