The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-03-22
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF iNTEMPERANcE.

Prosperity and He Will stop Drinking
Every man has In his mind, in spite
of all whisky's devllish work. the real
desire to do good If that determine
ton can be brought suddenly to life
by some powerful shock. some sudden
awakening of conscience or will.
man in the last stages can be saved.
But. as general proposition. SER
mons on alcohol do little good except
when man has as yet had no real rea-
son to fear alcohol or know Its power.
Every man In the United States
should be an advocate of temperance.
This newspaper does not advocate pro
libition. We do not believe that tenn
ncrance is really promoted by compul.
sion. We are not convinced that the
majority have the actual right to rule
the minority In this respect. even for
their own good.
But this we do know: The man in
the United States who let's whisky
and all ardent spirits alone Is fortu-
nate man. He Is the man that sue.
ceeds. he Is the man to be trusted, lie
Is the man that rs wanted.
The great difficulty with those that
preach moderation and temperance Is
the fact That they are often absolutely
ignorant of what they talk about
Nothing sounds more foolish TO
drunknrd than the average talk of the
feetotaler of the man who has never
known whlsky's Influence.
As Lecky long ago said the reform.
or only too often arouses contempt in
the mind of the man wAom he seeks
TO cure.
Nine times out of ten the whisky
victim knows perfectly we'll that the
man who argues W n him. talks with
him scolds him hegs hlT to stop.
really does not know anything about
the force against which he fights.
II you want to cure man of whisky
try to put yourself in his place. Re
member that you are asking him to do
that which you. probably. could rot
possibly do If you exchanged places
with him.
Remember that human beings al-
ways obey their strongest impulse.
whatever the strongest impulse may
be.
Remember also - dulness of life.
the monOtony which overwhelms the
man that suddenly stops drinking. and
which the ordinary Lam cannot mn
derstand.
Don't try to mako 4 man stop drink
ing without giving him something else
to think of. without managing in some
way to make it worth his while TO
stop. by awakening his conscience or
appealing to the remaining strength
that is in him.
The most difficult thing. Of course,
is to make n start. The hard drinking
man, if wise. will put himself beyond
the reach of temptation by voluntarily
depriving himself of his liberty ana
the possibility of drinking for II Ger.
tain length of time.
Unfortunately, it Is very difficult for
a man that is poor-and most drunk
ards become poor - to interrupt his
work long enough to get rid of the
whisky habit
The Government gladly locks up and
puts away from the reach of whisky
and of the world all of its criminals.
II man steals or kills commits bur
glary or forgery. the State will put
him for considerable time beyond
the reach of temptation.
In view of the fact that whisky sup.
plies practically all of the criminals
that are not made by the gambling fe-
State would supply some refuge for
the confirmed drunkard anxious 10
cure himself?
Wouldn't it be better to give the
drunkard refuge from his whisky,
to offer him an asylum beyond the
reach of temptation now, rather than
have the expense of his burial. his
maintenance in the hospital, the care
of his children later? This might be
worth the thought OF some of the we'll
meaning individuals continually look
ing around for new laws to suggest.
In the meanwhile, the main hope in
the fight against whisky is, first. the
decency of character of the whisky
drinker himself; and. secondly, the in
creasing prosperity of the nation.
Poverty, with its camp-followers, ILL.,
ness, dirt and worry, is mainly re-
sponslble for the manufacture of
drunkenness.
Everything that tends to diminish
poverty tends to diminish drunken
ness. And, fortunately, in spite Of
the opposing views of the pessimists,
the modern tendency is away from
poverty and toward comfort more
widespread.-From an Editorial in the
New York American.