Mian.-. I LIBRARY OF CONGRESS ,l\ UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. fl I "W'flM |o. pa/AW Mu, The True Path; OR, THE Murphy Movement AND GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. A Complete History of the Rise, Progress and Wonderful Effects of the Great Reformatory Wave now Deluging our Land; TOGETHER WITH THE Biography, Addresses, Incidents and Anecdotes of FRANCIS MURPHY, THE GREAT TEMPERANCE APOSTLE. The Most Telling Speeches and Appeals of Prominent Leaders and Helpers in Various Parts, with the Intensely Interesting Experiences of the Most Remarkable of the Reformed Men. By Rev. J. Saml. Vandersloot, Author of "Comprehensive Bible Encyclopedia;" "Explanatory Bible Dictionary;" " Bible History and Analysis;" "Book of Bib- lical Antiquities;" "New and Improved Dictionary of Bible Names;" Etc., Etc., Etc. ♦ '"O send out thy light and thy truth : let them lead me." — Ps. xliii. 3. " I have chosen the way of truth." — Ps. cxixygc^V^ PUBLISHED BY \. > WILLIAM FLINT, PHILADELPHIA. HABER BROTHERS, MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. H. H. NATT, ST. LOUIS, MO. 1877. Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1877, by J. SAML. VANDERSLOOT, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. CYRUS STURDIVANT, THE MODEST Hero and Christian Reformer, WHOSE WORTH AND SACRIFICES — THOUGH ALMOST LOST SIGHT OF IN THE ,MAGNITUDE OF THE PRESENT STRUGGLE — HAVE BROUGHT, UNDER GOD, FRANCIS MURPHY FROM THE POWER OF RUM TO TEMPERANCE, AND OF SIN TO RIGHTEOUSNESS, THIS "WORK IS DEDICATED, AS AN ACT OF JUSTICE AND KINDLY ACKNOWLEDGMENT, BY THE AUTHOR. ^S PREFACE. Great movements have their literature. It has in- variably been so. And it would be strange if, in our civilization, the Murphy Temperance Keform should prove ah exception. It is not enough that books should be published in support of the holy cause. The popular mind will not rest here. Its special and wonderful achievements must be recorded. The needed truths must be heralded and preserved. In deference to these reflections this book is sent forth. It has only been prepared, however, in the spirit that should be dominant in every work of life — that of doing good. We have had nothing narrower to inspire us. The thought that what Francis Murphy has done, in particular places, both of himself and through his followers, might not be ineffectual in its saving influence among the quiet villages and humble homes throughout our beloved borders, has nerved the writer to his task along many weary hours before daylight and after nightfall. For, let it be remembered, that " The True Path " was written, ar^inged and completed inside the remarkably short period of thirty 4 PBEPAOE. After considering this last statement, it will sur- prise us if errors and defects do not appear. And it will further surprise us if the clear-headed critics and reviewers, at any time, exceed the proper bounds of a commensurate charity in pointing out our shortcomings. We have had something of difficulty, and expended somewhat of our limited time and means, in obtaining the necessary information. Letters have been written to, and papers received from, various parts, that all the facts of our subject might appear. And not a few gentlemen, who have been most intimate with Mr. 'Murphy, and other leaders in the recent moral conflict, have favored us to the extent of their ability ; but the success we have attained is mainly due to the assiduous aid of our publisher, and the persistent labors and sacrifices we have confronted. To all we freely make obeisance. In the writing out of Part I., entitled " The Subject as Presented To-day," we did not yet have in our posses- sion the required events for the biography following it. On this account we were urged to consider intro- ductorily such incidental, and more or less important matters, as " Mr. Murphy's Influence," " His Success," " His Difficulties," etc. We assented, to some extent, under the protest of our calm judgment. Nevertheless, as our sole aim is to confer, in our weak way, blessings on our fellow-man, we are willing to fall under any merited condemnation. There are those who may PREFACE. 5 meekly arch their brows and say they " could have done better." Very likely they could. But let them be harnessed up, for one month, under a like burden, and try. Many facts furnished in this volume have been gath- ered from Mr. Murphy's lips, by a reporter specially employed, and have never heretofore found their way into print. They have also, in different instances, been properly clothed by ourselves, in such a way as not to mislead — either by undue exaltation or any attempt at their abasement. Thus they are peculiar, and indi- vidual property. The speeches we present have been, in cases, solely procured through personal pains- taking and expense. They can be found nowhere else. Not a few of the reformed men, being familiar with Mr. Murphy's reticence upon things relating to his career, have, in looking over some of the advance sheets, been amazed at the fulness and evident completeness of our history of the Apostle's life. They have conce- ded that it gives every indication of a connected narra- tion of all the circumstances most important to the general reader. And such we believe to be the fact. Certainly we have done all that Mr. Murphy can or will look for, everything considered. We have at- tempted, at every turn, to hold up the hands of the prophet ; and, although not a famous Aaron, we have assumed the role of an unpretending Hur. Our mind has been no little encouraged by the report 6 PREFACE. that not a few of Mr. Murphy's friends have ordered many copies of the work, and that they are unreserved in their avowed purpose to regard it as a vade mecum in this gigantic campaign. Finally, we have not written for compensation. This concerns only one — a grain in the desert of life — a drop in the ocean of time. But we have fitted up what we would modestly regard as a " little labor of love." Had our spiritual desires and advantages not appeared, we would never have begun it. We have looked out upon the hundreds of thousands going along in the deep current of sin to the yawning and seething cataract of destruction, aod we have thrown out this life-line to them — not without many anxious prayers and tears — in the hope that some, yea, many, might grasp it and be saved. And we have lifted up our eyes and heart "unto the hills, from whence cometh our help," and seen the golden wreaths of eternal royalty waving above them ; and have heard the words, so prophetically scin- tillating through the swift rolling centuries, " They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament : and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars forever and ever." J. Saml. Y. TABLE OF CONTENTS. PART I. THE SUBJECT AS PRESENTED TO-DAY. CHAPTER I. page Mr. Murphy's Influence. — His Success. — Leading Characteristics, 13 CHAPTER II. Mr. Murphy's Difficulties. — Influences Against Him. — A Warning, 21 CHAPTER III. Previous Temperance Movements. — Different Opinions Current. —At the Roots, . . . .30 CHAPTER IV. Gospel Temperance. — Opposition of Christians. — The Term as Used by Mr. Murphy. — Example and Teaching of Christ. — Christ's Wine not Intoxicating. — Mr. Murphy Consistent. — Necessity for Gospel Temperance, 41 PART II. THE BIOGRAPHY OF FRANCIS MURPHY. CHAPTER V. Mr. Murphy's Early Life. — His Parents' Religion. — Struggles , with Poverty.— Peculiar Hospitality.— Youngsters Huddled into the Kitchen. — Wrong Treatment.— - Irish Custom of using Liquor. — Appetite for liquor First Formed. — A Way that is not the "True Path." — Limited Educational Advan- CONTENTS. tages. — A "Piggy-back" Flogging. — Outrageously Dealt with. — Effect of Unkindness and Injustice. — " An Act most Difficult to Forgive." — Longing for a Freer Air. — An Im- movable Purpose. — Employed at a Castle. — A Difficult Task, 53 CHAPTER VI. Coming to America. — The Decision. — A Self-sacrificing Woman. — Circumstances of the Event. — Last Week in Ireland. — The Last Night. — The Mother's Blessing. — The Separation. — The Voyage, ......... 68 CHAPTER VII. On the Sea and in the New World. — Drinking and Treating. — Turned out Upon the World. — Everything Gone. — A Situa- tion Secured. — Off to Canada. — At Farm Work. — Gets Mar- ried. — A Christian Wife. — Arrival of a Brother, . . -78 CHAPTER VIII. Removed to Portland. — A New Business. — His Wife Opposed to it. — Acting Alone. — Bradley House Rented. — Will Sell Liquor " Respectably."— Promised Her not to Drink. — At Home in the Hotel. — A Genuine Convert. — Business Suc- cessful. — A Wreck at Last. — Manner of his Ruin. — A Man's Neck Broken. — Continuous Dissipation, . . . .86 CHAPTER IX. The arm of the Law to be Invoked . — Everything Lost, and With- out a Friend. — Arrested.— A. Confiding Man.- — Thrust into Jail. — Deserted. — An Erroneous Opinion. — A Faulty Sys- tem. — Wrong in Practice.- -Must go the Fountain Head. — Auxiliaries. — A Suffering Family, ..... 95 CHAPTER X. Captain Cyrus Sturdivant. — Religious Services in the Jail. — Mr. Murphy Attends the Meeting. — A True Friend. — Valuable Men.— There is Hope for You. — Power of Kindness. — Little Things. — Noble Feelings. — " God Bless You!" . . 106 CHAPTER XL A Week of Suffering. — The Words Put into his Mouth. — Influ- ences of the Spirit Essential. — Plan to be Adhered to. — A Notable Day. — Great Religious Meeting in Jail. — Espied his Wife. — A Bouquet and a Fond Meeting. — Sought Out by a Loving Company, . . . . . . . . 1 1 5 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XII. page Prayer-meeting in the Dark Dungeon. — Mr. Murphy's Conver- sion. — The New Birth. — A Subject Worthy Attention. — Loose Religion. — Days of Miracles. — A Transformation. — Light Hearts. — Kept in Prison.— Asks to Conduct a Prayer- meeting. — Seventy -five Prisoners Converted. — Divine Na- ture of the Work, 124 CHAPTER XIII. His Imprisonment a School. — No Help for His Wife. — Denied Herself Bread. — No Meals that Day. — Mrs. Murphy's Sad Letter. — A Bitter Night. — Released. — A Complete Wreck. — The Meeting. — An Earnest Prayer. — Erects a Family Altar. — Fruit and Garments Brought. — New Duties and Trials. — Mrs. Murphy's Death. — A Sad Family. — The Most Important of Events. — Cannot but Work. — A Complete Preparation for it, 133 CHAPTER XIV. First Appearance as a Lecturer. — Surprised at the Result. — His Influence Extending. — Rallies the People at Freeport — A Sanguinary Struggle. — Dio Lewis Astonished. — Arranges to Go to Pittsburg. — Discouraged. — An Unexampled Success. — Prominent Circumstances. — Incidents, ..... 144 CHAPTER XV. Mr. Murphy's Services Secured for Philadelphia. — Philanthropists Take Hold. — Wonderful Success in a Short Time. — Means of Spreading the Cause. — Frauds. — Movement Free from Bad Men. — No Exaggeration. — At Once Convinced. — No Abuse. — A Labor of Love. — But One Inspiration. — No Prejudices, . . . . . . . . . . 154 CHAPTER XVI. Facts About a Sunday Breakfast. — Capt. Sturdivant Present. — What a Group Thought. — Stopped by a Young Lady. — How the Thing Works. — In the Breakfast Room. — Could'nt Re- sist. — The Worship. — Pleasant Things. — All Happy. — A Tippler's Rebellion. — Murphy, the True Leader. — The Leaven of Religion. — How it Used to be. — How the Change Began. — The Result. — A Slight Instrument. — The Reports from All Parts, 161 10 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XVII. page Ribbon-wearing. — Different Colors. — The Red Ribbon Pledge. — Good Purposes. — The Struggle. — Murphy, the Leader. — All are Murphy's Followers. — People Demanding to Sign. — Firebrands. — " Do They Stick," 171 CHAPTER XVIII. Mr. Murphy's Compensation. — Urged to Lecture. — Consents, but Cancels Engagements. — A Pauper. — Making a Mistake. — A Fact not Understood. — Strictures. — The Laborer Worthy. — Could Earn More in Other Directions. — Mr. Murphy's Words Substantiated, . . . . . . . . .176 CHAPTER XIX. Mr. Murphy's Children. — The Lecturer Himself. — When Before an Audience — A Superior Character. — " Bother their Blar- ney." — Is not Unsocial. — "That Hat." — It Rambles About. — Mr. Murphy not Artificially Reserved. — Scrupulously Tidy, . 182 PART III. INTERESTING ADDRESSES AND EXTRACTS. CHAPTER XX. Speech of Mr. Murphy at Columbus, . . . . . .189 CHAPTER XXI. Selections from Mr, Murphy's Speeches, 216 CHAPTER XXII. Remarks by Capt. Sturdivant. — Speech of Capt. W. B. Claney. — Speech of Alderman Harry B. Smithson, .... 228 CHAPTER XXIII. Address of John King. — Speech of Gen. Joe Geiger. — Speech and Song of Elijah Delaney. — Remarks of Thomas O'Neil. — Extract from Speech of Thos. H. Leabourn. — An Important Departure, 246 CONTENTS. 11 CHAPTER XXIV. page Sketch of Miss Francis E. Willard. — Address of Miss Willard. — Closing of a Speech by Miss Willard. — Remarks of Miss Willard at Boston. — Extracts from Speeches of Miss Willard, 260 CHAPTER XXV. Important Extracts from Speeches by Col. Drew, D. L. Moody, Samuel P. Godwin, William Moran, and Extract from an Address by Bishop W. B. Stevens, 282 CHAPTER XXVI. A Famous Lecturer Heard from. — John B. Gough's Latest Gos- pel Temperance Lecture, . . . . . . . 297 PART IV. IMPORTANT FACTS, INCIDENTS AND EXPERI- ENCES OF REFORMED MEN. CHAPTER XXVII. Storming the Devil's Den. — Frank Murphy in Ramcat Alley. — Marriage. — Among the Barrel Houses. — Dispatch. — Flowers. — Mr. John L. Linton. — "The Floggers Flogged." — Results of the Murphy Movement. — "The Hardest Drinker." — " Mr. Murphy's Pocket-book Converted."- — " Success by the Law of Love.'* — Murphy and the "Fire-sharps." — "Re- formers Recognized." — "A Mother's Love." — " Slow Pro- gress." • . . 323 CHAPTER XXVIII. A Charitable Gift. — How an Irishman Quit Selling Liquor. — "Rum Killed Them."— "The Right About Face."— "Going to Satan's Domains." — How the Women were " Started." — " Then Shake !"— " I'm Unraveling !" — " Won and Saved." — "I Made Him what He was." — Rum-mad- ness, . f-336 CHAPTER XXXI. " What Rum will Do." — Thrilling Story. — A True Irishman. — "A Cripple for Life." — " From the Top of the Ladder to the Foot."—" Caught in a Murphy Net," .... 348 12 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXX. page The Way to Master the Appetite — "Wouldn't Return to it for $100 Per Day." — A Pathetic Story.— "Out of Six, the Only One." — A Wonderful Deliverance, 358 CHAPTER XXXI. "Boys Kidnapped" by Intemperance. — " Drank up a Barrel of Money." — The Only Sure Help. — Ran the Gauntlet of the Rum Shops in Chicago. — " Four Times in Prison." — " God did All for Him." — That Undertow of Temperance. — " Pre- paration to Commit Suicide." — "Thirty Years of Intemper- ance." — " Money Brokers Used to Get All my Clothes." — " From Forty to Fifty Glasses of Liquor a Day." — " One of the Worst of Drinking Men." — "Twenty-five Years" of Slavery, . 367 CHAPTER XXXII. Down to " Bummer-poison." — " Tho Only True Pledge." — " Not too Much Religion." — "A Drug Store Tippler." — "Sold $16,000 Worth in One Day." — Promising Before an Audi- ence. — "A Professional Pledge-taker." — "Came Two Hun- dred Miles to be Redeemed." — "Saved Through a Wife's Prayers. — " Beaten by One Glass of Whiskey." — " Cost Him $100.000." — "Rather Have the Red in His Button-hole."— "A Dollar in His Pocket."—" A Richer Man." — "Gash in tee Bank."— The Prayer of Faith. — "The Happiest Two Months." — " Far Happier than for Fourteen Years." — " Pleaded at the Bar," ....... 379 CHAPTER XXXIII. Dr. Henry A. Reynolds. — Biographical Facts, .... 387 CHAPTER XXXIV. Alcohol has no Medicinal Value. — Physicians Trained to the De- lusion. — What Distinguished Men Say. — The Medical Fra- ternity not Innocent. — How to Succeed more Speedily. — Two more Witnesses, ......... 396 CHAPTER XXXV. Alcohol in the Light of Science — " Is it Strange?" — What Lamb Said of It — An Appeal. — Closing Words to the Reformed Men, 404 THE TRUE PATH; OR, THE MURPHY MOVEMENT AND G-OSPEL TEMPERANCE. PART I.-THE SUBJECT AS PRESENTED TO-DAY. CHAPTER I. MR. MURPHY'S INFLUENCE. Francis Murphy is a surprise. Within a com- paratively short time he has astonished the whole country. He has effectually gained the popular ear, and almost as readily won its heart. Certainly, his success is unequalled in . the annals of reform. No other man has risen so high as a public benefactor, and a real friend of the most degraded and wretched among men. Thus, already, his influence is wonderful. It is of a most commanding character. Not only do lead- ing men, among ministers, merchants and others — of both great mental culture, and wealth — subscribe 2 (13) 14 THE TRUE PATH. to his plans and conform to all his most reasonable wishes ; but his influence extends to every grade and character of our people. It brings thousands of eager and devoted disciples to his feet. It goes beyond the bold and impertinent stare of the public eye, and enters into the privacy and sanctity of the most humble homes. It finds firm anchorage in the shadow-land of family trials, and carries with it the needful balm that issues only from Divine Truth and its association with human effort. It rests compla- cently in chambers where once sadness, fear and squalid misery held carnival. It establishes the true human helper and friend — though but a pliant in- strument in the Omnipotent hand — in the hearts of countless thousands of innocent and dependent ones, far outnumbering the fathers, husbands and bro- thers redeemed. The reason for all this is plain. It is in the fact that through his remarkable exertions there has been lifted from priceless souls the suffering of lives more intolerable than any death, and instead thereof the unbounded happiness dispensed that only those long denied it can fully experience. And it is further in the fact that the number of souls so reclaimed and freed are known to be legion. The speediest and most effective way to the interests, sympathies and affections of an intelligent' people, is the salvation of its unfortunates. Great men have often become so by saving the lives of a few hundred or thousand persons. But here is an instance of a man, under God, saving thousands GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 15 upon thousands of lives — both for time and eternity. People see and feel this, and are awakened to a sense of what is due such an one. !Nor is this appreciation limited to the immediate fields of Mr. Murphy's labor. His influence is almost equally powerful and far reaching in every community. His name — with his words of kind- ness and wisdom, and deeds of love — has been well heralded throughout our borders. It seems as if the whole nation of Intemperance and Vice is beginning to fret and heave from the enormous load his skill and struggles have put upon it. And it is plain that Christianity and Morality have been stirred up to the importance of a hearty co-operation with a plan that human wisdom can in no way condemn. All feel the magnitude of the work now fairly in- augurated. Every atmosphere is full of the move- ment our hero has championed. The millions are only waiting — and anxiously — to know who, and what, he really is who has been able to so trouble the pools throughout our great social system. HIS SUCCESS. As already intimated, Mr. Murphy is a new star in the canopy of our era — a brilliant gladiator in the arena of American life. He is both