The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1909-07-22
Lead Us Not Into Temptation.

Lead Us Not Into Temptation.
Little Isabel had been helping her
self to jam, and had more than once
been found with sticky fingers and
lips, soiled dress, and a guilty but
satisfied expression, seated on the
floor near the open door of the pre-
serve closet.
She had often been admonished in
regard to the sweets, but the habit
of sampling seemed to grow on her.
Her little nursemaid, Louisa, was
obliged to be ever vigilant, in order
to preserve the preserves-to say
nothing of Isabels health.
Finally, one day, shout was
heard from the vicinity of the closet.
Isabel was there, again!
This time, however, it was with
"clean hands and pure heart"
She was seated, as usual, on the
floor near the open door, rocking
herself back and forth with her
hands behind her. and shouting for
her little maid.
"Weesa! Weesa! Come quick!
Put the jam up higher. Bells 'fraid
she'll touch it. Hurry!"
Louisa came flying to the rescue,
and from that time the jams were
stored on shelves beyond the little
tots reach, where they were safe,
and soon forgotten by the sorely
tempted little Isabel.
Why do not mothers oftener
make it easy for children to obey by,
as far as possible, removing tempta-
tion-putting it out Of their reach
till they are old enough or strong
enough to resist?-Selected
The above incident reminds me
very pathetically of the pitiable
condition of the victims of the drink
habit. Why will not their stronger
brothers put the temptation out Of
their reach? 1t is fully as hard for
them with their weakened will pow
er and depraved appetites to resist
strong drink as for little Isabel to
resist the tempting, sweets.
Finlayson, writing of Edgar Allen
Poe, the brilliant but dissipated poet,
says: Strong drink kept the genius
from rising. Yet there are those
who still champion the cause of
whiskey and excuse it's use. Any
thing else as dangerous to the hu-
man race, the people en- masse,
would rise up in arms and drive out
with army and navy-even to the
extent of putting into the field every
able-bodied man and backing them
with all the resources of great
land. Yet when it Is proposed by a
simple act of legislation to lift this
curse from the people there are those
who cry out against it. Why, the
writer cannot explain, nor can those
persons so acting" They seem to
have been blinded.
| A wave of crime is now passing
over our land. The seed sown is be-
ginning to bring forth fruit. Human
life gets cheaper every day. In a
short while under existing conditions
no one will be safe. Pandemonium
will reign where there should be
peace and Quietude.
! Whiskey covers the land with idle
ness, disease, and crime. It causes
800 murders, 400 suicides, and
glooms the land with more than 500
funerals every day. The drink bill
for the United States last year was
estimated to be $2,000,000,000."
That is only the money value, who
can tell the sorrows and heartaches
caused by this fearful evil? No one
but God. He sees it in all it's hid
eousness. It is a stencil in his nos
trils.
You, voters of Bamberg county,
have had one chance to lessen this
evil. You let it pass; beware how
you slight it again. The indiffer-
ence of men, many processing to be
nothing short of criminal.
No one can engage in an unlaw-
full business, whether it is an indi-
vidual, county, State, or the
United States, and expect to succeed.
God cannot smile upon wrong do
ing.
The prosperity of any town de-
pends upon the farming country
around it. Of what use are the farms
without the brain and Drawn to de-
velop them? When you destroy
these you are acting like the man
who killed the goose that laid the
golden egg. To turn manhood into
money is poor investment in my
estimation.
This terrible state of affairs has
been creeping upon you unawares
until it has reached gigantic proper
tions. Is it not time to do away
with something that is thinning out
our ranks so rapidly? Whatever af-
fects one in q certain measure af-
fects us all. The United States su-
preme court has declared the sale
of intoxicating drinks illegal. Let
us fall into line. Next August hope
our county at least will drive out this
evil that is blighting everything it
touches.
| HOW refreshing in these depener-