Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1904-04-25

tthAhAg W III Ills AnIAhlldblt BONCt
of maritime description he pictured
the terror of the peaceful seamen
when the dreaded black flag was run
up. He described with faithful real
! ism the crowding on of the canvas and
the pursuit by the rakish craft of the
cutthrOats. drawing nearer and nearer
TO its prey. as the leaping tiger comes
nearer and nearer to clumsy, lum-
bering buffalo. Then the Whit of
smoke, then the murderers clambering
over the gunwales of the doomed ship,
then the wounded and dying men be-
ing pitched overheard; then with the
! dramatic effect of contrast Father Tay-
Tor described how these cutthroats hes
itated before striking down the last of
those on the merchantmen - the cap
tain's helpless wife and his innocent,
weeping child. What did the piratical
leader then do?" said Father Taylor. He
ordered grog to be served. Even those
murderers of men had a heart until a
gill of rum and mOlasses apiece took it
away. No sooner was the rum swal-
lowed than this mother and her child
were struck down by the men, whose
infamed hearts and brains were with
out mercy" All, yes; the drunkard's
sins are scarlet. They are sins which
make men capable of fiendish work,
even to the death of a helpless mother
and her innocent babe
Drink Destroys Spiritual Life.
Some people will tell you that men
drink to drown their sorrows. | tell
you that when men drink they stain
their souls. No sooner is the drunk
ards poisonous draft taken into the
blood than the man seems to be pos
sessed with rabies and must go forth
to scatter death wherever he can The
human being inOculated with the poi
son of intOXlcantS seems to be endowed
with the power to destroy spiritual and
often physical life, as was the inocu-
lated rabbit of Australia to destroy the
physical life of beast bird and man.
Many years ago an Australian colonist
was hOmeSick for the sight of the Eng
lish rabbit. He had one of his friends
ship him couple as pets to his farOff
southern home. Those rabbits escaDed
from their master and began to breed.
Their progeny increased until they
were almost as countless as the sands
of the sea. The Australian rabbit
plague destroyed the crops. They be-
came as great a curse as is the seven
teen year locust to the American farm
err. They were numbered by the mil
lion. The Australian parliament was
hpWildnrn1 with
ward of 100000 was offered for any
man who could devise a practical plan
to eXterminate them. Wire fences were
built across that island continent. The
rabbits We're hunted with guns and
dogs and entrapped everywhere, but
still their numbers grew. At length, as
a last resort, some rabbits were caught
and inoculated with the fatal serum of
hydrOphObia. Then a greater danger
than before menaced these southern
cOlOnists. These mad rabbits not only
bit other rabbits, but they bit dogs and
sheep and cattle and even bit men and
women and children. SO when the
drunkard'S blood is once inOculated
with the poison it seems to create in
1t seems to make q man absolutely in
different how he might crush out the
heart of his wife, his child or his
friend. A man drinks to drown sor-
row? Oh, no. He drinks to crafty his
Unsuitable craving, reckless Of the con-
sequences, though they may involve his
becoming recreant to his duty to the
hnInlpSS W. and tho al,
dren who are dependent on his eXer-
tons and have the strongest of all
claims OH his loyalty, his truth and his
honor.
Reddest of All Sins.
The drunkard's sins, without doubt,
must be clasSed among the reddest Of
all scarlet sins. Now comes the prac-
teal question, Will God cleanse the
drunkard's sins? When we say he is
loathsome, heartless, good for moth
ing drunkard do we mean, There is
no hope for the drunkard?" Some of
US have such a lack of faith that we
do mean this; but God never meant
nor said it. Purge me with hyssop
and l shall be clean; wash me, and
I shall be whittier than snow" is a di-
rect refutatiOn of the charge that
Christ will not forgive the drunkard's
sins. Oh, man, though by drunken
ness you have sold your home under
the sheriff's hammer, though you have
wrecked your business and had your
eyes horror struck with the kaleido-
scope of delirium tremens, vet there is
even pardon and peace for you. There
is the same message of salvation and
rescue for you that there was for
Francis Murphy, or Cough, or Captain
Barbour or as there is for the scores
and hundreds upon hundreds of re-
formed drunkards who every night
are found testifying TO the glorious
rescuing power of the gospel of Jesus
Christ. Though your drunkards sins
be as scarlet they shall be as white
as snow; though they be red like Grim
son, they shall be as wool"
An Appeal to Young Men.