The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-11-23
|, . o 3 o o @ q % g Q q O g I
|, COMM MuNIcATioNs
: d o 40 500 o o o 3 O o o o
Demon Rum

ask you TO print this little woUd pic
ture, In the hope that ii will awaken
our officials TO re-double their efforts
in putting down the liquor traffic. IN
our town.-Mrs. Adams
Did you say you wished to see me
sir?
Step in, It's a cheerless place,
But you are heartily welcome all the
same
To be poor is no iisgrace!
Have ! been here long, Oh. yes, sir,
It's eighteen winters gone
Since poor Jim took to crooked way
and left me all alone
Jim was my son, and likeier lad
you'd never wish to see
Till evil council won his heart, and
lead him away from me,
'Tis the old sad pitiful story, sir. OF
cf the devils winding stairs.
And then going down. and down, and
down to blackness ami despair
Tossing about, poor wrecks at sea,
with helm and anchor lost.
On and on thro' the surging waves,
nor caring to count the cost,
u doubt sometimes II the savior sees
he seems so far away
How the souls he loved and died for
are drifting, drifting astray.
Indeed tbs little wonder sir, that
women shrinks and cries.
When the life-blood ON runs altar
split, is calling to the skies;
Small wonder If her own heart feels
each sacrificial blow,
For isn't each life part of hers?-
each pain her hurt and woe?
Read all the records of crime ana
shame-'tis bitterly, sadly true
Where manliness and honor die, there
some woman's heart dies to-.
] often think, When / hear folks talk
SO prettily and so fine
OF alcohol as a needful food. of the
moderate use of wine.
How the world couldn't do without 1t;
there was clearly no other way
Than for man to drink or let it
alone, as his own strong will might
say.
That to use it but not abuse it" was
the proper thing 10 do,
IlcN l. Wlcn tuty u lSt Oiu HOuI-uOunC
Nan preach her little sermon too.
would give them scenes in a wom-
ans life that would make their
pulses stir,
For | was drunkard's child--and
wife; Aye drundards mother sir;
would tell of childish terrors, of
childish tears and pain,
IOf cruel blows from a fathers hand
when rum had crazed his brain.
He always said he could drink his fill
or let it alone as well.
Perhaps he might--ne was killed one
night in brawlins g-og-shop he'll.
] would tell of years of loveless toll
the drunkard's child has passed,
With just one gleam of Sunshine-tOo
beautiful to last!
When | married Tom, thought for
sure, / had nothing more to fear,
That life would come out all right at
last, the world seemed full of cheer.
But he took to moderate drinking
he allowed twas harmless thing;
So the arrow sped, and my bird of
hope come down with broken
wing.
Tom was only a moderate drinker--
All, sir. do you bear in mind,
Why the plodding tortoise in the race
left the leaping hair behind?
Twas because he held right on and
on, steady and sure, ii slow,
And that's the way Im thinking, that
the moderate drinkers go,
Gfn ,l.. zaft Il
tireless, sleepless pace,
While the topper sometimes looks be.
hind, and tarries in the race
Ah, heavily in the weli-worn path,
poor Tom walked day by day,
For my heart strings clung about his
feet and tangled up the way,
The days were dark, and friends were
gone, and life dragged on full slow,
And children came like reapers sad,
to a harvest of want and woe;
Two OF them died, and L was glad
wnen they lay before me dead,
had grown so weary of their cries
their pitiful cries for bread
Then came time when my heart |
was stone | would neither hope nor |
pray
'oor Tom lay out in the Potter's Field |
and my boy had gone astray--
rhe boy who had been my Idol
while like hounds thirst for blood
3etween my aching neart and him
the liquor seller stood,
md lured him on with his poisoned
words, his pleasures and his wine
)h God have pity ON other souls as
crushed and bruised as mine!
here were whispers OF evil doings,
of dishonor. and of shame.
hat | can never bear to think of
now. and would not dare TO name.
mere was hiding away from the light
OF day, there was creeping about at
night.
hurried word Of parting, then a
criminals stealthy flight;
is lips were white with remorse and
fright when he gave me a good bye
kiss
nd I've never seen the poor iost
child from that black day to this
h, none but mother can tell you,
sir. now a mothers heart will ache
,ith the sorrow that comes of
sining child. with grief for the lost
ones sake
hen she knows the feet she trained
to walk, have gone so far astray,
I'd the lips grown bold with curses
that she taught to sing and pray;
child may fear and a wife may a