a leader of great promise, and a general of prodigious victories. His success is assured for the time to come. He has taken firm root in the soil of the whole people. Even now the plant fills the air with the perfume of 16 THE TRUE PATH. its blossoms and fruit. All concede the fact that neither tongue nor pen can do justice to either the work#r or his work. It is evident that more than one million persons have signed the Murphy pledge. Among these is a large proportion of men and women who were slaves to their appetites for strong drink. Not a few were confirmed drunkards and outcasts. This is a glori- ous record — one that should cause the people in the true path — they of the Gates of Zion — to be filled with pleasure and songs of thanksgiving. Through this unprecedented success — we may say, this extraordinary share of Divine blessing — the people are largely aglow with earnestness and en- thusiasm. There is a disposition on the part of many to yield personal tastes and convictions, and subscribe to anything that will add to the general result. The tendency of the Church is toward more of prayer and labor and faith. And what may we not expect when the hearts of the Christian public are turned, from day to day, toward God — He who redeems more willingly than men receive his inestimable blessings. LEADING CHARACTERISTICS. One of the things c6nstantly developed in Mr. Murphy's labors is his unfaltering faith. He clearly has his convictions fixed upon the willingness of the Divine Spirit to aid every noble enterprise — especially that having for its purpose purely the elevation into GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 17 spiritual life and activity of his unfortunate fellow- men. He also has confidence in the fact that ♦some- thing of good, however small or flickering, exists down somewhere in every soul — something which can be fanned into a flame sufficient to light up the whole being and fill it with righteousness and truth. He has faith that, hard by the refreshing and en- kindling power of the Almighty, on the one hand, and the feeble desires and latent sympathies of the fallen, on the other, there flows a continual stream of salvation ; and that a brotherly hand, warmed by a loving heart, may lift into useful manhood hosts of men who have long ceased to look for real friend- ship upon the earth. He has faith also that even one man, leaning heavily upon Christ, can accom- plish more against evil than regiments of men de- pending solely upon themselves. Another important feature is his peculiar aptitude at persuasiveness. By this none are harmed by him, in his approaches, or addresses, whilst many are either surprised and impressed, or speedily won to him. The former method of badgering with inuendos, or even epithets, is disdained. Even the first show of unkindness is studiously avoided. No hostility is awakened in the breast oY any one. Threatening is not so much as thought of alongside the better and more potent principle of Kindness — the child of Love — that divine grace and attribute which moves worlds, and heaven itself. 18 THE TRUE PATH. Persuasion is at once carefully and thoroughly employed, adhered to, and held, as the central motive power. Men are taken by the hand. This is the easy and sure way to the heart. And well might religion profit by this, in all its various eccle- siastical methods, while striving for the glory of the Master. There is more hope for the reclamation of thousands in this way than in perhaps most of the denunciatory efforts of the pulpit and rostrum. There is much more of Christianity in the friendly shake of the hand than in many prayers offered. Mr. Murphy not only understands this, but seems to consider that a long and hearty shake of the hand and a short prayer is at no disadvantage over against a long prayer and a short and feeble act of fellowship. He moves toward the erring with a soul running over with a tenderness and persuasive- ness that melts them down as effectually as are bat- talions and brigades decimated before the well- delivered leaden hail of an entrenched enemy. Thus, where there has been no desire for reforma- tion he excites it. No matter how mean in appear- ance the man may be, he, the champion, grasps his hand and says, " My brother, come and assert your manhood ! Come ! You shall be saved 1" And he comes — for a ray of hope, for the first time, touches the darkened soul. There is also presented to us in the man the very essential elements of personality — giving, shape and even solidity to a sweeping popular enthusiasm. There can be no doubt as to the possession of this GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 19 in a most extraordinary degree. He is at once cap- tivating through his gift of eloquence, his most admirable earnestness, his impressive manner, his delicacy of feeling, his robust and enduring physical organism, and, withal, his singularly magnetic pres- ence. All regard his personal appeals as irresistible, and calculated to thoroughly imbue his hearers with the same spirit by which he is himself moved. Thoroughness is seen, too, in all Mr. Murphy does. His mind not only expands, in proportion to the de- mands of his soul, in the great movement, but his plans and their fulfilment are distinguished for pre- cision and effectiveness. Nothing is done loosely or carelessly ; not a man is allowed to escape him, if in any way adapted to the work. Is one a good speaker ; has he an important and telling experience ; has he been distinguished among the intemperate, or frequenters of the drinking saloon, or grogery ? At once he is pushed to the front, constrained to tell his sad story and its rejoiceful sequel to the thou- sands, and then sent into the field to imitate the great leader in urging the necessity for, and value of, Gospel temperance. Often men have signed the pledge, and then walked away from philanthropic workers, as if all was done that it was possible for them to do. That act ended, the signer was -left to himself, and a world of snares and false friends. No interest was taken in them, and they were not encouraged to keep their solemn pledge by subsequent words or efforts. 20 THE TEUE PATH. Eot so, is Mr. Murphy's work done. Men are clothed, fed, employed, encouraged, and drilled to faithfulness. Thus appeal after appeal has been made to the public. The leader himself has gone to private homes soliciting apparel for his converts. His self-sacrificing devotion has driven home to the great public heart the fact of his genuine humani- tarianism ; and the community of rum-venders and rum-drinkers have silently bowed their heads before him. One other peculiarity requires, at our hands, a few reflections. It is that of a deep, personal experience. This has made Mr. Murphy bold, strong and shrewd. It is the band that encircles his soul, and whatever of gifts and graces he possesses. He was saved from a terrible end. His redemption released him from the worst of foes. His tender nature and sympa- thies were caught up by the power of the Holy Spirit. His prayers carried him from a familiar degradation to peace and happiness in believing. His very cruelties to others, especially the objects of his love, brought to him a more persistent interest and affection in their behalf. Through this last characteristic, Mr. Murphy stepped out not only upon the broad platform, and into the pure air of universal manhood, but — as by an unseen impetus — began to ascend the heights by which he might more perfectly measure his privileges and opportunities, and from, which he might call to him those of like perils and misfor- tunes. GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 21 CHAPTEK II. MR. MURPHY'S DIFFICULTIES. It is well that the world has its generous and noble natures which press beyond the narrow con- fines of the cynics and fault-finders — a class seldom pleased with anything unless they do it themselves, although eager to enjoy the good opinions of others. It is well that there are men who consider and re- member their duty to God and humanity ; who are willing to be held up to the contempt of some so that others may be profited, and who are ready to endure as good soldiers, for the honor of the name of Christ. It even seems well, also, that there are at times difficulties before such valiant defenders of truth, by the overcoming of which we are led to know that the wisdom of man is as foolishness before Him who gives to all their talents, and whose spiritual gifts and blessings are greatly above the highest advantages of a carnal nature. Thus are we brought to ourselves. Thus does God humble the lofty and instruct the despised. And thus, while we see hundreds of the most learned and skilled from distinguished u Alma Maters " pass through lives full of golden opportu- nities, without acquiring a name beyond the slender fields of their professional or business engagements,* we are now and then amazed at the splendid acts of such as have risen from obscurity and disadvan- 2* 22 THE TRUE PATH. tages — as have asked no mercy of the proud wave above the surface, and yet transcended them all. Few persons, having such obstacles before them as had Francis Murphy, ever conceive of, or attempt, great popular movements. Fewer still meet with any respectable success in the attempts made. They who succeed, however — and especially who do so signally and continuously — must be great, find them what and where you will. God reigns among men, and no one can accomplish such results, unless he is a chosen vessel — having the peculiar characteristics of mind and soul most essential, however they may be hidden from human ken. It is neither an easy nor common thing for men, having the advantages of influence and education, to rise to prominence in our large communities. But for men to come from the depths of debauchery and the prison house, and without so much as an ordinary mental outfit, and then hew their way up to a place alongside the ablest and most distin- guished of our citizens, is truly marvellous, and demands our attention and respect. It may be objected by some, that such men are only great, because they meet the tastes, views, feelings and training of the crowd. Be it so. The. most distinguished of our countrymen, generally, in all departments of usefulness, have become so by con- sulting the requirements of the masses. Great "minds must bend to those around and beneath them, or their very greatness becomes a source of reproach. Truly popular men are more surely great than those GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 23 who despise the Opinions of the world, simply be- cause of a consciousness of their superior personal attainments. There is a greatness that the schools cannot give — that the most exquisite preparation cannot pro- cure — and that rises in intrinsic merit and import- ance above all mind culture. It is born, and is somewhat of a rare production. It has to do with the soul. Education might have raised a mind and soul like Mr. Murphy's high up among the people with but little effort. But then his usefulness might have been thwarted. Difficulties make some men all the greater — often much more useful. His strength is seen more prominently in the indifference with which he treats the very qualification held to be so essential. He doubtless knows of his misfor- tune — if such it be — -perhaps, feels it for the moment ; but then led, as by a superhuman impulse, and a keen appreciation of his duty in behalf of suffering and erring humanity, he springs forward, appeals pointedly to men, catches their ears, wins their hearts, and holds them till he slays the enemy of their souls; and then anoints and bandages them for their new existence. The questions have been recently asked, " Whether men, having little more than dissolute lives to com- mend them to the public, are the proper persons to be recognized as leaders in important public move- ments ? " — " Whether wickedness should be made a vestibule to popularity ?" — " Whether those of offen- 24 THE 'J' B u E PATH. sive antecedents should not be kept upon the stool of repentance for a goodly season, and held at a dis- count in matters of general interest'/" In answer to such inquiries, we scarcely know what to say. We would not utter anything having the appearance of unkindness in it. And yet we feel a deep sense of indignation in an attempt at their consideration. We regard them as an im- peachment of the common-sense <>r our people gener- ally. Yea, more! — they seem to he mi arraignment of the government of G-od among men! When our Lord called Saul, the " chief of sin- ners," He did no more than He is doing to day, both in the Church and out of it. And when lie docs so call, shall men shake their heads impiously and <\'-~ clare that wickedness with Jehovah is at a pre- mium ? We will use a homely illustration, and urge, that there are very many tame crows silling cozily and lazily upon the fence, which are only innocentof the decaying carcass of sin because it did not lie within easy range of their light. Perhaps if they had tasted if, they would enjoy more of active useful- ness; would desert their complacent and self-import- mil hahits ; would entertain more oharitable opinions of the world around them ; and would more actively and truthfully engage in the great conflict of life. The worst, sinners have been made so by the very bouI qualities that once subjeoted to the light and heat of God's Spirit — make i hem the best and most noble Christians, GOSP K I, T M P B! it A N uild for you a mansion beyond the vale of death, whither you are traveling. HOW THEY GO. " One glass don't hurt. Did you ever see a man commence to-day and be a drunkard to-morrow? 11* 238 THE TRUE PATH. Did you ever see a train leave your depot, and as the engineer opened the throttle-valve, make a jump and land in Columbus ? No ; but the engineer opening that throttle-valve, away went the engine, slow and steady at first, but gradually increasing its velocity until it was bounding along the iron rail at the rate of forty miles an hour. And, my brother, that is the history of an intemperate man. At first you go slowly, but gradually you increase your pace until the first thing you know you are bounding along on that railroad of glass, and you can hear the roar of that cataract that is beyond. You glide oh smoothly, but you have lost the control of self. Is it true, or is it not ? KEFTJSING HELP. " My brother spoke to you last night about the Niagara river. It brought to my mind an incident, and I want to ask this audience to-night to go with me to the banks of that river. Watch that man in the current. You and I are screaming at the tops of our voices for him to lay hold of the bushes that grow along the banks. But he answers, ' No ; there are thorns on the bushes, and I will get my hands scratched. I will not lay hold.' If you saw such a man, what would you think? Why, he has refused the proffered aid, and to death let him go. And to- night, my brother, you are in this dark, rolling river, and it is sweeping you on to death. Your friends and neighbors are crying to you to lay hold GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 239 of the promises in this Holy Book. The thorns in the road with you are your prejudices, and we ask you who is to blame if you go on, for yonder, if you will but open your ears, you can hear the roar of that cataract, which to you, in passing over it, is certain death. • "•BURST THE BONDS." " And now, who is to answer all these questions ? For whose benefit is it ? "What interest is it to me ? On next Wednesday or Thursday I will leave your city. My business interests are nothing in it now, although they were great in years that are gone, for I shipped many car loads of black diamonds into this city. But to whose interest is it to be here to-night ? Is it to mine ? What difference does it ma^e to me whether a man comes down that aisle and signs that pledge or not, so far as I am personally concerned ? You are the benefited ones, you who sign, and it is for your interest. We ask you to stop a moment and use the God-giving powers within you, and act like thinking men, and if the toils of the serpent have wound themselves around, you so tight that it seems a hard thing for you even to attempt the effort, let that thought make you remember your manhood, and shake off the tempter now and for ever. Does a man in business to-day, because he fails, stop there ? Is there a man in your city that stands high finan- cially who ever attained that position without sur- mounting difficulty after difficulty until he reached the point where he now is ? Oh, burst the bonds ?" 240 THE TRUE PATH. Interesting and amusing speech of Alderman Harry B. Smithson, one of the Murphy converts from Pitts- burg, delivered at a great gathering in the State of Ohio : 11 My Friends: — We may expect, as Brother Olaney has told you, to meet with opposition — opposition from the men most deeply interested in this matter — that is the business men of the city. There is always a class of people who go around through this world measuring other people's corn in their half bushel. The cry now upon the streets is that the " boys" won't stick. Well, what are you doing to try to help them stick? All we ask of you is just to sit still and see the salvation of the Lord. We have come here to enter into this fight, and we propose to go through with it just as the old darky did when he went into the bear fight. There used to be an old darky in Kentucky who used to go out into the woods hunting bears, and whenever he met with an extraordinary large one, as soon as he got his eye on him, he would take off his coat and repeat this prayer: ' O, good Lord, if you ain't gwine to be on my side, don't you be on dat bar's side. Stand back and you will see the greatest bar fight you ever seen in your life.' [Laughter.] Now, let me say to you men and women of Springfield who to-day are opposing this move- ment, 'If you can't give us your influence, just you stand back, and you will see the greatest tussle that 1 Old Tanglefoot' ever had in Springfield.' [Applause and laughter.] " I was talking to several men to-day about the rep- GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 241 utation of your town. What is it ? It is well known to many of you. The reputation of Springfield to- day is almost National. It is the worst city, the worst town in the State of Ohio. [' Give it to 'em.'] And who has given it that name ? Why you, and you, and you. The reputation of Springfield is noth- ing more than your own combined. Why I can re- member, some years ago when I was in Pittsburg, I went to Boston three times a year to buy goods. At my first visit there I was invited by the merchant from whom I had purchased a bill of goods to go round to a restaurant and take lunch. We went round, and while there I was introduced to several parties, and one gentleman asked me up to take a drink. We turned round and faced the bar. The bar-keeper at once threw out a decanter and tumbler for me and asked the rest what they would have. I asked what was in the decanter, and the bar-keeper said whiskey. ' Why,' said I, ' my friend, I didn't call for whiskey.' He said, ' No, sir, but I heard the gentleman introducing you as a merchant from Pitts- burg, and they all drink whiskey over there. Every Pittsburg man drinks whiskey." [Applause.] Captain Claney. — " Pittsburg had a pretty good representative that time." Brother Smithson. — " Yes, sir. I never went back on my tod. Another incident to show how a town may gain a reputation, as well as a man. A party of gentlemen were traveling Bast. They had a traveling companion with them called the ' Black Betty.' Many of you have taken one along with 242 THE TRUE PATH. you from Springfield. I know some of you that have, and I could put my hands right on the top of your heads. Unfortunately they broke the cork, and could not get it out of the bottle, and they were very much worried about it. A gentleman on the other side of the car, seeing that they were so much worried, said : ' Gentlemen, what is the matter ? ' One of them said they had broken the cork, and could not get it out. 