The Tupelo journal., 1908-03-27
The Drunkard's Last WAKING SoiiIocuy

v.
The Drunkard's Last Waking S~oliIoquy
They have stricken me,
And l was not hurt;
They have beaten me,
And / felt 1t not;
When shall I awake?
L Will seek IL yet again.
An Enigma of the Ages.
V. 29. Here we have a series CT
questions which are used most effec-
lively to emphasize the evils Of strong
drink.
who hath woe?" Woes of body
and woes of mind; woes present and
woes to come; woes in ones self,
woes In ones family; pains, diseases,
poverty.
Who hath contentions?" Quar-
rels, fightings. infamed passions ready
to give and take offense. And also
fightings within. conflicts between de-
sire and conscience, between appetite
and all hopes for this life and the life
TO come.
"Who hath b%abbling?" Foolish talk
Ing, vile conversation. noisy demon
STATIONS. revelation of secrets. His
tongue is set on fire of hell" The
r. V. translates: Who hath complain
ing?' and cause for complaining. The
drinker complains of fate. of God. of
circumstances. of friends, of every
thing and everybody, except himself
the real cause of all his complaints.
"Who hath wounds without cause?"
Needless, from ~unprovoked disputes
and brawls, from accidents caused by
the effects of drinking.
WHO hath redness of eyes?" Dim
ming his vision, red with weeping,
making his yes blush for the sins of
his mouth"
The Curt Answer Of Wisdom.
V. 30. They that tarry long at the
wine" The tendency of strong drink
is to continue drinking, to spend hours,
often the whole night, in carousals.
They that go to seek mixed wine,"
spiced, drugged, medicated, thus in
creasing its intoxicating power.
Almost all sins against the flesh,
gluttony, lust, debaucheries of every
kind, are connected with, inf1amed by,
made more deadly and incurable by in
toxicating liquors.
A Strict Moral Pointed.
V. 81. Look not thou upon the
wine" Do not put yourself in the
way of temptation. He who goes free
ly into temptation is already more
than half fallen. when it is red"
Red wines, of a rich g%olden-red color,
We're much esteemed. "Giveth his
color in the cup" sparkling with bril-
liant appearance, indicating its more
exquisite quality and strength: so that
it "moveth itself Alright" R. ", "goeth
down smoothly" in a delightful, pei
lucid stream, making an act of drink
ing a delicious pleasure.
The Bitter End.
v. 80. "At the last it biteth like a
serpent" Like a serpent it will be
brilliant of color, and guide with easy
motion; and like a serpent it will
strike its fangs into it's victim, send
ing its deadly poison into his blood.
And stingeth like an adder" a most
venomous genus of s~erpents. The
horned Cerastes adder turks in the
sand, perhaps coiled up in a cameTs
footprint, ready to dart at any
passer-by.
There is no better emblem of the
results of intemperance than the SER
pent. Often beautiful in appearance.
and secret in its approach, while the
effects are pains that only fire can
express. 1t infects the whole system.
1t inf1ames every evil passion. If per-
mitted to go on, it is death. The
world is full to-day of the sorrows. the
burning remorse, the agonies Of the
body and of the spirit which come
from fiery serpents of intemper- ance
D~runkard's Last Waking S~oIiIoquy.
V. 35.-They have stricken me,
and l was not sick; they have beaten
me, and l felt it not" This is the
inebriate's co~ntemptuous answer to
the %admonitions of those who warn
him of his danger. When shall I
awaken" Omit the Interrogation. n
read when l shall awake, | will seek
it yet again." His first desire will
be for more strong drink, This is a
true picture. One of the greatest pun.
ishments of drunkenness is this in
satiable appetite, that, in spite of all
warnings and consequences the drunk.
ard returns again to his cups.