The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-04-12
THE GREAT DESTROYER
;OM: STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF lNTEMPERANCE.

Mainly responsible for the manu-
facture of Observation-Disclosures n Mans
Prosperity and He Will Stop Drinking
Every man has in his mind, in spite
of all whisky's devilish work. the real
desire to do good. If that determina-
ton can be brought suddenly to life
by some powerful shock, some sudden
awakening Of conscience or will. a
man in the last stages can be saved.
But, as a general proposition, ser
mons on alcohol do little good except
when a mar 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-
hibition.' We do not believe that tenn
perance 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 fol-
their own good.
But this we do know: The man in
the United States who lets whisky
and all ardent spirits alone is a fortu'
nate man. He is the man that sue
ceeds. he is the man to be trusted, he
is the man that is wanted.
e. The great difficulty with those thai
preach moderation and temperance Is
the fact that they are often absolutely
ignorant of what they talk about.
Nothing sounds more foolish to q
drunkard than the average talk of the
teetotaler, of the man who has never
known whisky's influence.
AS Lecky long ago said, the reform
er only too often arouses contempt in
the mind of, the man whom he seek;
to cure.
Nine times out of ten the whisky
victim knows perfectly well that the
man who argues with him. talks will
him. scolds him, begs him to stop,
really does not know anything about
the force against which he fights,
. If you want to cure a man of whisky
try to put yourself in his place. Re-
member that you are asking him to dc
that which you, probably, could not
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 the dulness of life,
the monotony which overwhelms the
man that suddenly stops drinking, and
which the ordinary Ian cannot un'
derstand.
Don't try to make a 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 a start. The hard-drinkinG
man, if wise, will put himself beyond
the reach of temptation by voluntarily
lepriving himself Of his liberty and
the possibility of drinking for a 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
outs away from the reach of whisky
and of the world all Of its criminals
If a man steals or kills, commits bur-
glary or forgery, the State will put
him for a 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-
yer, would it not be a good idea II the
State would supply some refuge for
the confirmed drunkard anxious to
cure himself?
Wouldn't it be better to give the
lrunkard a refuge from his whisky,
10 offer him an asylum beyond the
reach of temptation now, rather than
nave the expense of his burial, his
maintenance in the hospital, the care
If his children later? This might be
worth the thought of some of the we'll
meaning individuals continually look
ng around for new laws to suggest.
In the meanwhile, the main hope IN
the fight against whisky is, first, the
lecency of character Of the whisky
lrinker himself; and, secondly, the ill.,
,reasing prosperity Of the nation.
Poverty, with its camp-followers, i'll
ness, dirt and worry, is mainly re-
:ponsible for the manufacture OF
Drunkenness.
Everything that tends to diminish
poverty tends to diminish drunken
aess. And, fortunately, in spite of
the opposing views of the pessimists,
lhe modern tendency is away from
poverty and toward comfort more
videspread.-From an Editorial in the
New York American.