'Oh/ said he, 'that matter can be very soon settled,' and he rose in his seat and called out, ' Is there any gentleman in this car from Pittsburg ? ' A little man in the other end of the car got up and said he had the honor to represent the Smoky City. ' My dear friend/ said the gentleman, ' would you be kind enough to loan me your cork- screw ? ' [Laughter.] " Eeputation ! Why, when we first started out in this movement the first place we went to was the town of Youngstown. The morning after we had spoken in that town, while in conversation with a certain gentleman, the Superintendant of the Presby- terian Sabbath-school there, told me in a confidential manner that there were but four men in Youngstown who knew that he had not signed the pledge. I said to him, 'My dear friend, don't you lay that flatter- ing unction to your soul, for I had not been in this town for more than an hour till over thirty people had told me that you bad not, and they told me, fur- thermore, that you have got some very nice liquor up in your cellar/ It is not hard to get a reputation. That was his reputation, and he thought that nobody GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 243 but four in the whole place knew it. And I was very sorry to see that we came away from that place without that man signing the pledge. LOVE AND TODDY. "I was talking to-day with a couple of young men in your place, talking about how they first began and first learned to drink. It just reminded me of the first drink I ever took ; and by the by, I will just tell you about it. I left home when I was quite young to learn steamboating as a profession. I had obtained a situation on a boat running from Louis- ville to Bowling Green, Kentucky, up the Green River. I had steamboated up there for two seasons, and I was very anxious to form the acquaintance of some of the young folks, but their rules there were very strict, and they would not iutroduce a young man into their families without knowing who he was, and unless he was recommended. Being a stranger and having no one to recommend me, I was put to my wit's ends to get acquainted oq my own hook. Bowling Green is situated about a mile and a half back of the river, and walking up the railroad one day I saw a very handsome girl standing at the door of a house. I made up my mind t>hat I would like to form the young lady's acquaintance, but I didn't know exactly how to do it. I looked around and I spied an old darky sitting on a log un the opposite side of the road. Going over and entering into con- versation with him, I found out that he was very 244 THE TRUE PATH. well acquainted with the family — in fact had known the family for three or four generations back. He was my huckleberry. I gave him a half a. dollar and he posted me in regard to the family for two or three or four generations. Seeing the old gentleman stand- ing in the yard, I went up and accosted him and in- quired if he had any chickens for sale. He looked at me rather strange, and asked me what I wanted with chickens. I told him I wanted to buy them for the boat. He didn't have any to sell, but somehow or other he happened to mention that his name was Fox. « What?' said I, 'Fox! is it possible?' and I very suddenly remembered about my mother speak- ing to me about her relations in Kentucky by the name of Fox. [Laughter.] Never had one of that name though, and never want one. But the old gen- tleman took me into the house and introduced me to the family, where I was at once cousined by them all. I was invited to call at the end of my next trip, and stay at the house, which I did. The custom there is to make a toddy in the morning, and every one in the family, from the baby to the oldest one in it, takes a drink. I being the company, the old gentleman brought me the tumbler first, one of those large- sized ones, holding nearly a quart, and I, not being accustomed to their ways and manners there, tugged away at it. It scratched my throat a little, but I rolled it down, and never stopped till I drained it. [Laughter.] At home each one of us had a tumbler to himself, and I supposed that was the custom there. In about ten minutes or so afterward (so I was after- GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 245 ward informed — laughter) the old gentleman came in to invite me to breakfast. But, alas ! poor Smithson was laid out. [Renewed laughter.] I was lying on the floor, and I could not have got out of that door if it had been as big as a barn. Now, that was the first drop of liquor I ever touched in my life. Al- though I had inherited a very strong desire for drink, I had always fought against it. TASTING LIQUOR. — TWO INSTANCES. " I want to say to you young ladies that are in the habit of passing the wine-cup around at your own houses — I want to say to you this : There is a fearful responsibility resting upon you. I will relate to you just one incident that occurred in Youngstown. A young man, an attorney there, who sang in the choir, on one occasion when he was preparing for a concert, was advised by the lady playing the organ to take a whiskey toddy as a remedy for a severe cold. His sister and himself took it. Now, let me tell you the consequence. When this movement struck Youngs- town he was almost a hopeless drunkard, and to-day the young lady, his sister, is an inmate in the Inebri- ate Asylum at Washington. And, one time in my history, I was passing the evening at a friend's house to celebrate the anniversary of his marriage. I sat alongside of a young lady, and the wine being passed around I said to her: 'You are not going to take that wine, are you ? ' She said she really didn't see bow she could refuse; that she must take a little just 246 THE TRUE PATH. out of courtesy for the folks. She took one sup out of that glass of wine and passed me the balance. I • drank twenty-two glasses of wine before I left that house that night. That glass of wine has been part and portion of my suffering. That glass of wine has caused that dear woman thousands of hours of suffer- ing and of misery that no tongue can tell. " To-day she would give her right arm — yes, her life — had that glass of wine never been passed. And my dear, good young ladies, let me beseech you, in God's name, to be careful how you pass a glass of wine to any young man. And let me say to you men to-night — all of you that are dabbling with this unclean thing — let me ask you, let me beseech you, for the sake of your wives and for the sake of your families, to come up here and sign this pledge." [Applause.] CHAPTER XXIII. INTERESTING ADDRESSES. Address of Mr. John King, one of the Murphy men, in the Piqua, Ohio, Opera House, before a crowded audience : " It is a good thing that sticks. Did yo.u ever hear that expression, any of you ? I have heard that again and again from men who were thoroughly con- vinced that the temperance movement was a good GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 247 thing; that it has been productive of a great deal of good, and likely to do a great deal more good. They are thoroughly convinced of its importance, that it is a good work, and that it has produced a great deal of peace, comfort and prosperity in this community. I am of opinion that there is not a man within the sound of my voice who is not convinced of the im- portance of this thing — fairly and squarely convinced that everybody ought to be temperate. There is not one who is not convinced that drinking intoxicating liquors is wrong, and that, unquestionably, the oppo- site is right. A man — a good fellow and a friend of mine — accosted me to-day, and, said he, s Why did you make such a fool of yourself as to join this tem- perance movement ? ' Said I, ' Excuse me, I don't think I acted the fool. 5 ' Well, you did.' ' How ? ' 1 Well, you won't stick.' ' Well,' said I, ; I stuck to that other thing pretty well, didn't I? [Laughter and applause.] You will not charge me with not sticking .to that other habit ? ' 4 No ; you ■ were a pretty good drunkard.' ''Now,' said I, ' if I know myself, I am going to try and ' stick,' as you call it, and if you think I won't stick, I want you to come along and be my comrade in this matter ; be along- side of me, and when you see me likely to fall, sup- port me and make me stop. You need it as bad as I do, or worse. You have been drunk oftener than I ever was.' Just such fellows as that will let the wagon leave them if they are not careful. They talk about not sticking. They say: 'I am afraid you will not stick.' They will wait until they stick in 248 THE TRUE PATH. the mud after awhile, and their wagon will leave them. " Now, when any man is convinced of the import- ance of this matter, it is his duty to come here and sign this pledge, and abstain from the use of intoxi- cating liquors as a beverage. I don't envy any man whose conscience tells him this thing is right, but who holds back and lets his conscience reproach him every day in the week. I think a man ought to act according to the dictates of his conscience, if he ex- pects to get along in this world. " I don't see why every man in the house don't sign at once. Every man will tell you it is wrong to drink whiskey. I talked that way when I drank whiskey. Every man talks that way. Let us all quit it. T, by the grace of God, will quit it. It never did me much good. I know it did me a heap of harm. It will do every body harm. Now, if you are con- vinced of this thing, come right along and don't put any miserable apology in that ' I am waiting for a fellow back here, and he is coming here some of these nights and then I will join.' You had better say c I will do this thing because I believe it is right.' Don't say ' I will go if you will.' That won't do. If the thing is right, do it. If it is wrong, don't do it. If you are convinced it is right to do it, do it at once and then you will have a clear conscience. I wish I could sign every night. I never felt better in my life than I did the night I signed it. I am glad I did it. I came across an old, broken-down friend of mine the other morning. I said to him, ' You had better come GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 249 up to this meeting.' Said he, ' What do you want me up there for ? Do you want me to sign that !' using some not very pleasant language. This man said he was not going to sign that pledge. He was an old man and I was not acquainted with him. Said I, ' What is the reason you won't ?' Said he, 1 1 am a free man, and I am not going to sign away my liberty.' Said he, ' I am twenty-one years of age.' Said I, ' I know you are, and nearly three times that." 'Well,' said he, ' I am not going to sign away my liberties. I am going to run the hog on my own side of the creek.' Did you ever hear the like in your life ? A free man ! Free to do wrong, did he mean ? I am not much of a lawyer, but I am enough of one to know that nobody is free to do wrong. Freedom of speech simply means that a man has got to be responsible for what he says. He must talk in accordance to law, or he is not free even to talk. There is no signing away of liberty about it ; it is simply a reform. "There is another excuse that is made for not join- ing this movement. Some men say, ' I would join, only you take in too rough fellows.' They are toney, those kind of fellows. [Laughter and applause.] Did that blessed being who came from the right hand of His father to save sinners select from the lawyers, the doctors and the merchants and the ' toney ' fel- lows to do His work ? If I believed in that thing I would be a Sadducee. Why, it is the most contemp- tible thing in the world. Who knows but some of us fellows will make great men yet ? — I mean some 250 THE TRUE PATH. of the young men. I don't suppose I will ever make a very great man. [Laughter.] There is one thing sure, though ; We will never make great men unless we quit drinking whiskey. [' You would make great drunkards.'] Yes, we might make our mark, but the mark w r ould be on our noses." [Laughter.] Speech of General Joe Geiger, well-known through- out the "West, and delivered recently before a large public gathering : "Ladies and Gentlemen: — This is the first time I have had the privilege of appearing in this hall or presenting myself before any audience in Cincinnati upon the temperance question, and when I look about I feel, because of the scattered condition of the audi- ence and everybody being strange to me, a little like the boy in Western Pennsylvania. A gentleman was going along and asked a boy whom he met if he knew where Jake Kleinfelder lived. The boy said he did, and the stranger asked him to give him the necessary directions to find the house. ' Well/ said the boy, ' you see our barn down there ? well, you go to that and then you go about a quarter of a mile beyond, where you come to a lane. You take that lane for about a mile and a-half ? and then you come to a branch. You follow that branch for a quarter of a mile, when you come to a slippery-elm log, and you look out for that log, stranger, for it's a three-cornered log. You go on about a mile further, and then you GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 251 come to a plum thicket, and then, and then, stran- ger ' " 'And then, what?' demanded the traveller. u ' Well, then, stranger/ said the boy, scratching his head, ' then I'm blamed if you ain't lost.' [Laugh- ter.] I feel pretty much as if I was lost here in the same way to-night, without a single familiar face before me. There is satisfaction, however, in the thought that we are all engaged in the same enter- prize. Daniel Webster once said that the people of the United States had one country, one constitution, one destiny ; and if we are to succeed in this enter- prise we must be united, as I think we are, and have but one purpose. We must give it all our influence to bring it to perfection. Many persons we talk to on this question say they have no influence and it is no use for them to try to do anything. Now, when a man comes to the point of saying he has no influ- ence, the sooner he pegs out the better. He is of no use in the world, he is a mere incumbus And yet if you tell such a man he has no influence he will get mad at you and-denounce you. Every man has in- fluence. The human mind, like the earth, will pro- duce something. The earth will produce trees and fruit and cereals, or briers and weeds and mullen stalks, and the products of the human mind may be either valuable or worthless. We want you to en- gage in the right, to go with us in this cause. We want a general consolidation of our people for the furthering of our cause. The Union will not be per- fect unless all classes are identified with it, for every- 252 THE TRUE PATH. thing grand in moral or physical success depends upon union. Once the earth was parched and blis- tered, and scorched by the heat of the sun. The rivulets were dry, the grass was brown, the leaves were shriveled and the cattle were famishing. Little particles of moisture hung in the air, all holding back and saying to themselves that they could do nothing. But the lightning went tearing through the clouds, and these particles were brought together, forming globules, the rain descended, the grass and the leaves revived, the streams ran bank-full and all nature was glad and blooming. " It is so in this movement. We are all small par- ticles, but combined we are a power for the accom- plishment of this Christian and benevolent enterprise. We want you all. A man was once riding through the wilderness, when he was beset by wolves. He urged his horse on, but still the wolves came nearer and nearer. In his agony of fear he cried out to his nearest neighbor : ' Billy Jenkins ! Billy Jenkins, come and save me.' He received no reply, and the wolves gaining upon him at every bound, the dis- tressed traveler cried, ' Ho ! everybody, come and save me.' " So we cry to you to help to advance this great moral reform. We Call particularly for the lost and the destitute ; we call for the drunkard ; we call for the loafer; we call for the thief; we call for the crimi- nal. We go down to the lowest dregs of society. We want to shelter the lazaroni, to take care of the destitute. We are going after the lost sheep. Christ GOSPELi "TEMPERANCE. 253 came to save sinners, not the righteous. The trouble is some men have no practical belief in the practical doctrines of Christ, and go stumbling about in their blindness to the truths of the Bible, doiDg no good to anybody. When we reach down and try to snatch from the jaws of hell men who are plunged into almost irretrievable ruin, and to bear them back on the wings of love to the throne of the Father, we meet with opposition ; opposition to the advancement of humanity ; opposition from the high-toned, nega- tive opposition from the leaders in your churcbes, and sneers from the lofty and learned. You have plenty of good church-goers who would not aid a fallen brother, because they think it would be de- grading to their high natures. Many of them are ministering at the altar, and when it comes down to a practical effort to rescue a man who is absolutely going down pell mell to destruction, they pull their sacred garments about them and thank God that they are not like other men. [Applause.] This doctrine was put forth long ago, and it has come down to us through many generations. The meanest and most malignant man referred to in sacred history is Cain. He was a bold, bad liar, and when he had slain his brother, the Almighty called upon him to come forth, from the bushes. He was asked where his brother was, and replied : ' I know not ; am I my brother's keeper ?' How that expression has run along through the generations of man from that time to this ? How it has comforted the heartless ; how it has soothed the hypocritical Christian; how it has 12 254 THE TKUE PATH. been the excuse of the mean and designing — c I am not my brother's keeper! ' Christ came to redeem sinners, to raise them up, and give them a chance.