Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-11-22
THE GREAT DESTROYER.

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THE GREAT DESTROYER.
Some Startling Facts About the Vice
OF lntemperanee.
In the front store window Of dealer
In wines and other intoxicating drinks
several times noticed durb the past
winter placards displayed, upon which
were lettered the words which form
the caption Of this article: Come In
and look! You will not be expected
to buy!" How like In sentiment and
accordant In rhyme, thought, to the
familiar ditty Of my childhood: 'Will
you walk into my parior, said the
spider to the fiy2"
With no inclination whatever to ac-
cept the invitation to enter this death
trap, could nevertheless, In imagi-
nation, look around upon its brave ar
ray Of bottles Of wine and demijohns
Of whisky, Its fiasxs OF gin and casks
OF brewed liquors. and readily picture
some scenes, which, although insep-
arably linked to this traffic, I am sure
that the dealer would have been alto
gether unwilling to have enacted right
there in hiJ presence.
Thus, could bring before him the
young washerwoman. who, with a
babe at her breast, and with second
one Just able to walk beside her. was
at work at my house only yesterday.
It might nave been well had this
greatly wronged woman stood In his
presence, where he. too, could have
seen her weep bitter tears whilst she
told how her husband had broken
again his good resolye-had spent all
his weeks wages for the hateful
Iiquor-had lost an excellent place.
and finally. overcome with remorse at
his folly. hsd utterly deserted her and
the children.
Had the tears and woeful tale OF
this woman made no impression upon
the respects BILE dealer In rum cordials,
there might have been brought before
him-were IL not that she had lately
been silencsd by drink--another one
Of whom had knowledge. who earned
a livelihood by washing. Most faith
ful and hardworking was she Ia her
sober NONE nts, but constant was her
craving for alcohol and dreadful 10
hear were her jeerings and inpreca-
tions when It mastered her. OYER
come by the habit, she had at last
died miseral,ly In the forlorn room Of
the tenement where she lodged. The
writer. being called to the spot be-,
held loatlisome object. such as ne
hoped never again to see. yet. had he
accepted the invitation Of the rum
seller to come In and look" upon
those dernijohns Of whisky in the
warehouse referred to. visions Of des-
olation very much like this must have
risen to view.
Again: I might have brought
could bring now-into the presence OF
this dealer terribly besotted and
bloated creature, made so by the same
maddening poison as is drawn from
those casks. II there should come
with him, ar the same time, the two
elder sons Tho are following hard In
their fathers steps to ruin, ana the
nine other children-which would IN
clude the jabbering idiot boy and the
baby-and finally, the mother herself,
to tell Of her husbands nearly con-
tinuous drunken or half-drunken con-
dition, his frequent rawlings and foam
ings when he dashes the scanty furni-
ture about end no one Is safe In MS
presence, his threatening to kill her
with the knife which he uses In mis-
shoemakers craft, and Of her being
driven screaming into the street even
at midnight in the depths Of winter
and with a single garment upon her,
think, perhaps. the owner OF tne
casks and Gemijohns might be con-
vinced of the reality Of the suffering
though he might still make denial OF
the iniquity Of the traffic by which
he thrives.
I have here simply spoken OF three
cases Of the drink evil, happening,
within a stones throw Of each otner'
in what Is spoken Of as one OF tine
poorer localities" Of Philadelphia's In
viting suburb Of C..
Almost everyone who reads these
lines can cite somewhat similar IN
stances; whilst the cases which daily
come before our Quarterly Sessions
court will furnish many others. OF
the narrowing details Of which tne
swiftest. pen could not take fuli ac-
count. Yet we are assured that none
of these things are unrecorded In
''the book OF remembrance" none Ior-
gotten by Him who heareth the cry OF
all His creatures. Would that all VINO
accede to the alluring invitauon 70
Come In and look" who look acqul-
escingly upon the wine when IL is
red" would consider the deadly peru
Of that addsr's sting("at the last II
stineeth like an adder'), which ls
likely to assail them, remembering
that drunkards have no inneritahce
with those who may enter In through
the eates into the city" Still, TO the
temuted, the weary, and the heavy
laden. is ever extended the invitation,
with rs promise Of eternal rest: Let
him tbat IA athirst come. And whose
ever will let him take the water OF
life freely." No deception nor double
dealing here. The word is come and
freely take, for assuredly you win not
be aynected to buy.-Josiah w. Leeds,
~ I&y..tapoI Advocate.