Year: 1865

FEW WORDS TO RECKLESS YOUNG


MEN.


Reckless young men, if you ever have
serious thoughts in your lives for your
own souls and for humanity's sake exer-
else them concerning your drinking hab-
it's Stop where you are and look at your
selves square in the face; see yourselves
just as you are; judge as though you
were scanning another man. and after
you have drawn up a correct picture of
your moral character just put it down in
black and white then read it over and
hear how it sounds. Make up your minds
then and there on that very spot where
you pictured to yourselves your own dc.
pravity whether you think it ezpedient
to go on heels over head until you tumble
into the bottomless pit leaving behind
you disgraced and almost broken.hearted
mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and
some of you, wives and children. unla.
mented by all who knew you; or whether
you are to turn over new leaf and begin
on clean page and henceforth and for
ever keep fair, creditable record of your
every act. Taking care not to have one
blot on the page. TO the latter | would
say, try It,! TRY IT! If any of you fail
try again ! Keep trying with undaunted
Perseverance until you are conqueror even
if you have to try nine hundred and
ninety-nine times before you succeed,
or even nine thousand nine


hundred and ninety-nine. There is moth.
ing like hanging to thing" that you


have undertaken to accomplish.


What do you think of this life, given
you to enjoy and to make the most Of
yourself that is possible, that you abuse
it so shamefully? For what do you
think you were created?


Not for filth and degradation by any


means. Every person is more or less
the author of his OF her own happiness


and misery. From within ourselves


spring all good and evil and why allow


the evil to grow like dirty rank weed


until it chokes and wastes all the good.
Rise in manly dignity and shout Il am


too proud to be slave to my passions and


appetites. |, a man in voluntary servi-


tude to debasing habit that is sapping
the very foundation Of my physical life
r and my worldly prosperity, to say moth.
ing of my hope of future happiness in


the realms above. "No The shacklcs


that bind me I will hurl away, forever


and stand forth true man my own


master" '


| will be proud of the moral courage
that enables me to say firm decided no
when the accursed cup is offered me-
1t is the coward that fears to say no.
: Their weak silly excuse is 81 fear they
: will laugh at me and call me a coward"
: q heard that excuse the other uay.)
Poor whimpering, whining boobics nm.
i mitigated swill-tubs, of Intoxicating.
poisonous slops, never be heard giving


that excuse again. All of you have an


excuse of some sort or kind and not one
:. of them is worth a straw.


There is no excuse whatever for drink.
4 ing and you all know it. You derive no
t benefit from it. and you all know it. Ruin,
n misery and destruction follow close on the
# heels of those who drink and you all


know that. Now, in the name Of
n all the happiness for which your
hearts yearn, why do yom drinks and in
@ the same name, | beg, implore, beseech.
nay | would command you to depart from
q your evil ways, and walk in paths of pleas
antness and peace,-happiness and love.


Now young men set yourselves immedi-
ately at the work of reformation. Com
mence at once as delays are dangerous.


Make business of it, and if you work
. half as hard as you did to prepare for
= the 4th of July celebration you will be


crowned with success. 20
% -------------.--.-----
J. "a Mr.. Peterson, in whose house Pres.
ident Lincoln died, SAYS he has presented