Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1911-07-27
IN THE VALLEY
ONCE, BUT ''OUT
OF THE DEPTHS"

A child was born within the city
limits of Salem during the early part
of this month This in itself, OF
course. is not an unusual occur
renee in Salem, or in any other city,
for that matter. Hundreds. Of ba-
bies are born here every year; in
fact some woman doctor alone, 1t is
said, has attended more than 1000
child birth cases during the number
of years she has been practicing IN
this city.
But the coming into this world OF
this particular speck of humanity
brought with it into the household
more happiness than does the ar
rival of the majority Of newcomers,
although each brings its share Of
joy.
Rummaging around for a stray
piece of news yesterday a Journal
reporter stumbled across a little ad-
venture-one that has to do with
the particular workings Of Fate in
her efforts to adjust the morals Of
mankind, which are sometimes hard
to understand.
A contractor, who is in charge Of
a building in East Salem, Informed
the reporter that for the last two
weeks he has had the desired num-
Der of tradesmen at work on the
building and this, he said, was un-
usual, because of the fact that here
tofore one Of his finest workmen
could be depended upon only spas
medically.
In spite of the laborer's love for
liquor and the resulting periods of
absence from his work, the con-
tractor, for various reasons, has seen
fit to give the man employment
whenever he was sober. Upon the
reporter promising to use only the
name of John" the goOd-natured
Irish contractor agreed to tell the
story of how John had finally sue
Ceeded in Swearing off" without
signing a written pledge.
John came to me-" said the con-
tractor, zone morning a little more
than two weeks ago, and asked me
If he could lay off for the day.
was short handed at the time, but
there was something peculiar in the
mans action that surprised me, and
so | let him go.
THAT was on Saturday morning,
and on the following Monday morn
ing John reported for work a little
earlier than usual, perfectly sober,
and wearing broad smile He has
not missed an hours work since that
day; he has labored harder and stead
Ter than I ever knew him to work
for the same length of time and !
believe he has not taa6ed liquor for
two weeks"
The contractor was getting
warmed up to his subject by this
time, as he leaned against stone
pillar in front of the new building,
and it did not take much urging on
the part of the newspaper scribe to
learn the mysterious agency that so
suddenly had caused the wotderful
transformation in the life of the
humble laborer-once a slave to the
drink habit, but now a changed man
and master of himself.
ht'O uANuyb 1 WAS
hard-hearted man. continued the
contractor, "but when I asked him the
other day why he didn't patroni2e
the saloons any more, Johns story
touched my heart, and brought the
fist tears to my eyes that I have
shed ip ten yeQ-s. ] will tell it Just
as he told it to me.
I have been drinking pretty
hard, boss, for 10 years now Johr
said to me, and though I never beat
my wife any since we were married
two years ago, know often abused
her, and made life hard for her
Two weeks ago our baby was born
My wife wasn't very strong, and the
doctor told me he was afraid shc
was going to have a hard time of 1t
She was sick when I left the house al
o'clock that morning, so l laid of
ard went back home.
She was awful sick for Il
hours, and a little after 7 O'Clock
that night tie boy was born. We
didn't have any nurse, but the doctor
stayed all day, and 1 got a neigh.
Dor lady to come over about 4
O'Clock in the afternoon. sal
there by the bed, and l watched the
little woman suffer, but l couldn't
do anythig for her.
She would cry and say TO me.
on! John, l can't stand this: cant
you do something for me?' And ]
was SO scared. l tried to cheer her
and rubbed her hands, and it hurt
me so the way she used to look al
me-kind of simple like, that ]
wanted to cry, too.
held her head on my arm, and
sometimes the doctor told me tn put
the chloroform up to her nose, when
she cried hardest, and every time
ala 1t 1t made me tremble all over
| guess I suffered just like she did
only | couldn't feel any pains.
Then the doctor said he would
have to use the instruments-whet
ever they were, because it cotldn't be
helped. l never suffered so much in
my life as l did for the next hall
hour, and l prayed like amt praved
since l was kid.
Anyway, the baby came after a
little and the doctor said everything
was all right. When he said that
lust got down on my knees by the
bed and cried. And the first thing
said to my wife was that l wouldn't
drink any more as long as I lived
Just blurted that out before the
nelghbor and the doctor.
When l said that, my wife put
ner hand on my head and smiled
AND now every time I want to drink
again l Just think of how she looked
When she lay there so white on the
oed; and how glad was to see thai
smile. A
| j came mighty near lnsinu hnr