The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-04-02

This IS i long time to be bound j.
4 pledge. hut can Il pledge to slo rigut
be too long? ana one of my friends
are bound By This long pledge. L.t
tell ,-ou what brought about his
pledge.
Ny friend N@s. M 10 MID lie Iif-.
one CT tho wo~st Of drunkards. u
married = good Wom2n and raised =
large famiiy of children. Ny FRIEND.
when sober. v.rked very well. but
nc scent neaily III ne made 50"
whiskey. His wife and cniidrea
often suffered fCr clothes and fool.
re would compel lis wife and
daughters to. h-!p him saw shiEgle
blocks. ant ~ made the shin
slcs. ~carrie.I thcm q town. soI,,
them ah9 con inucd drinking until tie
last ccpt Of the ShinGlc one was
gone. Til. II" continued TO do FOR
Years. lie Wctlt home one day from
ouo Of these drunken spree intensely
hungry. He ordered his wife to pre-
pare him ON dinner. She told BIN
she would give him all She ha3:
which was n fc,y scraps left from j
scanty breakfastsf H looked at ,thn
table aud cursed her for not giving
him 4 bnttcr dinner. She old hin!
She had nothing else to give him. It"
caught hold OF the table. turned j;
upside down and broke all Of What
little table w&re they had.
On another occasion he vent in
terrible snovstorn1 and found VIII
key. got drunk and started home. ana
fell by t!1H roadside and When found
by n ncighbor was nearly frozen I"
death. This Mas the kind OF life ne
lived for wears. Tfc often tried to re-
form. Sevcrai times he made a pro-
fession Of religion and joined 4
church: but in 4 few weeks he would
be ~M3loWjrg IN The miro. About tWca
ty-1ive Yeas az" nc attended a meet
ing | held in thc neighborhood. Day
after day he came forward as i ppen-
it.nL. We were wrong but we were
sorry he came. The " hole COM
munity had lost all hope for him.
We thought he would iniure th"
meeting. But after several DAYS
one rcjoiccd oyer his profession.
They expected khim to be drums
again in u few weeks. He Of
feTcd himself for hurch member
shin. The church did not want hin.
The pause Was painful before any one
would move to receive him. Two Or
three voted to receive him. no Que
voted ag3inst him. He barely got in.
But from the day he joined the
church up 10 this time he has nc1"r
tasted & drop Of intoxicants. lie t
once joined the sabbath School. II
could not read. but with the help ~
got in the Sabbath School. he SON
learned 10 read. He has ever since
been q constant reader and a dear
lover of his Bible.
He became one of the best men Of
my acquaintance. The church hal no
better member. soon his wife anti
children were dcccntly clothed aud
wore a pleasant smile on their face.
About this time | met my dea.
friend in 4 store one day. He ap-
preached me with z smile on his fafr
ana his right hand extended towards
ne. saying. Il want TO enter mt" =
solemn pledge with YOU. ] sad.
what is it," He said. 4 want 30
pledge mvself neveI TO tax another
drop of liquor unleSS YOU will drink
with ne. said. All right. here =
my hand. and the pledge is 70 last for
hand and said. are bound for
ninetynine years This brother knew.
tlat never had tasted j drop Of IL.
uuur and never intended to, ana there
fore. he wanted 70 make this piedg@
With me.
few month after my friend stop,
ped drinking. he told me Of a f~eart1l
temptation hat came 10 him. H
said. Il was in M field blowing Al
al once my old appetite for drink re
turned with burning power. / felt !
must have u drink. 1t Mas sold = /"
store IN sight of me / pushed my
plow deep INFO the ground. stoppef
my mule and went 70 unhitch the
traces. ~ stoned 4 voice eeent@ |
to say to ne. What i this YOU art
going tn do. | answered. | am Suffen-
ing for Il drink ] must ave IT. Ia
voice said: What. going TO drink
again that deadly stuff that has de
graded You and Your family. n
made YOU sin against Cod I straight
ened myself up. and lifting my. eyes
ana hands toward heaven. l said. -.
Lord. strengthen me to resist this cyl
help me. LORD. The strength CAM
With Gods help ! conquered my ap-
petite. went on pioNing. Since then
] have had no trouble. | can walk ny
a grog shop now and have no desire
10 go in. hate whiskey now worse
than | ever loved it before"
Some time ago ! told the story Il
this brothers life in the hearing -
another brother who often drank to-
much whiskey. He spraEg 10 MS feei
and rushed to me saying: Il want -
make the same pledge with YOU |
| said all right. Here il my hand: YOU
| are pledged not TO take another drinA
for ninetS-nine years.
Let me relate n more interestid2