* He didn't teach the doctrine, 'I am not my brother's keeper.' Now, will you adopt the words of the mur- derer Cain, or will you strive, with Christ's example before you, to help to raise the fallen? I believe you will take up this cause and carry it triumphantly through. You are a little weak down here yet, but I believe you will soon come up to the standard. In Columbus we did. "A fellow asked me some time ago whether we, who have taken an interest in this movement, would ' stick.' I told him of course we would. You re- member the story of the man who had but a slight acquaintance of postage-stamps, and on putting one on a letter wrote above it, ' Good, if the thing sticks.' Well, that's just our case. We're good if we stick, and stick I know we will. We are going to stick in the interest of our physical, our domestic and our financial health, and we propose to conduct this movement without appeals to the authorities. We don't even propose to adopt the rather ingenious plan of Mr. Herrick for breaking up the saloons of Circle- ville. The grand jury up there came to the conclu- sion once that they would try to put a stop to the sale of liquor, and called Herrick in one morning as* a witness. He was asked if he had drank at any of the so-called groceries in town that morning, and answered that he had at all of them. ' What did you drink ? ' was the next question. c Gin^' was Her- GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 255 rick's reply. l Did you pay for it ' he was asked. 'I did not,' was bis response. 'Do you intend to 'pay for it?' followed up the foreman of the jury. 4 No,' said Herrick, ' I do not ; I see what you brought me here for, and I tell you if everybody adopts my plan of drinking up their liquor and not paying for it, the saloons will be closed up a good deal quicker than the grand jury can shut them up.' " No," said the General, " we don't propose to close the whiskey shops* up that way. We have another plan. We think if we take the calves away and quit milking, the cows will go dry." [Laughter and applause.] On the same occasion as the foregoing, Elijah De- laney, of peculiar singing qualities, and somewhat attractive character, was called on for a song ; where- upon he essayed a stage effort and said : " Ladies and Gentlemen : — Very unexpectedly I am called on to-night to sing. I have been accosted two or three times to-day about being a ' Murphy boy.' They undertake to charge Mr. Murphy with not being very much of a reformer. They say he has been a bad man. Well, about that, I have come to the conclusion that old Aunt Dolly did, when her old Massa told her that if she didn't work she couldn't have any bread. She said it didn't make any differ- ence. Her bread should be given, and her water would be sure; that her Heavenly Father would give it to her. Her Massa told her just to wait and see 256 * THE TRUE PATH. whether she would get it or not. He didn't believe her Heavenly Father would give her much. At night, when Aunt Dolly went to prayer, some mis- chievous boys took some bread and threw it into her cabin through the roof. When she came back and saw the. bread she rejoiced, thinking the Lord had sent ' it. Then the boys came and told her ' The Lord didn't send that bread to you. We threw it down through the roof.' Said she, ' I don't care. It's God's bread, even if the devil fetches it." ' [Laughter and applause.] Then came the song : BROTHER LIGE'S SONG. " ' Brudders don't you want to be dar ? Yes, my Lord. A sitting in de kingdom, To bear Jordan roll. Cborus — Roll, Jordan, roll, Roll, Jordan, roll. I want to go to beaven wben I die, To bear Jordan roll.' " [Applause.] Several more verses were rolled off by the brother, assisted by four young colored gentlemen. The suc- cess of this song was pronounced, and it will perhaps be inferred, from the sample verse given above, that it was more appreciated for its melody (which must be left to the imagination of the reader) than for its verbiage. GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 257 Remarks of Thomas O'Neil, a well-known brewer of Philadelphia, who was converted to total absti- nence under Mr. Murphy's efforts, a short time since. This brief address was delivered in the Temperance Tabernacle, in said city, and in the presence of a large meeting : " I feel very much like an did Methodist preacher who was very popular in this city some years ago. When he got filled up, and couldn't very well con- tain himself, he sung, 6 Hallelujah, hallelujah, the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.' He has been known to jump over the pulpit when he got into those en- thusiastic strains. I do not know but I feel like jumping myself. I think I bear a man down there say, ' That is Tommy O'Neil.' Yes, that is Tommy O'Neil. But it is not the Tommy O'Neil you met down at Lambert's the other day, or at the La Pierre. It is another man altogether. [Murphy — "Thank God for that."] The man you met at those places was a fool, a lunatic. The man you see here now, is sane. He has been brought from darkness into light, and from the power of Satan into the service of the living God. And through whom, let me tell you, there is not a more popular fellow in the city of Philadelphia than Tommy O'Neil. [Great and continued applause.] I am sure you would all keep quiet if you knew who this was. It is the first attempt I ever made in my life to make a speech. I want to tell you who the fellow is that is speaking. This is his card. It com- mences 'Thomas O'Neil,' and right underneath, in small italics, is printed ' O'Neil and Company, Brew- 258 THE TRUE PATH. ers.' Why, sir ! you don't know what kind of a man you have got. You have captured a brewer. [Mr. Murphy — "I will shake hands with you for that." Shakes hands. Applause. Mr. Murphy — " Let us hear the rest of this man's speech, so that we can understand what position he has occupied, and, by the blessing of God, what he intends in the fu- ture."] I think that is about all there is to say. Are you satisfied ? I was a brewer in the city of Philadelphia ; and, I presume, the only Irishman that ever attempted anything of the kind in this city. I am happy to say I have abandoned the business. I did not like it, and it did not like me. I lost all that I had in it, and I believe that it was the province of Grod that I should lose it." EXTRACT FROM SPEECH OF MR. THOS. H. LEABOURN, A REFORMER. " This country has awakened to this great issue ; and this great movement is progressing from one end of the land to the other. Day after day, and night after night committees are coming, from many States, - and asking Mr. Murphy to send speakers to aid them in the great cause. But we are going first to awaken thoroughly the city of c Brotherly Love,' the great Centennial city of the Union, where Independence was first proclaimed, where the old bell first pro- claimed liberty through the land. [Mr. Murphy.' — GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 259 " King it again."] When we get all to sign and become decent men, then we will make the sound of the glad tidings to go. forth into other lands. Every man who has any regard for his own honor and that of his family must sign this temperance pledge. I feel it was the grandest day in my life when I at- tached my name to it. I followed King Alcohol too long. When I commenced to drink I was far better off than I am to-night, I had an honest name and character, and I could look every honest man in the face." AN IMPORTANT DEPARTURE. Ex- Judge George M. Curtis, of New York, a crimi- nal lawyer, recently before the public as counsel for Joe Coeburn, has joined the temperance movement, and said : " I have become quite satisfied, from my long ac- quaintance with all classes of men, politicians, jour- nalists, merchants and others, that the demon rum means moral, physical and financial bankruptcy to its victims. There is no escaping this fact; it is at the bottom of all evil, it is the one great intolerable curse in all grades of society ; its powerful seductions, awful powers, its relentless persecution of its devotees, its ultimate, often deferred, but inevitable result are clear to me, and shall be clear to all whom my warn- ing voice can reach, to all who are not yet already deaf to reason, lost to feeling, or blind to facts." 260 THE TRUE PATH. Mr. Curtis spoke with visible earnestness, his eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, and his whole frame quivered with emotion. This new departure into the total prohibition camp is a great surprise to Mr. Curtis' friends and political associates. CHAPTBE XXIV. SKETCH OF MISS FRANCES E. WILLARD. A few words, in reference to a lady who has en- gaged a large share of public attention during the past year or two, appear to be called for in this con- nection. Miss Frances E. Willard, of Chicago, has evidently been raised up, under God, for a great work in the interest of the fallen. She has come to the surface, as have many others, not knowing the extent of the ground she would find it necessary to occupy. Having been prepared for the work of a school teacher, when the proper time came, she en- tered upon her duties with the purpose of contribu- ting her share in rendering the declining years of her aged mother as easeful as possible. While in this calling she became distinguished in her church, at home, both as a worker and speaker. It was evi- dent that she was endowed with superior abilities. Her remarks were always forcible and reasonable, and often rose to the full character of eloquence. In GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 261 this way she became known as a valuable assistant, wherever, in the work of God, her sex did not inter- fere with her presence before an audience. JOINED THE WOMAN'S TEMPERANCE UNION. Having had occasion at one time to visit the city of Pittsburg, during the active operations of the Women's Temperance Union there, she became deeply interested in the subject of reform as promul- gated by that organization, and enrolled her name with it. Subsequently, she took part with those who visited taverns and saloons, and held prayer in them. In this way her mind and heart were directed along the important paths of Temperance. She was con- vinced that she could honor her Divine Master more in that cause than in any other field of activity. She preferred, and fully selected it. SENT FOR BY MR. MOODY. After her return to her home, and during the .suc- cessful labors of Messrs. Moody and Sankey in Boston, a cry came up from the coasts of New Eng- land, reaching to the Great Lake City of the West, " Come over and help us." In other words, Mr. Moody sent all the way to Chicago for a lady of deep piety, and zealousness and magnetism of character — one adapted to public work — to come among the mothers, wives, sisters and daughters of New Eng- land, and act as a leader. It was Mr. Moody's 12* 262 THE TRUE PATH. opinion that the women of the North were as a dry • and well-prepared magazine, upon the subject of temperance, wanting only ignition ; that some devo- ted and able member of the Women's Temperance Union of the West, with the torch in hand, could make havoc among the forces of King Alcohol, and his miserable vassal and dupe, King Gambrinus. A CHOSEN VESSEL. Miss Willard was chosen. And in due course of time she was enabled to call together audiences of three thousand people, and to see many persons turned away for want of accommodation. She was admitted to be a chosen vessel, at once honored of men, because called and honored of God. The addresses of Miss Willard were remarkably entertaining and effective — always abounding in in- struction. And when speaking upon the subject of intemperance, she warmed into a life and power that frequently struck, with great force, the very deepest chords of feeling. Women gathered about her, to strengthen her hands, who had suffered from intem- perance, and whose influence was but fuel for the latent fire that burned continually within the bosom of our heroine. The sympathies of her whole nature ran out to the drunkard and his family. HER APPEARANCE, ETC. The appearance of Miss Willard- commended her also greatly to her hearers. She is somewhat slender GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 263 of form, has a countenance indicating great kindness ; a bright, steady eye, which is generally shielded by glasses ; the Grecian type of features, brown hair, and, altogether, a tidy and winsome presence. Ad- ded to all this, is that noblest of woman's embellish-- meats, modesty — which is apparent both in her man- ner and subject. All her appeals have been founded upon, and mixed with, Scripture truths. She constantly has kept the eyes of her mind upon the Cross, as the sure and only safe direction for every creature de- graded by his appetite. Through this young woman's instruction, hun- dreds have been qualified for work, and sent forth against Rum, Debauchery, Profanity, and Satan. The following address was delivered by Miss Wil- lard, at a Sunday Morning Breakfast, given by the Francis Murphy Committee, in the Annex to the Academy of Fine Arts, in Philadelphia, just before the temporary close of the continuous meetings : " We have caused to ascend with our prayers the hymn ' I need thee every hour,' and I wish the re- sponse to that in your hearts might be, c O, bless me now, my Saviour ! I come to thee.' That is our part, 'I come to thee.' Your heart and my heart are citadels the king of kings and lord of lords can- not force open. Our hearts are like the Englishman's cottage into which Her Majesty cannot enter without 264 THE TEUE PATH. permission. We are either saying to Jesus, ' Enter thou, if thou dost love me/ Or we are saying, 'Stay without, with thy locks wet with the dews of many a night waiting and watching over me.' Every one of •us is in one of these two states of mind. Ask your- self in which of -these two states of mind am I ? Am . I saying, enter thou Lord, or am I saying, stay out- side, Lord. BREAD WITH ONE HAND. "I cannot tell when I have been so happy as I have been here this morning. The praise of these meet- ings has been re-echoed by many a heart. Christian friends have spread the table to satisfy the earthly need as well as to satisfy the heavenly thirst. We must give the bread of life with one hand and the New Testament of the Lord Jesus Christ witlf the other. Christ rather than see the most repulsive beggar go hungry would perform a miracle, though he never would perform a miracle for himself. He had compassion on physical suffering and on diseased souls, and we are all alike when it comes to that, we all have a like need of him. TEMPTATION. " My life has been hedged about by safe-guards as your lives, dear brothers, have been hedged about by temptations. I have the quiet and sweet influences of home where you have been battling with tempta- GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 265 tion in the streets, and running the gauntlet of the rum-shops, and met often without one kind word, and you have thought without any one caring whether you were successful or not. You do not know how people did care, but in those days people did not get' into line and tell you of it as they do now-a-days; they did not tell you that we are all tied together by • a common humanity. My temptations may be on a different line from yours, but they are still tempta- tions, and nobody can know of them except God who came to reconcile me to Himself. BE HEALED BY THE DIVINE TOUCH. " So when I stand here this morning and speak to you of Christ, I am speaking of one in whom I did not once believe, and perhaps you do not this morn- ing. Many of you have been reared in Christian homes, and have heard this Bible read and have been taught that little prayer which has lain away in your memories : " ' Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord rny soul to keep.' " Oh, let that be the voice of your heart this morn- ing. Pray to the Lord to keep your soul, and. He will keep it as well as He will keep that of a little child. Consider whether you will be satisfied with having your hunger satisfied for an hour and leaving the divine huuger in your souls remain unassuaged for- 266 THE TRUE PATH. ever and ever. Is it best to help a man for a little while, or to give him such strength that he will help himself forever and ever? It is much better to hold up Christ to them than it is to give them bread and stop there. It is better to heal a man's broken arm by a divine touch than it is to put it into a sling. It is a kind action to put it into a sling, but if you have the power to touch that arm and make it well, would not that be better. It is just so with human souls. It is better that they should be healed by the divine touch than to stop after relieving their temporal wants. doesn't know he has the appetite. " I never saw in an audience more kindly thoughtful faces than I see here this morning, and I pray to God that in the brotherhood of Christ' we may come into the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free. He says, ' Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.' Don't you know that well enough? He is a servant bowed down with a pack on his back so long as he serves sin, but when Christ makes a man free he is free indeed. Some people say of a man who has drank for many years, ' He has drank so long that his nerves have become diseased ; you need not talk to me about this being cured, it is impossible to cure him because he still has an appetite for drink.' I do not read in the Bible that when Daniel was thrown into the lion's den their teeth were extracted, but that they did not bite him. I simply know that GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 267 when a drinking man takes Christ for his saviour, drink does not tempt him any more. He does not know that he has got the appetite, and that is just as well as if he did not have it. He will never know he has it so long as he holds to the loving hand of Jesus. He came on purpose to keep us out of dangers and difficulties. THE PRESCRIPTION. " I saw a man stand up in the Tabernacle in Boston, he was a man from Canada who had been under this power all his life. He was a noble kind-hearted fel- low, but he had the trade-mark of the drink-demon branded upon his face. He had been a drinking man for more than thirty years. He said, ' In my pocket next my heart I have carried my whiskey flask many and many a year, but I have now turned it out and put into its place a New Testament.' That is a prescription I want to give to any others who are in the same bondage. Christ says : " If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.' VISIT TO PITTSBURG-. " Dear old Pittsburg has such a record in Brother Murphy's work. I think how I looked out on. those vast crowds last February and heard them sing : " ' I hear Thy welcome voice, That calls me, Lord, to Thee, For cleansing in Thy precious blood That flowed on Calvary. ' 268 THE TRUE PATH. "I thought what a reanimation of dry branches there was when I heard the chorus : " ' I am coming, Lord ! Coming now to Thee ! Wash me, cleanse me in Thy blood That flowed on Calvary.' "And I remembered how three years earlier — four years it is now — I, a quiet Western school teacher, came to Pittsburg because I was so interested in this movement. I had never cared for it before, but I saw it was my *luty from that time forth to let alone the products of the brewery, the vineyard and the still. And I gave my help to the cause of temper- ance because I wanted to help humanity. I am not talking to you a theory, but of something practical that came to me in hours of pain and danger, when I thought I should not live till morning. It came to me to say : * Oh, God, I have heard about thy laws, but I have never cared for thee, but let me be strong and I will give my life to thee, I will do just what you tell me.' And there came peace to my heart that came straight from the God of Heaven. Every