Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1905-04-26
An Appeal to The Churches.
lBy Rev. ID. w. Hiott.l

oSioNeu III tHo IOTu, We C8iI upon
you to bestir yourselves to work and
pray as never before. As we see it,
the moral and religious salvation of
our people is at stake just now. This
is the first time in many years .ha.
the people of this county have bean
allowed to express themselves on the
liquor traffic. Several years ago the
State voted pronibition and the men,
bers of the Legislature said the people
did not know what they wanted, so
they gave us the dispensary we asked
for fish, they gave us s serpent.
Now in the province of God we are
allowed to express our wishes again.
Let every man who desires to put
temptation out of the way of his fell
low man, addicted to drink, and who
would not drink as much if the dis
pensary was closed, as he does now,
throw himself into the fight for the
closing of the dispensary. Then
think of the boys and young men who
are just beginning to drink. If the
temptation could be moved away
from them, the next generation would
be sober. Think, beloved, now that
we have a chance to vote out the
DEVILS Workshop" where he manu-.
factures drunkards, that if we fail to
do it, we will be held in part account
able for the crimes committed by the
dispensary. God Furnishes not only
for sins committed, but for duty neg
leoted as well. If 1 see an obstruc.
tion on the railroad track and fail
to remove it, if the train is wrecked
and lives are lost, am l not RESPONSE
bleP / could have rer owed the OBJ
struction and so saved the passengers
from death. just 80, if l can close
the dispensary and / fail to do my
part, then l am responsible in Gods
sight as party to crime or crimes.
If the dispensary remains many souls
may be lost through it, so their blood
may be upon somebody's hands.
Reader, will it be yours? Think of
the groans of the wives of drunken
husbands, the heartaches of mothers
whose sons are drunkards think of
the cries of children whose fathers
spend their children's hard earned
money for drink, while the children
go thinly clad and poorly fed. Think
of the precious souls that will suffer
in hell forever through the influence
of strong drink. Think of all this
and then remember that we will
meet it all at the judgment bar of
God, when the secrets of all hearts
shall be disclosed and every one of us
shall give an account of himself. 1
would rather be chained to some
lonely mountain top where the cold
bleak winds of winter would freeze
me, or be confined in some gloomy
prison cell, where the light of day
should never come, and then remain
neglected to starve and die, than to
cast one vote to make one drunkard
and send one soul to a drunkard's
hell.
Feeling this way about it 1 am
willing to suffer cheerfully all criti-
osms and the anathemas that the cold
hearted world sees tit to heap upon
me. If men will not hear me let them
hear the voice of rye:
"THE VOICE OF RYE"
/ was made to be eaten, not to be drank,
To be thrashed in barn, not soaked in
tank.
/ came as a blessing whom put through
mill,
AS a blight and curse when run in a
still.
Make me into loaves and your children
are fed,
But into drink and I'll starve tb sm
instead.
In bread I'm servant, the eater shall
rule,
In drink Pm master, the drinker
fool;
Then heed my warning my strength I'll
employ,
If eaten I strengthen, if drank I'll de-
stroy.
A former South Carolinian, writing