The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-12-31
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING ACTS A5ouII
THE VICE OF iNTeMPERANcE.

In . Powerful Editorial tho New Tesh
Amsriean Considsrs ths nrunkard's
Side Of the First Thing Drins
Attacks 10 " u Powsr-ss svmpaihstss
You lucky, well balanced ones talk
much, and sincerely, OF the horrors os
drink, and Of the drunkard's weakness.
You think the whisky drinker ought "a
stop.
Do you ask yourselves whether or not ne
can stop? ~
Let Us consider to-day the drunkard's
side Of the case. Let Us see what may Do
said on his behalf.
drunkenness. Many q man taxes drink
because the task put upon him Is heavier
than he can bear. The whisky does not
help hint hnrts him. But It cheats him
and makes him think that he is helped. !.
You realize that whisky drinking settled
on man a. q habit must be fought with
weapons of some kind.
VIII power is the great weapon to use
in our own behalf. You tell the drunkard
to use his win power.
But you forget that the first thing that
whisky attacks is our win power:
ness brings suffering on others, and you ap.
peal to his conscience. But you forget that
whisky weakens conscience even more than
IL weakens the nerves. You forget, too.
that whisky makes its victim suffer. II he
could free himself he would do 30, il only
for his own sake.
And you must not forget that whisky
argues ingeniously, in addition to its tell
ing of lies.
4 man 10 overcome with some great
grief. Whisky makes him forget, or at
least Il makes him not care.
A man is suffering under some great hu-
initiation, some sense OF personal short
:oming, that is intolerable 10 him. Whisky
offers to relieve him, and for the moment
It docs relieve him.
You who talk nobly Of temperance and
advocate laws governing other men are apt
to be proud OF your own selfcontro!.
Perhaps you have never drunk-then
you are absolutely unable to judge Others
or the effort you ask OF them.
Perhaps you have been drinking man
and have stopped. But you do not know
how much lighter whisky's hold may have
been upon you than upon others.
Suppose You worked hard every day,
every week and every year.
Suppose you had no pleasure in life, save
the fictitious pleasure and excitement that
come from whisky; Suppose you failed,
that whisky was always ready to praise
you, make you feel proud Of yourself,
make you hold others responsible for your
own failures.-are you sure that you could
let whisky alone!
Suppose that many misfortunes afflicted
You and that you had friend able to
make you forget them all. Would you not
seek out that friend most eagerly!
To many, many thousands Of men whisky
Is such friend-and so they seek whisky.
Il is lying friend, and daily pushes them
further down hill. But it lies ingeniouslyi
and it docs give forgetfulness Tor the mo-
ment,
In your condemnation Of those who pc.
sist in whisky drinking you must remeI |
Der that what is easy for one man Is ver
hard for another.
Suppose you should urge two animals Il
20 without meat-one Of the animals being
q tiger and the other q sheep. Would you
praise the sheep for its faithful keeping
Of the promise? Would you blame the
tiger for breaking its word, il the temp.a-
ton to eat meat were offered?
In mems nervous systems, in their erav-
ing for alcoEol, there is as great differ
ence between different temperaments 40
tiger. One man il dragged t>ward the,
gulf by whisky with force Of which yoI
can have no conception.
You look with contempt at hopeless
drunkard, shutting along toward destruc-
ton.
There arc thousands Of such men who
every day of their lives make an effort Of
the will Of which you would be incapable.
But that effort, great as It i., is mot
great enough to save them-whisky dgags
them too hard in the other direction:
Is the drunkard's case hopeless! No.
Il any drunkard's case hopeless? No.
But the drunkard will not be cured BY
upbraidings, by contempt, by the preach.
ings of those who do not understand him
and the drunkard will not be cured by
prohibitory laws.-New York American.