one can get this peace from heaven that desires it. WHAT A SCENE. " I went to Pittsburg when this temperance move- ment began. It seems curious to me now that I should go there to learn about the crusades. There I met thirty women going to a saloon, I wanted to GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 269 be in the midst of them. A school teacher said to me, ' G-o with me, we are both of us school marms.' We went down Market street, and we stopped before a saloon ; one of the women said, ' We are going to have Mrs. So-and-so, pray here ;' pointing out a gray haired woman, ' because through that door her boy walked to the pit of perdition. After learning to drink in that place he never was a man again, he never comforted her heart or home ; he has gone to ruin. Now his mother is going there to pray.' Oh, what a scene it was. As men passed along the streets they took their hats off, even the newsboys stood there with sober faces. There gathered around us a packed crowd of men and boys all standing with their hats off as prayers were said. I wanted to pray for these men, and my heart went out to God for them in that old Pittsburg Saloon. Then we sang, • " * Jesus, the water of life will give, Freely, freely, freely.' " Some of those young men seemed to know the hymn and 'their voices joined in with ours. This was but the beginning of a better day ; this is the better day. This is the day when young men and maiderL are thinking how they can help along the cause iY Christian temperance. m he " WHAT THINK YE OF CHRIST ?" dn( J »ther " I leave this question for .you to take home,hink you ; what think ye of Christ ? Christ asks ; a gen- 270 THE TRUE PATH. self. He does not want you to think of him in any way ; he tells us just how to think of him. He does not want you to think for other folks, that he came to do great good upon the earth. He said : ' If the son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.' l If I be lifted up I shall draw all men unto me.' ' This is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.' "In the days of Napoleon there was a grand review held in Paris, the different regiments were out in their holiday attire and Napoleon was seated upon his splended charger, as he looked around upon his soldiers he c arelessly dropped his reins ; the charger bounded away, when, out from the ranks, sprang a tall grenadier, and throwing himself in front of the horse he seized the reins and presented them to the Emperor. Napoleon said, 'thank you, captain.' The man was nothing but a private before, but the Emperor said, ( thank you captain.' The man said, ' of what regiment.' The Emperor said ' of my own guards,' and leaving the man standing there he went -on. If this man had been like some of us toward the Threat captain of our salvation he would have said, 0L '.he Emperor will forget about it,' or ' he did not ^an it,' or ' there must be some mistake,' and he uld have gone back and taken his place in the iment. Instead of this he laid his gun down and - 'anybody can pick that up that has a mind to, ment 1 a captain.' Then he walked over to where shoulc a#nera ] s were standing. They said : ' Fellow I met t y 0U want ? your place is in the line.' He GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 271 replied : 'lama captain in the Emperor's guards.' They then began to be respectful and they asked him, 4 how do you know V l he says I am,' the man re- plied. He had not any of the outward signs on him ; he took the Emperor's word ; simply, that, and noth- ing, more. Shall you and I do that this morning? Shall we not receive Christ into our hearts ? The moment you give your heart to Christ he takes it. Let your next breath be a breath of faith, and your next pulse be a pulse of faith. God cannot lie, his promises are true ; he has promised and he will perform. "WHAT CHRIST IS DOING." " A dear little Sunday school girl came to a friend of mine the other day and said, l dear teacher, I am converted.' The teacher said : ' I will examine your evidences, what makes you think you are converted? ' She replied : ' In the book, mother read it to me, if children want to come He wants to have them, I wanted to come and I believe He wants to have me come because He said so.' What better reason could she have found? "What think ye of Christ ? Are you thinking of him for yourself, taking him to your own heart ? A geutleman went in an orphan asylum to try aud get a little girl to take home with him, the matron brought them out and he looked in this and in that face and walked back and looked into other faces and then he said to the matron, ' I do not think I will take any to-day: He was too much of a gen- 272 THE TRUE PATH. tleman to say he did not like them, and so he said he would call another time. The matron said : 4 There is a little girl who came in this morning but she is all mud, I will wash her face and bring her in. 5 The gentleman said: 'Bring her in just as she is.' She was brought in ; she had a confiding look as though she was ready to believe everybody. The gentleman said, 'I lost my little girl and I want a girl to take home with me/ she looked into his face and said : ' You look like a good gentleman.' ' Will you go home with me?' 'As you like.' 'What is your name?' ' Rosie Brown.' 'Have you father or mother V ' My father and mother are dead.' ' Will you call yourself Bosie Lee after me ? my name is Lee.' ' Yes.' ' Will you go along with me now ?' ' Yes.' The gentleman turned to the matron and said : ' I will take the child home.' As he passed out a friend came along and said : ' What have you got there ?' he said to Rosie, ' Tell him.' Rosie said : ' This is my papa and I am going to be his girl, my name is Rosie Lee.' The man took her into his heart and she took him. That is what Christ is doing ; the moment we give ourselves to Christ we say : ' I am a Christian.' We do not care about these clothes that are not very nice. He has garments of righte- ousness for you. CURIOUS IDEAS. " People have curious ideas about sin. They will say : ' I am a sinner, I have been a drinking man.' GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 273 The reason you are a sinner is because you do not love what God loves, and you do not hate what God hates. I did not until I was converted. How are you going to get to love what God loves ? By letting him make us do it. " TEMPERANCE MAKES US ONE." " I have but one more word to say. Look around and see these flags, and it reminds us that temperance makes us of one brotherhood and one sisterhood ; we forget about our different flags and nationalities. We have one God, Lord over all blessed for ever- more. It makes you in foreign lands feel as if you were at home. That reminds me of a new year's call made by a foreigner. A lady believing that new years' calls, when received according to the prevail- ing fashion, was productive of harm, thought she would receive them in a different way. She asked me to join her, and when any one wanted to turn over a new leaf we would ask them to leave their autographs with us, and we would pray with them if they desired it. I went* at nine o'clock, and had hardly taken my seat there and got ready for visitors when I heard a tap at the door. They did not need to tap because it was new years, and so I thought it must be a stranger to the place. I went to the door and there stood a young man and woman, whom I knew to be foreigners by their complexion. I found the young man had mustered all the English he had to say in one sentence, and that was : ( I will sign 274 THE TRUE PATH. the pledge for my wife,' and lie pointed to the lady. I asked him a question and thought he would say something more, but he knew no more of the lan- guage. When he put his name to it such curious writing I never saw ; I do not know to this day what language it was. He went over to this dear young lady and put this pledge in her hand and kissed her on the cheek. The tears rolled down over her cheeks and I knew that woman was happier than many a woman when presented with the title deeds to vast estates. I pointed to a motto, Which said, ' Trust in God.' I thought he could read the letters, as they were peculiar, but he could not read a word of it. I then pointed to heaven, to their God and my God, and I knew then it touched their hearts, the tears were in their eyes, and we knelt together, and in my English speech I asked God to bless those strangers. There together we invoked his presence and blessing. It is said, ' one touch of nature makes the whole world kin,' and we may say one touch of temperance will make the whole world kin, if we go forward blessing and to bless. Closing words of a speech, by Miss Willard, at a late Murphy meeting : " The rank and file are marching on. The work of the pioneers is not lost. The fanaticisms of yester- day are the reforms of to-day, and shall be the splen- did victories of to-morrow. It is something to get GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 275 a view of the promised laud even if you only get it from Pisgah's top. And I hazard the prophecy, that if we do not see it, the time -will come when that which takes away the brain, and hardens the heart of men, and makes them cruel towards those they love best, shall be banished forever from the land. Yesterday what did you see ? You saw Wilberforce standing in the British Parliament, amid the scoffs of those about him, saying, ' I move the abolition of slavery in her Majesty's Colonies.' To-day the name of William Wilberforce stands in the peerage of British names. Yesterday our Lloyd Garrison, with a rope around his neck, was egged in the streets of Boston. But even while living his brow was en- circled with the gratitude of millions of slaves. Look back and you see a Galilaean carpenter stand- ing alone, saying : ' The words that I speak unto you are spirit and are life.' You know 7 that He was without a treasury, still He has so worked upon the mines of gold in this world, through the transmis- sion of His spirit, that the grandest temples erected bear at the top of them the badge of His humiliation. " You know His Gospel has spread to every shore. You know He has enthroned himself in millions of hearts. O ! Christ ! what hast Thou not done ? Coming down through the centuries, Thou hast come down through the Gospel, binding up the broken- hearted, and this day Thou hast an empire wide as the world. Thou dost command. Thou art King on the Earth this day. Thou dost go on to triumph more and more. Thou art in this temperance move- 276 THE TRUE PATH. merit. It is Thyself that lifts men into kindliness, even from the depths of the gutter. May we yet say, every one of us : " ' In the Cross of Christ I Glory, Towering o'er the wreck of time, All that's bright in human glory- Gathers round its head sublime.' " Eemarks of Miss Willard, at a meeting in Boston, recently : " We wish that everybody would get converted. It is the only true life — to be born of God. The world is not all converted yet, though Christianity is the simplest problem that man has to encounter. There is no government so grand and so incalculably satis- factory to the Lord God, as the reign of temperance. Within the sacred influence of school and church there nestle in this broad land of ours, protected and covered by the star-spangled banner, two hundred and fifty thousand rum shops. To carry out the busi- ness of these groggeries requires five hundred and fifty thousand of America's citizens. The net revenue is six hundred and fifty million dollars, but that is not all. Seventy-five per cent, of all the murders in the country are committed through the influence of rum; fifty per cent, of all the insanity in the country is the result of drinking ; eighty-six per cent, of all the criminals in the land become such while staggering under a load of liquor ; ninety-six per cent, of all the GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 277 drunken youths leave a fond, but agonized mother's arms to go to the black perdition of strong drink. Every year one hundred million of our best and brightest men reel into eternity and a drunkard's grave. Every year the statistics tell us of five hun- dred thousand steady drinkers and one hundred mil- lion moderate drinkers, and last of all are millions of handsome, intelligent lads going tramp, tramp, tramp to a drunkard's destiny. The bar-room is but the school of American politics. Each year one hundred million drunkards go STAGGERING UP TO THE BALLOT-BOX to deposit the vote which shall elect to the responsi- ble government of this mighty republic the candidate whom their drunken intelligence taught them to be the proper person. What a sad reflection this is for us to-night!" Miss Willard made a very eloquent appeal to her hearers to arouse themselves, and by their Christian endeavors free society and politics of their curse. " What have each one of you done ? Who, tell me, has saved one human soul from the pit of the blackest darkness? You have taken from fifty to five hun- dred dollars per year from the liquor dealers ; you have given to industry the strong arm and well- developed muscles of mature manhood; you have placed the keystone in the broken arch of home ; you have given to the Commonwealth a conscientious ballot, and you have given to Christ's church another 13 278 THE TRUE PATH. member. Dear brother, you can have those shackles that bind you broken off if you will. No matter what your sin, Christ can break the shackles. I tell you, young man, that drunkenness is the ripe fruit of moderate drinking. Give yourselves then on the side of total abstinence. If there are any here who do not feel the need of taking the step, I beseech them to do it, that they may set an example to their weaker brother. May you, one and all, know in your hearts the importance of total abstinence. I wish we could act as united as our forefathers did. Men and women of New England, see the heritage your forefathers and foremothers have given you ! Will you not stand heart to heart for total abstinence ? How true is it that " now is the accepted time." There is a time for every purpose and every work in this world. The time has reached us. THE TIME TO WORK has come. How many in this assembly are pledged on the side of total abstinence ? I ask those who are not, in the name of G-od, to place themselves there. Sometimes, they say, a woman's fingers can undo bars and bolts in the human heart which men cannot move. I think this is so, and if it is, sisters, why can't we do all our influence will enable us, to over- come this terrible tide of horror ? Many of you have heard the story of the confession a murderer made in his cell to a Christian minister. He said : 4 If people had only come to me before, and told me - --— - GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 279 these things, when my heart was young, my life might have been spared.' At last his sullen, tigerish, cold and hardened heart was broken by a woman, who by some little kindness found ihz door to his heart and the flood-gate to his tears. God help us, one and all, in Christ's dear name to participate in this glorious work." Extracts from subsequent speeches by Miss Wil- lard : a IN FAVOR OF FREE WHISKEY." " One hundred thousand of our best citizens die every year from strong drink; behind them are half a million steady drinkers ; behind them are a million moderate drinkers ; behind them two millions of occa- sional drinkers ; and behind them all, dear mothers, come the boys tramp, tramp, to the drunkard's doom out of their boyhood ! Our law-makers will restrict the public schools and enact tariff laws, but are all in favor of free whiskey." " BACK IN THE SHADOWS." "I think of my constituency, these sad-faced women all over the land, who sit to-night beside the darling embers of their blasted hearthstones. As I think how they have prayed and have thought the heavens were brass and have said to me ' I think that God is dead/ 280 THE TRUE PATH. As I stand here to plead for them, oh, may God stir right up in your hearts that you and I, as fortunate people, blessed and lifted into heavenly places in Christ Jesus, may have something to do about it. Those prayers must be answered ; God shall avenge His own elect. Women ha^e given the best host- ages to fortune, they send their best beloved out with fearful legalized snares set along our streets, beyond the arms which held them long. Their boys have gone forever. Oh, by the danger and the pain they bear, by hours of patient watching over beds where little children lie, by the incense of ten thousand prayers wafted from their gentle lips to heaven, I charge you give them your strong arm, your kindly open hand, your generous heart, your earnest prayers that God may speed them in their work for temper- ance. Give them every possible aid to turn into ac- tivity, to turn into wholesome results the wonderful power that' has been so long pent up in their souls. How they set back there in the shadows." " COFFEE HOUSES." " There are two modes of promoting the reformation of men addicted to intemperance. One is from with- out and the other from within. The former proposes by the establishment of reading-rooms, coffee-houses and other counter attractions to protect against the enemy by removing temptation from the victim of appetite and securing for him a comfortable and safe retreat. This is to prop the man up from without. GOSPEL. TEMPERANCE. 