Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-09-08

claim if it were not for the license
law, we could not keep up public ex-
penses and in the towns they could
not keep up needed improvements.
Who wants to meet such expenses
with the price OF blood and the
sacrifice of souls? 1t seems 10 me that
such persons loYe darkness rather
than light, because their deeds are
evil. If it we're not tor intoxicants,
there would be but little need for
lock ups, jails, penitpntiarles, poor
houses and insane asylums. If there
were no distiileries or saloons, how
many of such institutions would
there be? Not one sixth, even. If
there were just as many asthere are,
the money spent for strong drink
would cover the expense of all and
leave large surplus for the spread
of the gospel. 1t our towns had the
money annually spent for drink
they could have better sidewalks and
still have enough to pay their c)r-
poratlon taxes, feed and clothe all
the needy poor children in the towns;
and something would be left for TO
send out missionaries and all would
be happier and better off in this life,
saying nothing of the next. 1t can
not be denied that every persen does
suffer more or less through the dire
ful effects of the atominable liquor
traffic, financially, physically or men,
tally. Who has a heart so hard that
it has not been palned to see father,
brother or son brought lower than
the brute and perhaps dying from
the effects of drink, to say nothing of
the suffering of mothers and chill
dren and the loss of souls. Go to
our jails, you fnd that.nme tenths OF
the prisoners have been the victems
OF drink, committing crimes while
under it's influence. Go TO our state
prisons and you will find that the
majority of the crimes for which the
convicts were sent there, can be
traced to strong drink. This Is the
school where many receive their first
lesson in sin and 1t is written within
its dazzling walls that they are
broken down. VIII thousands more
yet unborn be educated III the way
that leads to death? Go TO the poor
throughout our land You will find
that strong drink has its victims
there. Only he who can count the
hairs of our heads can count the
mighty hosts who have fallen through
strong drink. Our penal institutions
are kept up by the saloons, why not
do away with saloons? Then the ma
jorlty of those institutions might be
dispensed with. Then the millions
of dollars which are spent Tor their
support could be used to support
tile homes OF unfortunate and desc.
late and the oyerplus could be used
IN building houses of worship and
christianising the heathen. Shame to
that land that boasts OF christian
civilization and yet will stain itself
with a crime worse than barbarlsm
and bring other nations also under
the bondage of the curse, strong
drink, that destroys both soul and
body.
| wish to present few OF the
many evils of this curse to humanity
which is destroying all that is noble
in man and degrading him below the
brute creation, blightlng the hopes OF
wives and children aud destroying
the souls of men and if they had all
the money on this earth they could
not redeem the soul. They do as
Esau, sell their eternal birth right
for strong drink, and the money
made by selling it. Woe unto him
that giveth his neighbor drink and
and puts the bottle to him and makes
him drunk. Habakkuk, 2-15 and
will the man that will vote to license
him be any better off than he that
sells it? | aid a man in murder or IN
stealing, l am no better than he in
principal. | wish TO show the great
waste OF that God has given us as
stewards of his goods, and we will
| be held accountable for the use we
make of them. Statistics show that
tobacco and strong drink costs more