Year: 1872

a correspondent OF the New York
Witness gives the following OF a lem.
. perance lecture, delivered a short


time ago:


l heard q temperance lecture this


morning about seven O'Clock, TO my


mind a most impressive one, and de-


llvered by a woman apparently in


very humble circumstances.


l have kesrd Cough several times,
and laughed and cried as only those
under his influence can, but tLis vas
far more eloquent.


The scene was the lower part OF
Washington Park, in Brooklyn, near
Canton street, a place designed by
the park commissioners, / believe,
for public meetings. Her audience
consisted of few dezen OF the work
men engaged on the park, and some
children from the neighboring shan
ties ana tenement houses.


Her platform was some rough gran
ite blocks, intended for the wall with
which the park is being surrounded.


And among them she lay, her face
and breast decently covered with &.
couple Of newspapers, two shoeless
feet extending from beneath a latter
ed calico dress, two half opened hands
reached out as il fsching for a soda-
water bottle which lay near her, stop-
ped with wad of paper, and half
filed with something that was not
soda-water.


That told the story-all Of tit
was the key to the whole matter; it
fully accounted for the shoeless feet,
the ragged dress, the craving hands,
the bloated and discolored form, the
dead face under the papers. No
body asked any questions the ques-
tions answered themselves every
body knew how it happened. Rum
did it.


Unable longer to endure tie sti-
fling atmosphere engendered by last
nights sultriness in the close hole
she called her home unable longer
to resist the craving for strong drink,
formed by long habit, and stimulated
to unwonted ferceness by the heat,
she sought the open air of the park,
taking with her the delusive devil
that promised refreshment, comfort
and forgetfulness of misery, and that,
instead, smote her down upon the
rough granite and took her miserable
life, giving her, in place of the heat
and misery of that June night, the
unquenchable fire and the undying
worm,


But who let loose that devil?


Who set him on that voman's
track to hunt her down to death
What did be do it for?


He did it tor twenty five cents,
probably. He Is, perhaps, a respect
able member of society, who will be
shocked by this recital if be sees it ;
but remOnstrate with him about his
business, and he will say that If he
did not do il somebody else would,
and the devil must be let loose.


There's logic for you.


Had a respectable woman been
found dead In that park, by reason
OF having fallen into some excavation
left open and unguarded by the care
lessness OF the authorities, loud would
have been the public condemnation
OF them, and heavy, perhaps, the
damages paid to her relatives for her
loss.


Here is woman, once, presum-
ably, respectable, fallen at once from
snd life into a far Deep
er and more dangerous pitfall than
was ever left open by street or sewer
contractor, and left open constantly,
not by the mere earelessness Of the
authorities, but by their criminal con-
niVsnce. They took money for 50
doing. and called it q license fee.
How long shall we see these pitfalls
yswn at every street corner? How
long shall we lock on and see our
and friends fsll into them,
and do nothing but look on?