281 The other plan contemplates building him up from within by bringing the grace of God to his heart, and by throwing the light of the Gospel upon his dark- ened and blinded life lead him up from that devious pathway leading to destruction wherein he has been walking." " LET NONE PREACH CREAM AND PRACTICE SKIM MILK." " Oh, let us be guided in our daily life. by the Golden Rule, 4 Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them ;' or, in the com- mon nineteenth-century phrase, it would be, ' Pat yourself in his place.' Yet if I were a prisoner, and anybody was to put himself in my place he would have to think about it for a while, and after being re- leased he would lead such a life that he would never get put in again. If we are to pat ourselves in others' places, then let us go to those who are prison- ers of drink and try to lift them, just as we do those on a more material scale. May it be the prayer of our life that profession may not take the place of performance in our lives. As an old farmer said, 1 Let no one in this world preach cream and practice skim milk.' By His grace removing idols out of our hearts, by the implantation of God's peace therein through prayer, may you say, ' I will by His dear grace have for my motto : ' Christ, make my life a flaming zeal for Jesus, wrought in me by the Holy Ghost.' " 282 THE TRUE PATH. CHAPTEE XX V.. IMPORTANT EXTRACTS. Col. Drew, an eloquent Gospel Temperance orator, has labored efficiently for some time past in New- England and parts of the Middle States. The fol- lowing were his closing remarks before a meeting at the Tabernacle, in Philadelphia, lately : " A man seventy years of age who had pawned every article of furniture, and even the tools of his trade, to gratify his desire for drink, finally came through from drink to sobriety. I asked him to make a speech, and he said : 'After I signed the pledge, I made up my mind I would pass the saloons without stopping, so I got up all steam, and, almost running, got by them one after ^another, although with great effort; at last I felt I must go into one, but I kept up a quicker run and got home.' ' Perhaps,' said he, 'you remember that in one of the wonderful voyages of Sinbad, the sailor, he was sailing along with his ship and he came near a mountain of loadstone, and he instantly felt that first one bolt was drawn out of his ship, and then another, until finally the ship went down. Just so when I go by a rum-mill. I feel that a bolt of my resolution is drawn out, and then another, and I am careful or I will go to pieces.' So I say to those who have recently signed the pledge, that they must redouble their exertions if they would not fall. Set all sail when you go by those rum-holes, GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 283 and after you get by them several times it will be easier for you. I like this temperance pledge for the universal brotherhood it infuses. It makes no differ- ence between the rich and the poor, the educated and the uneducated. It stretches out its blessed arms to every man suffering from drink, be he high or low, and says to him in effect, 'Come with us and be saved.' It goes out into the highways and byways, into all the alleys of the great cities and searches out men. What for ? For honor ? For money ? For emolument? No. But because they are human beings made in the image of our heavenly Father, and be- cause they have capacities, every one of them, for a reformed and regenerated life. That is this Temper- ance G-ospel. It is a part of Christianity, as all tem- perance movements must be. It is a Christian tem- perance movement because it recognizes the great doctrine of the fatherhood of God and the brother- hood of man, and teaches every man, who wants to worship God in an acceptable manner, to try and do something for his fellow-man. Go out here on any one of the streets and you will find a man reeling and staggering with drink, with no money, no friends, no opportunities, no position. You don't know him. Nobody knows him. You might pass him a thousand times on the street without looking at him. You might pass him a thousand times, thinking that to save him would not amount to anything. Bring him here ; give him the pledge ; put a new garment on him ; a new song in his mouth, and you do not know him. Can you calculate the issues that depend upon 284 THE TRUE PATH. this single succoring of this unknown and obscure man ? This man may have a family ; they are made happy ; his children are freed from their heritage of shame ; his wife is relieved from her apprehensions and sorrow. He probably has a dissipated neighbor who says, ' Here is Jones, look at him, he has a clean collar on, he is bringing a carpet into his house.' And soon they say, 'there goes a piano into his house.' His comrades in his work who formerly used to say to him, ' Let us go in and take a beer,' ungrammatical, as well as silly, look at Jones and say, ' His children dress better than we do, it is be- cause he does not spend that twenty-five cents for beer.' And each one says, ' I will sign the pledge as he has done.' What have you done? You have saved one unknown man, picked up in the streets at midnight ; but for all you know, and for all any man knows, you may have, by bringing him to the pledge, started a current through this population, a current perpetually deepening, widening and growing purer and better ; a current of piety, usefulness and strength, flowing through the ocean of ordinary humanity, as the Gulf Stream flows through the sea." The world-renowned Evangelist, Mr. D. L. Moody, has done a glorious work on the side of temperance, in Boston, during the past number of months. His appeals are worthy the attention of Christians and re- formers everywhere. GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 285 " HE WILL FORGIVE AND HEAL." On Friday noon, February 16, the Tabernacle was again crowded, and Mr. Moody preached his third discourse from the words, " Who forgiveth all thine iniquities," in the 103d psalm. He dwelt especially on the word, "Forgiveth," saying: " That is what the Lord wants to do with every man and every woman gathered in this building to-day. But he does more than forgive. You might have a prodigal boy that would go off like the one we read of in the fifteenth chapter of Luke, and in some foreign country con- tract some disease and come home and repent of his sins, and ask you to forgive him, and you might for- give him, but you could not heal him. But the Lord does more than forgive : He forgiveth all our iniqui- ties, and healeth all our diseases. 'Now, some people saj they have become so addicted to strong drink, that it has become a disease with them ; never m.ind, bring it to Christ — He will heal all thy diseases. I would not give up a man because his own power over himself is gone ; it is the power of God that is going to save him, not his own ; and if a man is so given to drink that it is a disease, don't become discouraged and think there is no hope for that man. ' He for- giveth all thine iniquities, He healeth all thy diseases, He restoreth thy soul.' He forgiveth and healeth. If a man only brings his disease to Christ, if he only brings this appetite to the Son of God, God is able to forgive him and heal him. Bat He does more than 13* 286 THE TRUE PATH. forgive and heal. A man may be forgiven and healed, but Christ redeemeth his life, not from the power of Satan, but from the hands of justice. Every man who has sinned and transgressed the law of God, oh ! ' He redeemeth thy life from destruction ' — that is what God wants to do. He will redeem every drunkard in this town if he wants to be redeemed, and is willing to be redeemed for God's glory, if his aim is to glorify God. A man need not come to God to get rid of his appetite if he means to be an infidel, to sow tares if he means to fight against G-od. Perhaps it is better that he should GO INTO A DRUNKARD'S GRAVE. than to sow tares and do what he can to destroy the Lord's works. He does more than forgive, heal, and redeem, He ' crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies.' He crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies. Every child of Grod that has been redeemed is crowned with loving kind- ness and tender mercies, and the blessings of Heaven. But there are a great many people who have the crowns, but are not satisfied. I -have no doubt that a great many crowned heads in Europe are dissatis- fied, and they do not know what peace and comfort are. He does more than crown — He satisfieth. There are five precious things that the Lord gives every one that believeth in Him : Forgiveth all thine iniquities, healeth all thy diseases, redeemeth thy life from de- struction, crowneth thee with loving kindness and GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 287 tender mercies, and satisfieth. You can not get any higher than satisfaction. What does a man want more than that ? That is the top round of the ladder, and the angels of heaven can not get any higher; the redeemed in glory can not get any higher; that is the very highest to which we can go, my friends. Satisfieth — God will satisfy every one of us if we will only come to Him. That it just what He wants to do. Oh, may Grod help us to come to Him to-day. No wonder the Psalmist says, ' Bless the Lord, my soul;' he had got something to bless the Lord for, and if you will only take Christ as God's gift, and your way and your portion, you will have something to praise God for. I hope every man tha # t is a slave to- day to strong drink will come just as he is, and ask God to heal all your diseases, to redeem your life from destruction crown you with loving kindness and tender mercies, and satisfy your soul. He can do it. He longs to do it. God will grant your requests. The sinner wants to get in the place of receiving and put God in the place of giving, and then salvation will flow into his soul. Before we have a few moments of silent prayer, I would like just to make a state- ment that may encourage you to pray. At the young men's meetings and at other meetings which we have had, at the Friday meetings, and at the small meetings this week, there have been a great many who have been, as we believe, saved by the answer to prayer. They have been deprived of their appetite for strong drink. It shows that God is al- ready commencing to answer our prayers. I say this 288 THE TRUE PATH to encourage you to pray. It has just been reported about again that those who have been drunkards and reformed, don't stand, and now that is being denied. I have just got a letter this week from Philadelphia ; for I had heard that one of several hundred men who had been saved in that city had fallen, and so I wrote back there to inquire about it, and I got this letter in answer from the man himself, saying that he had only been down for a few days, but he had been raised again by the power of God, so that the very day this letter was written he was leading the noon prayer- meeting. He had been one of the greatest drunkards in Philadelphia, but God had heard and answered his prayer. Some may say that because these men haVe been saved, it is no sign that they have been reclaimed. A great many of us Christians have done a good many things since we were con- verted that we ought not to have done, and I don't see why we should cast these men off because they have fallen. Instead of trying to help them some seem to rejoice at it and call their neighbors' attention to it, and say, ' Now see how that man has fallen.' Let us try to raise them up instead of rejoicing in their fall. It seems as though you were doing the devil's work when you rejoice at a man's fall instead of trying to raise him up. Go to work and get him away from the devil if you can. The devil has got him down — a good many are trying to help the devil keep him down. Because a man has fallen again it is no sign that he has not been reclaimed. I tell you Christ will heal the backslider and get him on his GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 289 feet again ; He has saved hundreds of men in that way. HOW A FIFTEEN-CENT SCRIP SAVED A DRUNKARD. " A man came into our meeting in the Hippodrome the last night we were there, and I have been anx- ious to hear how he was getting along, and this week I heard from him. He was not only a tramp, but he had got down about as low as any tramp could get. His will power was all gone. He had no rags to cover his nakedness. He was as filthy and as far gone as any man I have ever seen. He came into the Friday meeting and stayed to the second meeting, and some friends prayed with him ; whether they effected any change in him, at that time, I don't know. He told them he didn't know anything about Jesus.' He said, ' He won't answer my prayer, I am so great a sinner.' But this was his experience, as he narrated it to me afterwards. He said he had a fifteen-cent scrip in his pocket, and he said the first day after, ' If the Lord will help me keep that piece of scrip twenty- four hours I will take that as a token He will answer my prayer. If I shall just be able to walk through the streets of New York twenty-four hours without spending it for whiskey, I will take-that as an answer to my prayer.' He had no place to lay his head, but wandered about the streets all that time, and when he came back to me afterwards and I asked him how he was getting along, and all he said was, 290 THE TRUE PATH. ' I HAVE GOT IT NOW. I heard from him last week, and he said, ' I have got it dow.' He hadn't spent it for whiskey. [Laughter and applause.] He says, he intends to keep that piece of currency as long as he lives. God help him to do it ! [Cries of Amen.] That shows how God can save the poor drunkard. Let us believe in prayer Before we have a silent prayer, I would like to read a request from a little child ? ' Dear Chris - tain (written in a childish hand), will you please pray for my father; he is a drunkard, and for that cause I am without a home, and when you pray for him, remember me, a little girl.' O, may God bless the little girl, and may God hear our prayers and save that father. Let us have a few moments' silent prayer Let us all pray." After a season of silent prayer, Mr. Moody intro- duced to the audience Mr. Sawyer, who had come from Chicago to take charge of the work of reform in Boston. Mr. Sawyer spoke at some length in a rapid and forcible manner, and gave an extract from his own experience, at Mr. Moody's request, in which he said he knew what it meant to be houseless and home- less, a poor miserable leper, given up to strong drink for twenty years, but saved through the blood of Christ four years ago. He had been a boy with Jordan, Marsh & Co., and was doing well and had many friends, but the enemy GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 291 overcame him. He got on the road to Jericho, got stripped of his raiment and beaten ; everything was gone and he hadn't a hope on earth. It was while in this condition — a wretched drunkard — that he stumbled into a lawyer's office in Poughkeepsie, and fell asleep in a chair. When he awoke, the lawyer told him he understood his case, said he had been there himself, told him how he was cured by the grace of God, nine years before, and how he had been kept ever since. But it was hard for him to believe it, the cure seemed so simple ; and then the lawyer told him the story of Naaman, and said that the very reason he hesitated to accept it was because it was so simple. He took him at his word, turned his back on Jericho, and faced the promised land. He stop- ped drinking and went to praying. He forsook his evil ways, and had been happy ever since, and try- ing what he could do to bring the same blessing upon others. Mr. Moody then rose, and the following brief colloquy took place : Mr. Moody.—*" Has your appetite come back?" Mr. Sawyer. — " No, sir " Mr. Moody. — " Has God entirely destroyed your appetite so that it never troubles you ?" Mr. Sawyer. — " I would not like to say that God takes away the appetite, but he covers it up so that we don't know where it is if we live near Him. When we don't live near Him, Satan finds it again and plays on it. But if we live near him we don't know where it is." 292 THE TEUE PATH. Extracts from Mr. Moody's late temperance dis- courses : THE "RUM DEVIL" TO BE OAST OUT BY PRAYER. " I think this rum devil is the worst devil we have, and we are not going to cast him out by great meet- ings and lectures, but by prayer. Now there are some women in Chicago that have had a daily prayer meeting every afternoon at three o'clock right along for two years, and I do not know of anything that has made the same impression on me as those meet- ings. While I was in Chicago I used to drop in, steal in and stand behind a post to see how it was done. There were three to five hundred men and women gathered there at this meeting conducted by ladies, and there were from twenty-five to one hun- dred drinking men, some of them so drunk that they had to take them out because they were noisy, and when they were sobered off they would bring them back. During the past two years they have taken the names of fifteen hundred men, and they are follow- ing them up. Now what they do can be done in Boston. What we want is that Jerry McCaulay affair. He has a meeting every night. It is known all over New York, and when a man feels that he needs prayer he goes down there and they pray for him." "NO MORE WHITEWASHING/ " The church of God has been asleep long enough. We do not want any more whitewashing, we want GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 293 men recreated, and then they will have power to overcome this terrible appetite, to hurl the cup from them and live as God would have them live. I want to throw this out as a suggestion, and if the praying men and women in this audience think they would like such a meeting let them do what I suggest. It is easy enough to come up to this anniversary and clap your hands, but we want those who are willing to work three hundred and sixty-five days in the year. It is a long, steady pull, but we want it. It seems to me this work is in the very air. I believe we are going to put this terrible curse away, and I trust there is a time coming when if there is a minister of the gospel that stands in the pulpit and advocates a moderate use of liquor, the men and women will get out of the church as Lot did out of Sodom. [Applause.] I tell you, get a man that encourages this traffic out of your church. We want clean hands to carry the pure gospel from the churches. We want the church right, and then we will have power with God and man." THE BIBLE WAVE RISING. " I like this organization because it is stirring up the church, and I believe it is about the only organiza- tion that reaches the question. We have this church so pure and holy, and when the church takes hold of this matter and reaches a helping hand to the drunk- ards and tells them that there is hope for them, they will come flocking in. That has been demonstrated 294 THE TRUE PATH. in this city and in Philadelphia. During the past few weeks we hear tidings from that city that are wonderful, and we hear them from Pittsburg and Ohio. The Bible wave is rising in the West, and I hope it will sweep over the land. Let that be our prayer and that be our work." WORDS OF POWER. At a temperance meeting in the Philadelphia Tab- ernacle, held April 6th, 1877, Mr. Samuel P. Godwin, President of the Franklin Reformatory Home, made a few telling and forcible remarks, which had a pro- nounced effect upon the large audience present. We extract the following from them as worthy general perusal. He said : " I could say a great many words when I behold a man on my left hand, who has been the subject of my prayers for the last twelve months, giving testi- mony in behalf of this great work. If Brother Murphy had accomplished no other good in the hands of the Lord but the turning of this one young* man to Christ, he would have done more than you or I have done in a lifetime. It is nothing for you and I to stand up in behalf of total abstinence, but it is something for these dear souls that have dared to do right and to conquer. I feel like bowing down in reverence at the feet of men who have dared to come boldly and sign the pledge and keep it through the GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 295 grace of God, and we ought to do all we can to ad- vance the interest of such men. Let us do all we can to replace them in their position in society and the family circle, and lift them up to true. manhood." Words like these can only come from the heart, and from one of noble proportions. We make the following extract from an eloquent address by Hon. William Moran, at the Temperance Tabernacle, in Philadelphia, May 6th, 1877 : " I would rather be the instrument of accomplish- ing the good which Murphy has brought about, and have his power over the affections of the people, than have the eloquence of a Cicero or a Demosthenes, or be President of the United States. Should that great reformer remain with us one whole year, I verily be- lieve there would be no necessity of appropriating $800,000 for the support of our Almshouse, $250,000 to the House of Correction, and a million of dollars to the support of a large police force. Two-thirds of the amount thus expended, was due to the rum traffic. Our government pensions those who become wounded in its service ; and he saw no reason why the rum- seller should not be compelled to support the pauper and the criminal, made so through his furnishing the means. By the success of the temperance movement, taxation would be reduced, and thousands of now desolate homes made happy. The' true remedy for all ills resultant upon intemperance is total abstinence. 