The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-04-24
WHEN A MAN NEEDS A FRIEND STORY
OF A MAN WHO QUIT THE ORIG HART
lBy EUGENE RAY

The man who at the age OF fifty quits
me drug habit, after having been a VIC
TIM twenty years. is as a child in the
world. He can but recall the words of
Solomon's prayer, Father in Heaven,
! do not know how to come in or how
TO go out, | pray thee to give me un-
derstandng."
What has hurt this unfortunate most
IS not that he has been a drug addict 70,
20 years but that he has spent nineteen
of them, with his earnings, in quitting
and trying to quit.
Twenty years in prison he unwilling
ly builded higher and stronger the walls
that shut him in, and shut the world
out. until. sick and dying, he throws
himself against the bars, determined
to demolish them or destroy himself He
is surprised and even disappointed when
he realizes he has escaped with his
life.
Once out, he merely stares and won
ders-He sees wreckage all about him
on lfe's sea and wonders il there il
left piece that will keep afloat as he
attempts to ride it to shore. One day
he feels that ne has a chance. two days
he dares not hope. And it Is well for
him that he despair at times. for there
is relaxation. peace and rest in despair
If at night he retires reconciled to com.
plete failure and total loss he is bless
ed with longer hours Of sleep. But weep.
ing Is for a night. joy comes in the
morning.
He can but make ~ his mind that
now he will do with his might what
his hands find 10 do. The only thina
worth while he has done in the world is
that he quit the drug habit. He can but
strive now to get new" mind IIa
will undertake to finds God and acquir,
knowledge of the Truth. Indeed he
already has some knowledge Of the
Truth. If he hadn't had he would no,
have been able to quit the drug habi,
and live to tell the story. He will learn
10 pray--not that he is afraid he may
die unprepared. but because he knows
he is not prepared to live. He has to
learn to live.
The unfortunate drug victim musl
have friend. He Is a child and it i
well that he is. If ono. by becoming ,
child, can enter the kingdom then sure
ly one by becoming n little child can
get out of hell. In either case he has
a friend.
| quit the drug habit after kind-
hearted physician had presented my
case to a federal revenue officer, who
agreed that | should be given the drug
as long as lived Mine was an ex,
ccptlonal case. ! could not live without
the drug!
The very fact that my physical con-
dition was so desperate compelled m;
TO quit. | was not able to earn enough
money to pay the doctor for his pre-
scriptions and for the drug at its in
creased price. and rather than take my
children's hard-earned money | wou'd
quit-not quit or die, but quit AND
die.
When at the end of four months |
did not die, | was disappointed.
knew what | was up against now. / had
quit before and knew what the suffer.
ing Is and how hard it is to live. And
now that | was much older l. was sorry
that | had not died.
What on earth could | do to earn n
livelihood? My public addresses had been
reproduced in leading magazines of the
country, but now | could not converse
intelllgently in private. My written ar.
tices and stories had been published
now | could not write my name legiby,