Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1909-12-10
|! fenrperalgfe
| 49, 0pirs go.
STRONG DRINK.
By &. F. Ef, Sours.

In = glass enSrayen with the most
delicate tracery and beauty is offered
to a young man i drink OF wlze. His
mother taught him, Touch not, taste
not, handle not" He is worried. He
IL with new friends. He does not like
70 refuse their courtesies, nor to seem
TO be an odd one. He drinks; he
drinks again; it S done! Tho teach
ing Of his mother has been baffied.
and now he is at the mercy OF every
temper. The simple cutting OF the
influence OF the mother in the taking
Of that first glass Is the taking up
anchor for other ports. Mother is not
In other ports. Oh, nc! Mother is not
there Mother isn't wanted there.
The devils toboggan is smooth-yes.
1t IL oiled. He is started; he doesn't
stop. Now, boy, do you know that 1t
is easy to start? Are you aware.
-oung man, that stopping is not easy?
Going going going gone!" - that
Is the motto. You are not supposed to
stop. According to all analogy. or
symmetry, or proportion, or propriety.
according to all common sense, &C
cording to all human experience, no
young man who takes the first glass
has any rational ground OF expectation
ever to stop. It isn't natural, or nor
mai to stop. The natural thing for a
fellow who has fooled with the cur
rent over Niagara IS to go over the
falls. Over the falls! Oh, alas! Over
the falls! He soberS. He becomes a
clean man. He marries. The little
arms are clinging around his neck.
What puny little arms! What nervous
slckly children! Poor little weSklings!
They came into this world inheritors
OF reformed mans wreck. Young
man. do you know that SO IL per cent.
of all children born into the homes OF
inebriates, II they live at all, live only
to become diseased. or hereditary
drunkards. or natural criminals, or
epi!eptic, or feebleminded, Or insane?
Isn't the price Of a drink little high7
But the chances are that your children
will not even be the children OF re-
formed inebriate. The risk is fearful.
Is your will-power stronger than that
Of Patrick Henry? He cried to the
colonies, regarding the Intrusion OF
English tyranny, AS fer me, give mo
liberty or give me DEATH" and then,
We are told. he went to the grave a
slave to strong drink! II you look
over the annals OF this country, you
will see that the victims OF the drink
doom are among the great and among
the small, and are absolutely without
reference to their power Of will. When
once the drink disease has gotten hold
of the gray centcrs Of the brain, drink
has become the adopted normal habit,
and will tyrannize the will or destroy
II. The will is then on the side OF
drink There Is no earthly power OF
heart or OF science that can resist the
craving for drink after it has passed
G given point The victim Is doomed.
There is one csc. pc. Scientifically
there is none other known. That Ia,
4 sound conversion. In that case. IL
*3bacco is given up. so as not to fire
the physical organism with the con-
slant temptation for the stronger
stimulant, there Is hope. As a rule,
all reformed drunkaTds who hold on
to th&r tobacco are Gaid TO relapse.
The only hope for a man, be he vic
tim or not, is to cling close to the
hand reached down from the skies,
and Keep myself pure"