The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1908-06-25

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Paper Read Before the Chautauqua Circle.
The writer of this paper considers
the questions of individual temperance
and national prohibition as paramount
issues, that cannot under any circum-
stances be humOrized, hoOted, or even [
lied out of existence, nor ignored to |
such an extent that they lose their
intrinsic value as moral and social eco |
nomical questions. They are too great
for that, and the enemy too weak.
am q temperance man by conviction,
and since my eighteenth year / have
been connected with the worldwide |
temperance movement, both as lee
tarer and writer. have been more
and more convinced of my position a.
the years have 1olled by, both from
earnest and painstaking studies Of the
scientific side of the questions, the
political aud social economical, as we'll
as by my many ~and long experiences
in life. My. father was temperance
man, so there came never drop OF
intoxicants of any kind inside the doors
of my childhood home. But up to my
seventeenth year 1 had personally not
reasoned upon the subject at all, aad
did not know whether l would follow
my fathers advice to always be tenn
perance man or not.
At that time entered the royal
Norwegian military college at Tron-
dhjem rs student ] had been at
that school for some months and was
sitting one bitterly cold evening at
my desk studying military tactics Of
an offensive army moving in noun
famous locality, the placing ofinfantry,
cavalry and artillery in the best posi-
tions for attaining the best results.
Aud was just about to argue IN my
mind with the author of the book
was reading in, that his statement
concerning certain points in placing
the cavalry and using it to the best
advantage in the course of battle,
must be wholly and dangerously wrong
as far as could see, when there came
a piteous cry as from child in great
distress and fear in thru my half
opened window. jumped up from
my chair, book and notes that had
been writing and the lesson in prepare.
tiOn scattered to all sides. / pushed
up the lower half of my window and
leaned ont to see what was the matter
MyrOom was q common one facing or
one of the most traffi .ked streets of ths
city, and on the other side to an alley
The wheiping or moaning came from
the alley.
at first, blinded from the light il
the room, could not make out any
thing unusual. But finally saw two
figures. One was little boy, eight o.
ten years old probably; the other wa
q man. The boy stood with the pulling
rope of little common sleigh in hi
hands; on the sleigh itself there wa
iaying something; bundle OF rags
thought. The boy was weeping still
and the man was clutching him on tn
shoulder. Finally the man talked il
a hoarse whisper: "You let me TAX
that coal, do you hear? l want it!
must have It'll"
.Oh. papa! don't take it. You kno,
mother is laying so sick and helpless
nothing to eat and nothing to put i
the stove, and have been working 9
hard picking up these few pieces
coal on the piers and around the raj
road tracks"
With an ugly oath the brute of
man hit the little boy with his clenche
fist square in the face, and with hear
rending shrek Of pain despair and fes
the boy went down. AS he lay he sal
or rather shrieked: sOh, papa, don
hurt me sol Motheris is alone and Al
the only one she has to take care I
her. oh, papa, come and help me hon
to mother!"
The man started to open the han'
OF the boy In. order to get the rol
which the boy stiA elutched % With