The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-08-20
THE CURSE OF THE
STRONG DRINK HABIT
No Greater Curse is Known
to Civilized World
KILLS ALL AMBITION
knowledge of Demoralizing
Effects Will not Save
Man who is
EnSlaved
By II. S. Med.
KILLS ALL AMBITION
By H. S. Med.

From time to time articles deal
ing with the evils of alcoholic bev-
erages and their causing Of CRIME,
have appeared in the columns OF
various prison publications. A large
number of them have been written
after careful study of the two subjects
while some of them have been writ
ten in a hit or miss style which very
plainly shows the writer to be en-
tirely unfamiliar with the subject
about which he is trying to write.
We believe, after years of mis-
fortune following the use of lntoxi-
cants, and years behind prison bars,
during which time we have made a
careful study of alcohol and its de-
moralizine effects on all who are en-
slaved by its terrible grasping, and
never releasing power, that we can
qualify. in a measure, to present our
views on the subject. We wish to
state that this article deals only
with the man who CANNOT break
away from strong drink, and in no
way applies to the wiIlful drinker.
We call to mind man, once a
bright and shining light of the legal
profession aud who was held in high
esteem. who. after becoming slave
to the liquor habit. gradually sank
lower and lower. until all manly
principle and self-respert had vau-
ished and he became ragged, dirty
and. profane, dropping in drunken
stupor asleep in cutters or sprawIing
atop a garbage heap; caring not a
whit what the world or society said
or thought about him.
His home. once so bright and 50
cheerful, a happy wife and children
to greet him when his days work
was ended and he FASTENED home to
enjoy their love and caresses, soon
became a wretched hovel, almost de-
void of furniture; the wife and child
rem were clothed in rags; marks of
suffering, pain and starvation became
visible on their faces; the wife's hap
py song, and the childrens' merry
laughter was heard no more. They
no longer waited for kind and low
ing fathers Homecoming; they dread
ed the coming of the drunken beast
who only cursed aud beat them be-
cause they were unable to give him
money to further satisfy his lust and
craving for strong drink. His love
for his family had been sacrificed on
the drink demons altar. Such is
the sorrowful scene presented to us
of once happy home.
Perhaps you will say the man and
not the liquor was blameful. Let
us see whether he was or not. We
will take look at him during one
of his sober periods. No man con-
demned liquor more than he; after
a spree we have seen his struggles
as he fought against the terrible crav-
ing; we have seen him as he begged
the police to lock him IN a cell un-
till he had conquered; then he would
start for home vowing never to take
another drink. Sometimes he would
be able to pass the first saloon safely,
but the second nearly always got
him. The craving had not been
conquered. for liquor never releases
the man who has once been fully
within its power and, sooner or later
during his weakest moment he finds
himself before the saloon bar and
the glass which he has just emptied.
standing on the bar before him; then
the same old story must be told.
Can we truthfully say that liquor
is responsible for his downfall? Yes,
we can. While the claim is made
that liquor could not have brought
him to such condition had he left
it entirely alone, the fact that he is
its slave confronts us and, had the
man been stronger than the liquor
he would never have been enslaved
Therefore, it follows beyond doubt.
that liquor has caused his ruin and
disgrace.
We have shown that liquor is
stronger than the man. If a man
drinks because he lacks the will
power to leave 1t alone and, while
under its evil influence, commits a
crime he, individually. is held re-
sponsible for the wrong deed; his as
sertion that he was drunk ie not ac-
cepted as an excuse for his act. nor
does it cause the judge to mitigate