296 THE TRUE PATH. 'Touch not, taste not, handle not,' is the only motto which will yield protection to the tempted ; and I would to' God that all who hear me would adopt it as their own. " The people of this city and State owe Mr. Murphy a debt of gratitude which they can never repay. His work will live after him, when he shall have passed away and received the rich reward which is doubt- less prepared for him in the heavens." At the meeting of the Ninety-third Annual Con- vention of the P. B. Church of the Diocese of Penn- sylvania, Bishop W. Bacon Stevens treated the sub- ject of Temperance as follows : " The temperance question is occupying much of the public attention at this time. How far the present movement as seen in this city, differing, as it does, from all previous' efforts, will secure permanent re- sults, cannot at present be known. We do know, however, that a great good has been accomplished ; we do know that it takes by the hand the drunkard in his poverty, without work, and without, perhaps, a friend, and does not say to him, be ye warmed and filled, notwithstanding we give him not those things which are needful for the body, for it finds work for the workless, bread for the foodless, garments for the naked, shelter for the houseless — friends, Christian friends, for the friendless. It is a noble illustration of the true union of faith and works, and hence the GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 297 remarkable Success which has attended these efforts to reclaim the intemperate. We cannot but speak respectfully, thankfully of this work. Not to do so, methinks, would be to incur the rebuke our Lord gave to John, who, when he complained to Jesus, saying, ' Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and we forbade him because he followed not us.' f Forbid him not, 5 replied the large-minded Jesus, 4 for there is no man which shall do a miracle, in my name that can lightly speak evil of me, for he that is not against us is on our part.' For though these men do not profess to work miracles, yet if by the grace of God working through their instrumen- tality, they can bring the once drunkard and hitherto ferocious men to sit at the feet of Jesus, clothed in their right minds, then I think we may see Grod's hand in the work, and feel assured that at any rate it is not against it." CEAPTEE XXYI. A FAMOUS LECTURER HEARD FROM. Of course, nearly all men in our country know of the name of John B. Gough, the eloquent. For half a life-time he has delighted the people of our large towns and cities with his rare eloquence and inimit- able humor. But few may know, however, that he 298 THE TRUE PATH. is earnest and bold in advocacy of Gospel Temper- ance. At a recent meeting, in the Boston Taber- nacle, he sat close by Mr. Moody, who, before the close of the services, said: "Mr. Gough says it is very hard work for him to keep still, and he is liable to break out at any minute ; but I ain't going to let him say anything now. I tell him he can talk to you five hours to-night if he wants to." Thus, the famous lecturer was announced, and, when the evening came, the Tabernacle was crowded, whilst many hundreds were turned away. The lec- ture itself was one of his very finest efforts, and pro- duced a powerful and magical effect, throughout, upon his hearers. We give a verbatim report here of the speech, since it was made in the interest of gospel temperance, to a gospel temperance meeting, and in a real gospel temperance spirit. It will cer- tainly amply amuse, and repay, every one, in its pe rusal. "We think our work would be incomplete did we not send forth this latest, newest and best of Gough's addresses. We are told that, in its delivery, he began deliber- ately, warmed up as he progressed in his subject, and gave to it the gestures, attitudes, looks and tones re- quired. There was continued and deafening applause, as the remarkable " hits" of the speaker fell, one after the other, upon his audience. We urge upon every one the perusal of this : GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 299 MR. GOUGH'S GOSPEL TEMPERANCE LECTURE. " I think no person could occupy the position I occupy to-night without being weighed down under a sense of the responsibility of the position — to speak to such an audience of thinking men and thinking women as are assembled in this building to-night. I am to speak to you on the subject of temperance, a theme that is very dear to me. When I look back to thirty-four or thirty-five years ago, and remember the hand that was laid on my shoulder as I walked the streets of the city of Worcester as forlorn and hope- less as any man that ever stood or sat within the wails of this Tabernacle, remember the utter prostra- tion with the desire for better things, but no hope ; with ambition for something better, but no expecta- tion ; with pride enough, but no energy, no freshness of feeling, and although thirty-five years have passed since the day I signed the charter of my freedom, and it looked upon that paper like the signature of Stephen Hopkins on the Declaration of Independ- ence, I remember distinctly the feeling, the senti- ment, the circumstances of that time, and they were brought before me this afternoon very vividly. But I will not occupy time in speaking of my own personal experience ; I come to you with the result of thirty- four, thirty-five years' observation among the drink- ing men and among those who are engaged in the noble work of reform, and as they all say I use more illustration than argument, tell more stories than I 300 THE TRUE PATH. use logic, I wish to relate an incident that occurred in my own experience but a short time since. "A young Scotchman called to see me, who showed me his diploma as a physician. He was a graduate of Edinburgh University, a fine-looking fellow, as handsome a man as ever walked the streets, but being marked and scarred by this enemy. After some con- versation he left me, and his last words rung in my ears ; his last words brought the tears to my eyes, and I think I shall never forget them. Standing before me, he said : ' I am very much obliged to you, Mr. Gough ; you have given me your time, and you have told me the truth, but it's na use, and there is na hope. Shake hands with me, will you, I am a lost laddie,' and he went away. As I saw him going out, stalwart and strong, in the pride of health, ' I am a lost laddie,' my eyes filled with tears, and in the night I awoke, hearing the cry of a despairing man, ' I am a lost lad- die.' How many lost laddies are there to-day, in these United States ; how many are there in this city of Boston, and I could not help thinking this afternoon as I think now, as I look upon this audience, what are we assembled for ? To bring home, and freedom, and salvation to lost laddies in Boston, to tell them there is hope for them, to stir them up to exercise the power God has given them, to break their fetters, to stir them up into a natural ambition to battle with the evil that has held them so many years, and stand up free men, saved, saved by the power of the grace of Him who is able to save to the uttermost all those that come unto Him. GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 301 HOW DO MEN BECOME DEUNKARDS i " Now I want to say a few words, and they will be to-night, with very little connection, all bearing, as far as I can make them, upon the question : How do men become drunkards? I maintain this, that every man who becomes a drunkard, becomes so in trying to be a moderate drinker and failing. Now there are some men that can drink moderately. I should be very foolish to stand before an audience like this and say a moderate drinker is worse than a drunkard, that if a man drinks he must become a drunkard. There are men who can and do drink moderately, and there are some Christian men who can and do drink moderate- ly. Now I want to say a word or two to moderate drinkers before I go farther. They are the hardest cases in the world to move, because they have not lost reputation, they have not lost property, they are not bearing the terrible burden of their sin as some of these intemperate men are, and there- fore they are hard to reach. ' I never hurt myself by drinking; I don't see that I am injuring myself in any degree by it/ and they are the hardest cases in the world to move. So I want to say at once to the moderate drinker, You can drink mod- erately, perhaps — there are some men that can not for certain. I could not be a moderate drinker; I could no more be a moderate drinker than you could blow up a powder magazine moderately, or fire off a gun a little a time. [Laughter.] I have tried it and 14 302 THE TRUE PATH. failed. You say you are a weak-minded man. Very well, have it at that if you choose. I tell you, sir, if I am so weak-minded that I can not drink moderate- ly, thank God I am strong enough to let it alone alto- gether. [Applause.] I want to say to moderate drinkers, drink if you will, drink if you must, but don't you dare to tell these young men that you set them a good example. How do you know ? " I was once in a town in New York and saw a church that was building with a very superb, symmet- trical spire. From a small window, high up, a plank was pushed out about ten feet, and held by ropes fastened within. Again I saw a man get out of that window and step right on that platform without fall- ing. How many of you could do it ? How many of you ? I saw a man on the sidewalk halloo to him. He put his hands on his knees and looked down and hallooed to the man. Now that man could stand on that platform, and did, but if I had set my foot on that platform, the moment I saw the depth of one hundred and thirty feet below me, I would have gone down. I could not help it. No logic, no argu- ment, no mind, no will, no genius, or intellect could have helped me. I could not help myself. Now I say, sir, if you can stand on that plank and you tell me you set me a good example and you induce me by your encouragement to follow your example, be- cause it is a safe one, to stand on that plank, and I fall, what then ? Your skirts are full of my blood. It must needs be that offences come, but woe unto that man by whom they come. You tell the young GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 303 man you set him a good example — how do you know? If there was a bridge built over a gulf, to fall into which was utter ruin, that hold one hun- dred and fifty pounds, and you weigh one hundred and thirty, it is a safe bridge for you to walk on as much as you please. Here stands a man that weighs two hundred pounds, and you tell him to follow your example. 'I don't like the looks of that bridge,' he says. Don't be a fool, I have walked it for ten years, and it is safe; don't mind what others say. Now you follow my example, in moderation — don't get into a rush — exercise your self-control — step there — now another — step in a moderate way — don't get excited.' So he goes on till he sets his foot on the centre, and crash ! he goes to destruction. Did you set him a good example ? No, because you did not take into consideration the difference between your weights. Do you dare to tell that young man ' You are safe, I am a good example,' unless you have studied his susceptibilities, and that takes a lifetime to tell. " Now, you say if a man can not drink moderately he is weak-minded. What do you mean by weak- minded? It requires more strength of mind, firmness of purpose, decision of character, more of an iron will, to break a bad habit you have acquired. Did you ever try to break a habit — any little thing, for in- stance ? There is a young lady whose fingers are marred and disfigured. What is the matter? She bites her nails. Can't she break the habit ? I have known girls to work for months before they could get 304 THE TRUE PATH. rid of the habit of biting their nails. I knew a man who had acquired the habit of reading with his elbow on the desk in front of him, and he would twist his hair around his fingers. Some one said : * What are you pulling your hair out for? 'Why,' he said, 'I acquired the habit and I can not read with comfort without doing it.' I knew a man who made up his mind to give up the use of tobacco. He used to use Cavendish plug tobacco, and he put his hand in his pocket and threw the plug away, saying : ' That's the end of it.' 'But,' said he, 'that was only the begin- ning of it.' Oh, how he wanted it. He would lick his lips, and he chewed tooth-picks and anything he could get to keep his jaws going. But nothing would satisfy him. His mouth tasted as if it were full of cold cream all the time, and his very tongue seemed to be curled over with intense desire. Well, after he had worked a day or two in that way he said : ' I am not going to suffer like this ; I will get some.' He bought a plug and said: 'When I want it awfully I will take it.' He did want it awfully, and he took it out and — he thought it was his better spirit striving — he held it in his hand. ' I love you, and I want you, but are you my master or am I yours ? I am a man and you are a thing ; I am a man and you are a weed. I want you, but, you black devil, I will master you yet if I die for it, for it never shall be said that I, a man, was mastered by a thing ; yes, I will.' "Now there are persons that tell us that it is harder to give up the use of tobacco than the use of drink. Do you believe it ? Do you believe it ? I grant you GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 305 it may be to a man that takes one glass of ale once a day, and does not care whether he takes it or not ; but when the appetite lays hold of a man, how many men in this assembly to-night can testify that it is an awful struggle — a terrible fight? What will not a man do and suffer and give to get drink ? In my experi- ence of thirty -four years I have come across some fearful cases. What will not men do to get drink ? I will give you one case as an illustration. A gentle- man said to me : ' It seems very hard while I have been fighting drink all my life it should come into my own house. Now I have five children, four daughters and one son. Three of the daughters are married and my youngest is living with me, and my only son is dying without hope.' He had delirium tremens a second time. The physician, who told me the cir- cumstances afterward, said that he went to see him. ' Now,' he said, ' Charlie, you know' me ; you know I am your friend, and you know I will tell you the truth. You have a hard siege before you, my boy ; you have a tremendous fight ; you have some suffer- ing to go through ; but I think I can pull you through it by my skill and God's good providence and your own physical strength and your constitution. I think I can get you out ; but if you ever stand on your feet again, my boy, never touch a drop of liquor, for if you do you will have all this come back again, and you need not send for me, for you are a dead man.' The young man was a clever young fellow — smart, as we say. He looked up and said : c Doctor, you say I have to suffer. What do you know about 306 THE TRUE PATH. it? What do you know, about it ? Suffer! I sup- pose you could tell people how you take a man's leg off; but could you tell how the man felt when the saw touched the marrow ? Doctor, if you can prove to me that there is no physical suffering in hell, I will cut my throat. Doctor, I have had great spiders draw their soft bodies with hairy legs all over my face and in nvv mouth. I have had green flies buzz in my ears, crawl — ah, ah, ah, they are coming now/ and in less than two minutes two men were holding him, in convulsions. Ten days and ten nights he suffered — I was going to say the torments of the damned — and when he got on his feet — the third day he was on his feet — he went into a saloon and said ; 'Look here, give me a little brandy, just a little, because I need it;' and he gave it to him. 'Now,' said that father, 'that boy is dying in such awful agony that his friends can not look upon him.' Can you imagine a power stronger than that? When a man undertakes to break that habit, I tell you he has a work before him. 11 Did you ever see a man fighting drink? Great beads of sweat on his forehead, tears rolling down his cheeks, blood trickling from his head where he has bitten his lips in the agony of fighting against the desire that cries through every nerve of his system. Gentlemen, no man who has not experi- enced the power of that appetite can form 'any con- ception of it. My whole heart's, sympathy goes out to the struggling man fighting this desire for drink. Now, in our treatment of the drunkard we are very GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 307 much in the habit of treating him as if he were a reckless fellow that did not care what became of him. Did any man ever apostrophize drink, and holding the glass of liquor in his hand say : ' Here I stand in vigorous health, fine physical development, in ambi- tion ; I have a mother and sisters that cling to me with loving affection ; I am respectable and respected ; I look into the future with confidence ; my ambition is high and my hopes are bright. Now with this I will ruin my health ; with this I will blast my pros- pects ; with this I will stain my reputation ; with this I will destroy my manliness ; with this I will break my mother's heart ; with this I will bring disgrace upon all who love me ; with this I will burn out the last principle of violated truth, and a poor, half putri- fied carcass, men shall sweep me away as with the pitiful leavings of the dram-shop, and in after years I shall be spoken of with bated breath. I will take my first step toward that consummation in taking this, my first glass.' Was there ever such a consummate fool ? and yet men are doing it — doing it in Boston, doing it everywhere — with more horror to themselves than the mind of man can conceive. "Now the drunkard is the victim of the custom of society. What is drunkenness, I ask you to-night ? in our acceptation of the term — I am not speaking of God's view of it ; we will come to that presently. In our acceptation of the term, What is drunkenness ? The inability of man to stand drink. You can not judge of a man's drunkenness by the quantity he drinks, but by the effect that quantity has on his 308 THE TEUE PATH. nervous system. A man once said to me: 'I hate excess ; a man that drinks to excess is a beast.' I said : ' Then I hope you are with us.' He said : ' No ; I hate total abstainers. The total abstainer is cow- ardly, and the man who drinks to excess is beastly. I stand on the manly principle of moderation, self- denial, self-control, and I say to young men, Follow my example, and by the exercise of these qualities you will show your manliness; exercise your self- denial and self control, use liquor in moderation, and don't made a fool of yourself.' Then we hear every- where, only coming to us sometimes in different shapes. I say to such a man, what is excess ? 