Year: 1876

A Letter from John b. Cough to the Young


People OF the Country.


MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS I have
Sabbath-schools in behalf of the total alb
stinence cause. I wish I could write to
you all that is in my heart on this great
question, but my time and ability are
limited, and my message must be short


We are sometimes told that total ab-
stinence is not temperance. What is
temperance Let me give you a short
reply. Temperance is lawful gratifica-
tion of natural appetite. Is the appe-
tite for Intoxicating liquors a natural
appetite 2 No. Therefore temperance
is total abstinence from intoxicating
liquors as a beverage.


This principle is q sensible principle.
When you are as old as I am, you will
regret many things you have learned in
the past I; but you will never regret that
you did not learn to use intoxicating
liquors. Ihave never met person, nor
do I believe that you can find q person
in the world, who would say: "I am
fifty years of age, and never drank
glass of liquor in my life, and regret
that 1 did not learn to drink it when I
was young" No. When you meet one
who has never drank, he tells you: ." I
am glad Of it," or "I am proud of it"
A man once called on me, and said:
"Mr. Cough, I want to tell you some,
thing. 1 am not q reformer. I care
little for reforms, or missions, or Sun
day-schools. They are all very we'll in
their way, but they are not in my line.
1 have been nm actor since I was
eighteen, and am now forty-three, and
I never drank glass of ale, wine, or
spirits in my life. What do you think
OF thatl I am proud of it 2"


Dear children, you would be shocked
II you could read some of the letters
that lie in my desk, that have been
written to me by persons in all grades of
society-young men, old men, lawyers,
physicians, ministers of the gospel,
teachers, mechanics, clerks, and some
ladies-who have acquired the appetite
for strong drink. One says }" Dives in
hell never longed for o drop of water as,
with all the power there is In me, I long
for drink" Another says : els there
any hope for me on this side of the
gravel" Another says "God knows
how near have been to self destruction
through drink" and so on.


One poor man, actually holding my
feet, cried out: "Oh, Mr.. Cough help
me out OF this hell. Drink is my curse"
Yes; dear children, the cry comes from
the inmates OF lunatic asylums: "Drink
is my curse;" from the State prisons,
"Drink is my curse;" innocent victims
wives, mothers, children" Drink is
my CURSE. from the burning lips of
tha dying drunkard comes the despair
Ing cry: "Drink is my curse" There
arc broken hearts, blighted hopes,
blackened characters, crushed intellects,
and lost souls as the result of strong
drink, and not O single individual but
rejoices in his escape from it.


Is not the total abstinence principle
sensible3 "But all who drink do not
become drunkards." I know that; but
II fifty young men begin to drink, some
will assuredly be ruined by it. Then,
there is risk. Now we all desire safety
and security. Suppose you desired to
travel from New York to Chicago, and
there were two lines of road-one on
which there were accidents constantly
occurring; on every train some disaster,
passengers killed and wounded; in short,
very risky road; and on the other,
never since its opening had there been
the slightest accident. Which road
would you takef If you are sensible,
and regard your own welfare, you would
take the safe one. Suppose some one
should tempt you to take the risky road,
by telling you how much more beautiful
the cars were and what jolly company
you would find on board the train.
You would say: 81 care not 30 much
for gaudy cars and Jolly company as for
my safety. want to be safe." Now,
it is your safety we seek, when we urge
You to abstain entirely from strong
drink. There is no certainty that you
will become victims If you begin to in
dulge, but there is risk.


Some say 81 can govern myself +: I
have mind Of my own" What would
you think Of captain of steam vessel
who would put on full head of steam,
and then knock down the man at the
wheels Or of the conductor on O rail-
road, who would let on the steam and
then disable the engineer? You would
say he was reckless man. The steamer
or the engine might get through without
accident, but it might go crashing to de-
struction. 30 when person, using that
which weakens the power of his will, de-
pends on his weakened will to serve him
using that which warps his judgment,
and then depends on his warped judg-
ment to guide him-using that which
affects his self control, and then trust his
derang d self-control to keep him from
danger-he is reckless. Simply because
some men drink and do not become
drunkards, can youG once saw man
stand on small platform outside the
spire Of church, and look down on the
pavement one hundred and fifty feet be-
low. Because he did it, can you9 Think
OF these things before you run the risk
and remember what the risk is.


Our principle is lawful. We have been
told it is contrary to the Scriptures.
One gentleman said to me "If you can