The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-12-12
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF INTEMPERANCE.

in the World-Some Instances.
"A very common notion Is abroad
that wine makes men bright and sue
cessful Intellectually. This Is n Of
the decisions Of alcohol. One of the
brainest men England ever produced,
a very giant In intellect, was DR..
Samuel Johnson. DR.. Matthew Ar
mold, when he wished to put before
the young men of the University in
England a standard work on the most
high-class principle on criticism in
the English language, chose six Of
Johnson's Lives" and published
them in a gem of a volume entitled
"Johnson's Six Chief Lives" and
gave an introduction from himself.
Those "Six Lives" marked the high
water mark, and it had never been
nearly reached since. That MASTER
piece was produced after he was sew
enty years Of age.
AS an exemplar Of total abstinence
and an illustrations example of self
denial few names occupy a more hon.
ored place than that of DR.. Samuel
Johnson. He was a total abstainer
at a time and among men when it re-
CURED courage of a high order to
practice total abstinence.
1t was a time of moderation in the
church-the time Of a low, groveling,
sensual philosophy. English society
was never at a more materialistic
level than in the days Of DR.. Johnson,
and in spite of it all he stood up as
bravely as teetotalers did now before
society and the community. One day
when Johnson was in his club in
London one Of his literary friends
said to him about hat very matter
they were afraid to bully DR.. John
son-"I am always wondering what
it was that made you, Of all men, an
abstainer." Johnson looked at him
and said-"Sir"-and his very "Sir"
made a man tremble-"Sir," he said,
God sent me a terrible sickness, and
I took the lesson from His haid, and
I intend to profit by it, and to keep
repeating it to the day Of my death.
I saw that my Makers mind was that
I should cease using strong drink"
Johnson was a total %abstafner in
the clubs in London when there vas
scarcely a total abstainer but himself.
I1C ulu uOI huOW q uOUlSl CulA5 q
mortal man could say than that God
gave him a lesson and he learned 1t.
When in the Hebrides he was one
evening at dinner in Dunvegan Cas-
tie. The laird had brought in people
from Skye to meet him-the doctor
being one Of the foremost men of
England at that time-for even a
king thought 1t an honor to shake his
hand. The people had gathered from
far and neal to e him. Johnson
was seated beside Lady Macleod,
and as the dinner went on all kinds
Of drink were going round, and Lady
Macleod said to him. Everybody is
taking something but yourself, I am
sure you would not carry it too far"
mo, madam" replied Johnson, lit
would carry m too far" Some one
later on during that dinner party
suggested to DR.. Johnson that he
might take something and drink it In
moderation. He turned and said,
"Sir, I feel I cannot take.it in mod
Grafton" That was n Of the great
est speeches made by the greatest Of
Englishmen. He admitted himself
to be a weak man, and that thsre
was a danger in taking it in modera-
ton, and therefore he denied him
self. 1t was a noble stand for a man
like Johnson to take in a society in
which he stood alone. It vas COM
paratively easy nowadays to be an
abstainer. ~
There was another instance. Seated
In his club n day there was an old
gentleman at lunch, eating and
drinking and grumbling that he was
getting old and done and useless.
Johnson sat reading his newspaper.
His companion was full of the COM
plant, as though God was inJlring
him by letting him get old. HHow
old are your" asked Johnson
denly. II am siXty-fve," replied
old gentleman. "Well," replied 10
son, I'm seventy, Drink water
go in for a hundred"
Hugh Miller, speaking about TT
ture in his "My Schools and Sch
masters" said that when he we
working mason years ago in Cror
ty he used to read the very bestbo
during the meal hours in his BIO
He thus formed that masculine 81
which made itself felt more BET
and after the disruption and that
never been equallsd since.
formed that style while workin:
his bothy as an apprentice ma
Hugh Miller stated that after
at some house eating, or sonlesp
where there was an eXcu for
ting in whisky, and he took hiss
in it, when he went back to hissf
and lifted up Bacon's essayssSw
formed food for his intellect inst =
days, he could not read. The
in his head prevented him froml
ing his Bacon, and he laid the
down with such a burning shame
he had made himself so blind TIL
could net read his favorite book
he vowed that night that itsg
never happen again, and it didn'
Kansas Prohibition Popular
Kansas was never as temper;
Cfofn nc ~ &c fn-Ior orI tho