The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-03-26
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE or INTEMPERANcE.
Miles OF Misery in the Columns OF Alec.
holism-An Army of Five million Men
and Women who Daily Go to Saloon,
For Intoxicating Drinks.

N"io' oi "hsery III the Columns OF Alec.
holism-An Army Of Five million Men
and Women who Daily Go to saloons
For Intoxicating Drinks.
:. There are N the United States 10000
Iiquor saloons. If formed into street,
with saloons on each side, allowing twenty
feet to each saloon, they would make a
street 285 miles long. Let us imagine them
Drought together in such a street. and let
us suppose that the moderate drinkers and
their families are marching in at the up.
| per end. and let us see what that street
turns out in one year.
What army is that which comes march.
ing down the street in solid columns, five
Abreast. extending $40 miles? 1t is the
army OF 100000 men and women. who
daily and constantly go to saloons for in.
toxi"ating drinks as a beverage. Marching
twenty miles day. it will take them more
than twenty-eight days to go by.
Now they are gone. and close in their
rear comes. another army, marching five
abreast and sixty miles in length. In it
dnere are $4,000 confirmed drunk srds.
They are men and women who have lost
control OF their appetites, who are in the
regular habit Of getting drunk and making
beasts OF themselves Marching two
ssoreast the army is $50 miles in length.
Scan them closely. There are pray haired
men and fair haired boys. There are. alasi
many women IN that army, sunk to deeper
depths than the men, because Of the great.
er, heights from which they fell. II will
take them seven days to go by. II is a sad
and sickening sight, but do not turn away
yet, Tor here comes another army, 100 600
criminals. From jails and prisons and pen.
itentiaries they come. AT the head OF the
army army comes a long line of persons whose
With ropes around their necks. they are
on their way to the gallows Others are
gong to prison for life. Every. crime known
to our laws has been committed bv these
persons while under the influence of drink
But bark! Whence comes those wells
and who are those bound with strong
chains and guarded by strong men. that 90
raging by? They are raving maniacs, made
such by drink. Their eyes are tormented
with awful sights, and their ears ring with
awful sounds. Shiny. reptiles crawl over
their bodies and fiends from hell torment
them before their time. They are gone
nov and we breathe more freely. e(
but what gloom is this that pervades the
arr ard what is that long line of black
coming slowly down the street? 1t is the
line OF funeral professions. One hundred
thousand who have died the drunkard's
qeath are being carried to their graves.
Drunkards do not have many friends to
mourn. their loss, and we can put thirty OF
their funeral professions into mile. We
nave thus procession 1888 miles in length,
It Will take a good share of the year for
them to go by for funeral professions
move slowly. Look into the coffins as they
go by. See the dead drunkards Some
dled OF delirium tremens, and the lines of
terror are still plainly marked on their
iaces Some froze to death by the road.
side, too drunk to reach their homes; some
stumbled from the wharf and were
drowned; some wandered into the woods
anu died; some blew their, brains out;
some, were fearfuly stabbed in drunken
brawls; some were roasted in burning
buildings; some were crushed to shameless
masses under the cars. They died in va.
rious ways, put strong drink killed them
all, and on, their tombstones-if they have
aanyLmay be iitly inscribed, HE died
:. Close behind them comes another long
ilne OF funeral processions-we know not
now Tany-but they are more numerously
attended by mourning friends. They con.
tam the remains of those who have met
death through carelessness and cruelty of
drunken men. Some died of a broken
heart; some, were foully murdered; some
were burned to death in buildings set on
nre ny drunken men; some were horribly
mangled on the railroad because of drunk
en- engineers or fagmen; some were blown
up on steamboat because drunken cap.
tam ran race with rival boat.
But here comes another army-the chill
uren, innocent ones, upon whom have been
VISITED the lniquities of their fathers. How
many, are there? Two hundred thousand.
Marching two abreast. they extend up the
street street thirty miles. Each one must bear
through life the stigma of being a drunk
ards child. They are reduced to poverty.
want and heggary. They live in Ignorance
and wee. Some of the children are moan.
ing with hunger, and some are shiverino
with the cold for they have not enough
rags to keep them warm. A large number
OF them are idiots, made so before they
were born by brutal drunken fathers, and
inherited love for liquor, and are growing
up to take the places and do the deeds OF
their fathers. They will fill the ranks of
tnf awlni army OF drunkards that move in
unbroken columns down to death. II has
taken nearly year for the street to empty
itself OF its wears work, and close in the
rear comes the vanguard of the next years
supply. And if this is what liquor does in
our land in one year, what must be its re.
tury?