The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1906-04-12
W.C.T.U. and Mission Column
A Picture.
Come have q drink, old fellow
twill do you good. =


ssCome have drink, old fellow.
twill do you good. =
This was said with the easy grace
Of one man to another; who could
possibly have foretold the consequence
Of compliance with this request? It
was all in the days happenings and
was asked and accepted by hundreds
Of men between daylight and dark,
and yet, let me tell you the result Of
just this one case. The man who ac-
cepted with apparent nonchalance,
ashamed to say that he could not
stand the consequences of just lone
drink was a man who had been
q hard drinker for several years but
through good influences which were be-
ing thrown around him, had given it
up and was succeeding in living down
the appetite. This man had every
thing against him from the first. He
had inherited the tendency towards
being a drunkard from one OF his
grandfathers. This tendency was de-
veloped by foolish, thoughtless mem
bers of his family. When he was q
boy, he was Induced to go on elrands
by the promise of wine to drink when
he should return. It was in the
good( p old-time when the decanter
stood Away on the sideboard. Later
in life, physicians prescribed whisky
for frequent sicknesses which overcame
him. What chance had such man
to resist the temptations which as
sailed him at every turn in the work a
day world? And yet, being man of
high ideals and longing for noble
life, he had resisted for some four
years. But on this particular morn
ing, the barriers were more than
usually weak, the appetite was strong,
and the DEVILS weapon, ''false
shame" had it's way, and he took the
drink. Now, let us follow him in
his career for just one week. He
had no more than taken the drink be.
fore he feared to meet his young wife
Disgusting his breath, he went home
with an assumed confidence Of man
ner. When he had taken the second
drink, for it was impossible to resist
once the appetite became aroused from
it's long sleep, he avoided his wife and
did not kiss her on his return to their
litele home. She coulo see by the
unusual glitter Of his eyes, however,
and her hopes fell to zero. By the
end of the second day, she began to
plead with him to desist, for she saw
that the old appetite was fast over
throwing him. But he hooted at the
idea of such thing. "Could't he
take drink now and then without
becoming beast?''
At the close of the fourth day, she
saw that all restraint was useless. and
she must needs bear the consequences
whatever they might be. They had
a beautiful little daughter. two years
of age She was the apple Of her
fathers eye and the delight of her
mothers life After he began to
drink, this baby always seemed to be
in the way when he was at home. The
mother kept the dear little thing as
much out Of sight as possible. During
the fifth night, the man awoke from
bestial intoxication and CROPPED about
for his bottle. This he could not find
for he had hid it in the barn and for
gotten. He commanded his wife to
find it. She exerted her utmost but
without avail. He conceived the idea
that she had stolen it from him, and,
over her with heavy battle,
he would have struck her down, but,
her eyes suddenly lighting upon q
phial Of bromidia, she offered to pre-
pare him dose of that, and for the
time he was appeased. The next day
be alternated drinks with bromidias
and chloral. The young wife dreaded
the following night. on account of his
violent manner the proceeding one,
but she was very proud and very reti-
cent about telling her troubles to an
other, SO she resolved to go through it
alone and trust to her natural sweet