The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1902-02-13
A REAL REFORMATION

Washington Star man, the most ornate
and unitue case of that sort that | ever
happened into occurred in Detroit II years
ago last New Year, and the Chief figure in
it was a man who is now the president OF
one of the big western railroads. lie was
then the superintendent OF line running
into Detroit Al that time he was man
of 40, who had grown up IN the railroad
business, with delightful family, and more
things in general to live for than a whole
lot of US ever get anywhere near accumulat-
ing. There was only one thing the matter
with him, and that was his habit OF going
off on occasional jamborees. This little prac.
tice grew upon him, so that he finally got
into the way o, hiking to small points on mis-
road on pretended business, and OF hitting
up the old thing on the quiet for three or
four days, after which he'd show up at his
Detroit Office tremulous and shattered and
work like a galley slave for his outfit until
the next spell crept over him. | don't sup
pose there is any worse sort OF game in
the world than this one of nibblnrg at the
drinking vice in secret, nor one that grows
more steadily upon a fellow who once per
mits himself to become a devotoe OF the
practice. This man absurdly supposed, as
do most men who engage in that sort OF
thing, that he was foohng his >upcriors,
and that because he never drank around
Detroit. and made a show of himself they
were entirely unaware of his weakness; but
his suppostion. as usual. was wrong. They
knew all about the inwardness of his mys-
FERROUS little trips, and they overlooked
them because the man was a crackerjack
and almost essential to the road. Finally,
however, his disappearance became SO fire.
uuent that the cause underlying them
couldn't be overlooked any longer, and the
superintendent got a sharp carpetmg. The
details of his course for a couple of years
back were laid before him to his vast sur
prise and the president of the road calmly
but firmly told him that repetition of his
little disappearing stunt would be taken as
a token that the superintendent desired to
have his resignation accepted as an official
of the road. The president said that the
road didn't mind its higher officials drinking
moderately, and kindly suggested that if the
| superintendent were to totally give up
drinking for a year he might, at the end
| of that time, and himself possessed of suf-
| ficient selfcontrol to drink afterward in
| moderation.
at was at the close of the year that this
little talk was handed to the superntend-
| ant by the president, and the superintend-
| emit pretty sore over being found out, but
| nevertheless fully persuaded that he was
| entirely in the wrong, told the president OF
| the road that he would swear off totally
| from January ] to December 81. | was
with the superintendent when hc took his
| last drink before his years abstinence or
| the stroke of midnight, December 81. There
wasn't anything spectacular in his manner
of passing up the vice that had gradually
nailed him. He simply tossed off a final
| high one with the crowd of Us. buttoned
up his overcoat, said Goodnight, fellows.
and went home.
| "Well, | saw this man two or three times
a week after that, in all sorts of places and
/ in all kinds of company and, as wa, pref.
| " intimate with him. always felt when
| he was around the hard kind OF a fight he
was putting up. He'd sit in at little game;
| of draw at which all the rest of the fellow.
would be taking a nibble once in awhile
and when the chaps who were unfamiliar
with his case would press him to have q
| drink he would only grin at them dreamilN
and tell them that he was off the stuff foI
year. ! knew that it was a hard strug
gle for him, and ] had conviction rs the
year passed on to its close that the way
he was almost bound to break out when hi,
year was up would be disastrous for hi,
| physical and mental well being, not to
speak of his position with the railroad
well, a few days before the end of the
year the superintendent asked about a
dozen OF his ntlmates to attend little sup
per which he was gong to give at leading
hotel IN Detroit to see the New ear IN
] had feeling what TINS was going TO mean
tor him, and wnen J got hm alone took
the liberty to demonstrate with HIM. adj
vised MIN to pass II up-tod him that a
man with even an hereditary predispoStlor
to liquor who mad been able to give up the
habit for year could give 1t up for good
and urgently recommended him to canoe
his order Tor that midnight feed. ! men
/ toned his wife and family and his position
and grew pretty eloquent, for lee was fine
man, and | didn't want to SEE him go tt
the bad, as felt he would Il he again tool
up drinking.
My times up on New Years eve, ant
you be on hand Tor that supper, that all,
he replied to my adJuratlons.
81 was on hand largely because ! wanted
| to take care of him in case he became VIC
lent. We all presented ourselves at tn,