The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-07-01
YOUNG MAN READ THIS,
Strong Drink Hurts no One
Who Lets it Alone.
BY DAVID REED MILLER.

drinks is filled with darkness and The
shadow of death. He is like one whose
lamp has gone out and is facing the
midnight storm. The rain in his face.
Darkness is around about him. The
stars are hidden. His lantern is flame
less, and the lightnings which momen-
tarily fill the night with fire leave the
darkness more impenetrable than ne
fore. The path before him is sodGen
and black as the storm. A call TO his
companions is of little help, for they
are in the night as well as he. He has
no heart to proceed, but whittier shall
he turn! 1t is as dark on the one hand
as on the other. Which ever way he
turns it is the same.
This is dark picture; But is there
anything hopeful in the outlook tor
one who is Of known Incorporate hab-
its? What path of usefulness is open
before him, what place of responsible
service? What business house wants
him? What contractor wishes him in
his employ? Who will vote for h i'm
for the treasurership of any corpora
tion or to fill a position of trust in
civil life? The very best stations in
life are barred to the man who star
ries long at the wine. Is not the way
dark? Does not the storm beat in his
face! And what good will the recon-
mendation OF his convival companions
do him? The man who seeks to rise
to the tower by rotten stairway is
worse off than before. The CONNER
cial world is against him. Every high
and honorable station is closed to
him. He must give up the bottle or
cease to aspire. Over the gate of the
best things there is written, "No Ad-
mittance. The man with the whiskey
bottle carries his own epitaph wherever
he goes. The reason of his own ex-
clusion from the confidence of bust
ness men is IN the bottle in his pocket.
The inevitable result of this mans fol-
ly is that he must consort with his own
kind. He must labor with fellows of
his own craft. He must toll or let it
alone, in the menial callings and pick
up livelihood at odds and ends as
best he can. Or il he have inherited a
fortune he is tolerated, if at all, for
his moneys sake. Or if he be of no.
BILE family he Is sometimes endured for
his friends sake. But the inebriate is
a repudiated man, discredited man.
Sad as it may seem, yet the saddest
thing about it is, that it is true.
Or II there be, indeed, sadder thing
1t is this, that he is himself response
BILE for the position in which he finds
himself; not wholly, perhaps, but ul-
timately and morally. Society has
no. repudiated him, but he has repu-
dated society. He has gone counter
TO the known convictions and teach
ings OF all good men and women. He
has ignored counsel and precept, and
he Is at the foot of the toboggan be-
cause he wanted to ride. He may have
been weak and he may have been tempt
ed, but his own will was umpire. 9th
ers have faced the same temptations
and have resisted them Other men
have met Gambrbinus in the way and
have conquered him. The temptations
that mastered him they have mastered.
Blame If you will the law that has
thrown the temptations around him,
and 1t Is TO be blamed and wholly and
unsparingly condemned, but that is
another thing from the phase of the
matter we are considering.
We must not forget that man is a
moral agent, and II Is the individual
moral agency in ones own downfall
that we are now considering. The law
compels no man to enter saloon. It
compels no man TO take a drink. II
compels no man TO get drunk or to
spend his money in selfruination-
mans own free agency comes 10 here.
We have known men in towns where
there were no licensed houses TO send
away to other towns and have the vile
stuff shipped to them, and them de-
liberately sit down and drink them
selves drunk. Where the citizens had
interceded for these men and had put
the temptation out OF their way by
prohibitory ordinances, and did what
they could 70 protect them against the
vice TO which they were addicted, they
refused 70 abstain but "sought il
again." to the sorrow and disgust OF
those who befriended them. And the
point In my arguing is that the drunk
ard has no one TO blame for his con-
dition so much as himself. trust that
! am not uncharitable or unsympa-
thctic, but wish TO make this truth
plain: that no drunkard can escape
the responsibility OF being what he Is.
However much the state may be repre-
hensible, and we do not hold II re.
sponsible for placing temptation in
his way, yet the drunkard cannot clear
his record or soul by saying, ''the
state tempted NE aud ] drank" Adam