The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20
OUR TEMPERANCE COLUMN.
REPORTS OF PROGRESS OF THE
BATTLE AGAINST RUM.
A Splendid Talk on Abstention From
Strong Drink by Senator Clay, OF
Georgia-Foulest Resort in All
Christendom is q Beer Saloon.

SurlSLeuuoW Is DCSi 0olooAs
One of the brightest and best feat
Tres of temperance journalism in the
United States Is found in a series OF
interviews with prominent public men
now being published in the Defender.
From the most recent of these. an in
terview with Senator Clay, Of Geor-
gia, we take the following:
Yes, sir" said the Senator with
emphasis, "a man to succeed down
here below, as the poets would say,
must have, of course, hereditary
equipment, but his habits, mark me,
habits-the right kind-can make a
little natural talent go a long way.
No young man can hope to achieve
success in any line of business who
does not lead a sober, Industrious
life. He who %frequents the dirty sa-
looms, plays pool or lives in the
blighting atmosphere of the saloon,
Is totally unfit for business, whether
it be his OWE or that of his employer.
/. at all times, and without exception,
refuse to employ any young man who
frequents saloons. The moment I
know he spends part or all Of his leis-
ure time at one of these most demon
alizing institutions, I conclude that
he's unfit to do any work for me.
For If there Is one special thing that
the saloon is responsible for, it Is the
making Of a man absolutely untrust-
worthy.
"Oh, there's only one safe rule and
that's teetotalism," said the Senator
with great emphasis. II advise to
all, total abstinence. / urge absolute
sobriety on the part Of every one.
Moderate drinking is a most insidious
evil. 1t rarely fails to lead to excess,
which is dissipation. The bloated,
blotched derelicts, the drunken sots,
which we see everywhere. were all
| once moderate drinkers"
But, Mr.. Senator" interrupted
the interviewer, @Why condemn mod
crate drinking? Can't a man take a
plass of, say, beer, occasionally?
Surely a drink that has SO much food
value as beer. taken by a man-not
a grown-up baby - one who knows
when he's had enough, and can stop
at that point, cannot merit such
scathing condemnation"
Maybe SO, maybe So" replied Sem
ator Clay. with fine sarcasm. "But
apropos to your remark, let me say
this: They tell me that I have consid-
cradle will power, and perhaps they're
right, but I tell you that ] haven't,
and never will have, physical or moral
strength sufficient to fight a drink ap-
petite.
Firmly believing that I never al
lowed myself to touch a drop, no, not
as a medicine. And all that rot about
beer being harmless, having food
value, and that (and, by the way, we
read a great deal In the papers these
days Of that kind of false teaching,
although I am glad to say the teach
ers have to pay SO much a line for it's
insertion - no credit to the editors,
, however,. Let's see; yes, we were
talking about beer as a food. The
dirtiest, foulest resort in all Christen-
dom is a beer saloon, and a man, who
was made a little lower than the an
gels, becomes much lower than a hog
when drunk with beer. A beer drunk
is indescribably loathsome.
"Oh, there's food value in beer, all
right-food for the most serious kind
of thinking upon the part of him who
sist humanity by destroying its sale.
II firmly believe" continued Sena-
tor Clay, that any young man, with
out capital, who is Industrious, prac-
tees the strictest temperance, and is
economical, will thus build up a repu-
tation for reliability, and Is bound to
succeed. Tach a young man to avoid
gambling, drinking, extravaganza
and immortality and his future is safe.
In a word, keep him out Of the sa-
LOOM +.