1 Drinking too much.' "What is drinking too much? 'Drinking to excess.' I know it is, but I will ask you a plain question: Would six tumblerfuls of todd}' in a day be excess for you ? c For me ? Six ? In a day? Well, no. I think I could stand it.' There is the point. Now, according to that man's theory, if a man drinks as much as he can hold, and stands it, that man is developing, isn't he ? [Laugh- ter.] If he drinks two quarts of whiskey in a day and stands it, there is a sign of self-denial and self- control and self-government in the moderate use of intoxicating liquor ; if he drinks a glass and does not stand it, that must be a sign of the utter want of self- denial and self-control in the excessive use of it. What is moderation and what is excess? In our estimation of it — because our estimation of drunken- ness, when we come to look at what Q-od says about it, is a very low estimation of its iniquity — we do GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 309 not think much of people who get intoxicated — once in a while. Did yon ever hear a man say : ' Don't call me a thief; I will knock any man down that calls me a thief ; I know I steal occasionally, but I am not a thief!' Did you ever hear a man say: 1 Don't call me a liar ; I know I lie once in a while, but I am not a liar!' Then a man says: 'I am no drunkard ; I get tight once in a while ; I have been tight at musters and at military suppers : but I am no drunkard.' ~Now if a man lies once, he is a liar ; if he steals once, he is a thief; and you do not call a man a drunkard till he gets drunk about two-thirds of his time. Simple intoxication is so common that we almost make sport of it. I heard some ladies once in a car talking very loudly, and one of them said : ' Oh, it was perfectly splendid ; I never laughed so much in my life. We went to sleigh ride, and were going to have a dance and supper at the hotel, and some of those young men went to the bar, and I never saw them get so drunk, and I laughed so, he, he ! When we were ready to dance, some of those young men were in such a state that they could not dance with their partners, and they were in such a state ! What do you think ! When we were all ready to go home and the sleigh drove up, the land- lord put some of those young men to bed, and I laughed so ! The next morning it was perfectly splendid, I never laughed so much in all my life.' Now here were a number of young men so drunk that they could not go home and could not dance 14* 310 THE TRUE PATH. with their partners, and it is matter for laughter and is such fun. "In a certain town in Connecticut a man came into his house drunk. He had a little boy three and a half or four years of age, and he came forward to meet him with both of his arms extended. Had the father been sober, the boy would have been nestling in his father's bosom, but he was drunk; he seized that boy by the shoulder, lifted him over his head, and dashed him right through the second story win- dow. Sash and glass and all went out, and on the paving, among the mire and bits of broken glass, lay a child with both thighs fractured. There is another phase of the fact that you laugh at, and that is, that when a man is drunk he don't know what he is about, and whether a man laughs or cries, shudders or chuckles, whether a man holds his sides with merri- ment or the marrow in his bones stands stone cold, drunkenness is debasing, degrading, imbruting, blast- ing, and scathing to everything that is bright and noble and manly and Godlike in a human being, whether you laugh or cry. [Applause.] " Now a great many people say that a man who would throw his child out of the window is a brute. Ah, my friends, it is very easy to call men brutes. I worked for thirty-five years among the drunkards, among criminals, and never found a brute among them yet, never. Dickens has said somewhere in one of his w r orks ; ' Mrs. Toggers was a hard woman, yet in her heart, away up a great many pairs of stairs, in a re- mote corner was a door, and on that door was written GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 311 WbMAN.' So, on the heart of the biggest drunkard in Boston, away up a great many pair of stairs, in a remote corner, easily passed by and covered over with cobwebs, is a door ; find that, and that is our business, and knock ; no response ! What then ? Knock on, persevere; remember, Christian men and women, remember Him who stood at the door of your heart till His locks were wet with dew, and remem- ber that this is a brother man, and knock on, and by and by the quivering lip and the starting tear will tell that you have been knocking at the heart of a man, not the heart of a brute. I have often found in my experience that just as quick as a man adopts the principle of total abstinence, it seems to open the flood-gates of feeling that have been pent up for so many years, or turned almost, I was going to say, from tenderness into bitterness. I remember one little fact. A man said to me : ' The queerest thing that ever happened to me in my life, was when I put my name on the temperance pledge. I was a pretty hard case, my wife used to be afraid of me, and my children used to run away with fear when I came in the house ; it was but a word and a blow, and then a kick, and the minute I put my name on that temper- ance pledge, the thought came across my mind, I wonder what my wife will say to this ? Queer, wasn't it ? The first thing I should think of was my wife. But I went home, and I made up mind that I would tell her all about it. Then I thought if I went in and told her all of a hurry it might make her faint or something or another of that kind. Queer, wasn't it ? 312 THE TRUE PATH. Another time I would have went home and knocked her down and kicked her up again. Now I was going home thinking how I could break it to my wife and not hurt her ! So I made up my mind I would break it to her easy, and I got to the door ; she didn't faint away ; I saw her leaning over the embers of the fire ; she didn't look up ; I suppose she expected a blow or a curse as usual, and I said, ' Mary.' She didn't turn ; I said, 'Mary.' ' Well, Dick, what is it?' I said, ' Mary.' ' Well, what is it ?' ' Can not you guess, Mary?' And she looked round at me, her face was so white. ' I say, Mary.' ' Well ?' ' 1 have been to the meeting, and put. my name down on the pledge, and taken my oath I never will take another drop.' She was on her feet in a minute. She didn't faint away, poor soul ; and as I held her I didn't know but she was dead, and I began to cry, and she was not dead ; she opened her eyes, and got her arms right round my neck, and pulled me down on my knees, the first time I remember ever going on my knees since I was a boy, and said, ' Oh, God, bless my poor husband,' and I said, ' Amen.' And she said, ' Help him to keep that pledge,' and I said, * Amen,' and she kept on praying, and I kept on hal- looing, and you never heard a Methodist halloa like me, until I could not speak a word I was so hoarse. It was the first time we ever knelt together, but it was not the last.' I could give you scores of just such cases. I spoke once to an audience of outcasts. It is an awful sight to see. There were two persons came up to sign the pledge. You never saw such a GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 313 couple ; I could not describe them — indescribable ; the woman's dress — dress! She had some ragged ribbons tied round her waist with a bit of rope, and above her waist nothing but an old shawl, that was twisted round like a rope, brought across her shoul- ders, fastened like a Scotch hat at her side, dirty, brazen-faced, hair all down, her eye as cold as a piece of gray granite ; her husband looked as if the drink had scorched up his intellect, and he looked more like an idiot than anything else, but they signed the pledge, at least they made their mark, and the secre- tary was making out beautiful embossed cards ; the ' man said : ' I want to get one of them certificates.' She gave him a nudge, ' There is sixpence to pay for them.' ' I want one of them certificates to show that I belong to the society.' There was every evidence of a family jar going on between them. A gentleman came in and said : 4 Good people are you going to sign the temperance pledge?' ' I have signed it, sir ; me and my missus, and that is my missus, and we have signed, and I want to join the society and get a certificate.' ' Why don't you?' • There is sixpence to pay.' 'Oh, that shall make no difference,' and turn- ing to the secretary the gentleman said : ' Here is a shilling, make out the certificates.' The woman looked as hard as ever, the certificates were about to be made out, and the man was asked his name, and gave it, and got his certificate, and then they asked the woman her name ; she clenched her fists and looked straight before her. ' Madam, your name ; we are waiting for you, if you please ; we would 314 THE TRUE PATH. like you to have the number next to your husband's.' Her husband offered to give her name. l No, no, we want it from the woman herself. Madam, we are waiting for you ; and at last she lifted up her clenched fists ; I thought it was to strike somebody, but it was to brush away a tear, and then came another, and another ; then she put her hands to her face and the tears ran down the back of her hands, and then she suddenly looked round and unfastening that shawl, she shook it out and spread it over her back and held it with both hands across her bosom. Not one word of kindness had stirred- the white ashes that covered the last spark of woman, and she stood crying like a child. I tell }^ou when a man or woman takes a turn to go right, the very act of turning to go right softens the heart and opens it to good impressions. [Applause.] " Now I want to speak more particularly for a few minutes to those who have suffered, and if there are any here who are suffering from the effects of drink, you know as well as I can tell you the power of the appetite, you know what it is to break it off, you know the awful struggle that there is, and I have heard a great many men say, since Mr. Moody has been preaching here and in Chicago and in New York and in Philadelphia, that if the drunkards become Christians they can reform from the drink. A great many men have sa^d to me : 'I can reform without becoming a Christian.' I am not one of those who will say to you that you cannot quit drink unless you become a Christian, but I say this, within my expe- GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 315 rience, that nine out of ten who try it fail. There are men who have abstained from drink all their lives who have been afterward drunkards and have died with no belief in the power of the grace of God. I will give you an illustration of what I mean. A gen- tleman that I know married into an excellent family (and he says I may tell the story and give his name at any time) and got so far abased that he could drink a quart of brandy a day ; how he stood it no one knows; a man of a strong constitution, splendid phy- sique, but he drank his quart a day ; a good business man,' and his associates were very much distressed about him. He had a lovely wife and three boys, and one day he was in the house and he said to his wife: 'Come, my dear, and sit on my knee.' She came and sat, and then she said : ' If my husband didn't drink I would be the happiest woman in Canada.' ' Well,' he said, ' my dear, I married you to make you happy, and I ought to do everything I can to make you happy ; and if that will make you happy I will never drink another drop as long as I live.' That was seven years. ago, and he has never tasted a drop from that day to this. He cut it off just as clean as you would cut off a piece of cheese. That man had a mighty will ; but I want to tell you something else. Walking with him up Young street one day last win- ter, he said : ' You see that red saloon. I have gone two blocks out of my way many a time to keep out of the way of that. When I come in sight of it, and begin to feel queer, I turn right down Front street ; but since I have got the grace of God in my heart, I 316 THE TRUE PATH. can go right by that place, and if I find the slightest inclination to enter, I can ejaculate the prayer, God help me, and I go right along.' The first was a risk ; the second was absolute security and safety. [Ap- plause.] It will not do for us to say a man cannot quit drink unless he becomes a Christian ; but he is running a risk every day of his life, and nine out of ten, if not nineteen out of twenty, fail. " I want to lead men to this point. If you will re- form, exercise all the power that you have left — all the energy that you have, and trust in God, and it is a sure thing, sure. In Ohio I went into a car, and there was only one vacant seat, and I asked a gentle- man if I could occupy it. He said: 'Yes, Mr. Go ugh, I will be very glad to have you.' ' Thank you, sir, for your courtesy.' He said: 'I heard you speak last night, and I went home to my wife and told her I would never drink any more liquor. I never made a promise like that before. I am a man of my word, and she knew I meant it, and I supposed she would be tickled about it and pleased, but instead of that she looked at me in a half wild sort of a way, and burst out crying, and then went down on her knees. I am not one of that sort ; don't believe I have been down on my knees since I was eight years old. As for church, I don't know what the inside of it looks like. When I saw her down on her knees I didn't like it, and said : ' What in thunder are you on your knees for, can not you hear? ' I went to bed sulky, and when I got up in the morning I wanted whiskey and nothing else. I tried to eat some break- GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 317 fast ; the more I chewed it the bigger it grew ; I could not swallow it ; nothing could I take but whiskey ; I must have some whiskey. I am a man of some prop- erty, and I am going now to see a piece of property which I bought when I was drunk. I am going among friends and among temptation, and I would rather be carried home dead to-night than carried home drunk. I am a man of my word, and I never broke my word to man or woman, and I am proud of the fact.' We went on a little while anu his eyes began to fill with tears. He said : ' Mr. Gough, you may think it very strange of me, but I have been on my knees myself this morning for over an hour.' 4 Have you ?' ' Yes. I have ; the first time in my life that I can remember since I was a little boy.' I said : 4 My friend, keep there and you will go home sober to-night.' I tell you, they may make as much sport of prayer as they please, and say that it is abomina- ble nonsense to talk about prayer-gauges and such stuff, but do you believe a man ever drank a glass of liquor while he was praying to God to keep him from it ? "No. Then there is a philosophy in prayer, if nothing else. Let a man keep in the attitude of prayer and then he is in the attitude of resistance to drink. fApplause.] " Then there is another point I wish to speak upon, and for my life I would not conflict in any way with anything that Mr. Moody has said. I think he and I believe the same thing, only there are two ways of putting it. We have been told — I don't know that the leaders of these meetings have said it — that if a 318 THE TRUE PATH. man gets the grace of God in his heart, it takes away his appetite. I am not one of those that would speak slightingly of the wonderful, illimitable, infinite power of the grace of God, but while one man may have that appetite taken away from him by God's grace and Spirit, there is another man who may have that appetite left in him to try him. When Paul prayed that the thorn might be removed out of his flesh, his prayer was only answered by ' My grace is sufficient for thee/ I know there are men that are good Chris- tian men that are struggling and fighting to-day against this appetite. A minister of the Gospel writes me: 'I was deposed by my church for drunkenness; some of them had confidence in me and they gathered to- gether and formed a little church, and we worshipped in a hall ; I preached for them six or eight weeks ; I then came down to Boston to buy hymn-books ; I met with a friend who asked me to dine, and I drank a glass of wine, and for three days I knew nothing, and now I am ruined for time, and I fear for eternity.' I have a letter from a minister of the Gospel who says this : 11 ' My grandfather died of delirium tremens, my mother died a drunkard ; I have inherited'an appetite for liquor. When I went into the ministry I sought the hardest work I could get, and went as a Home Missionary; I am now broken down; I have covered my whole life with prayer as with a garment; I have spent hundreds of dollars at water-cure establishments to wash this devil out of me; I have gone without animal food for two years, yet I tremble every day GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 319 on the awful verge of the precipice of indulgence.' Now mark me. I don't say that the grace of God can not take away every particle of that appetite, as the infinite power of God can cure every disease, but what I want is this : that no man shall go away from these meetings filled with the new sensation that comes to a changed man ; when the battle face to face comes, he is away from such influences as these, and says: 'I have the grace of God in my heart; I have no appetite now.' But let one of these men who have been drunkards and who "have abstained for ten years, take one glass, and see if he hasn't got the ap- petite there. Like the slumbering fire of a volcano, that one glass will rise into fury, drenching, perhaps, body and soul in the lava of drunkenness. Now, then, if I have any grace in my heart — I know that that has been taught in this Tabernacle — if I have any grace in my heart it prompts me to pray, l Lead me not into temptation ;' I have His word for it I shall never be tempted more than I am able to bear, for there is a way of escape for me from every temptation, but if I have such views of the grace of God that will induce me to say, 'I have so much grace that I can now walk into the temptation and that grace will save me from falling,' it is very doubtful to me whether such a man has the true idea of the grace of God. Therefore, I say to reformed men, Christian men, your hope is in Jesus to keep yourselves unspotted. Touch not, taste not, handle not, meddle not with it. Men may say to me : ' Have you this appetite ?' I don't know, and there is only one way in which I can test it, and 320 THE TRUE PATH. my daily prayer is : ' G-pd help me to avoid the test. I can only know whether I have it by testing it, so I shall die in blissful ignorance of the fact. But al- though it is thirty-five years since I signed the pledge, I will not put to my lips intoxicating wine at the communion table. I have not and I never will. [Applause.] I have known cases of fearful falling from the first swallow, because drunkenness is a dis- ease, and a good Christian man said to me to-day only : ' Three weeks ago I had the most awful strug- gle against my appetite,' and a gentleman said to me, holding me by the hand, the other night : 'God bless you, Mr. Gough, I am fighting an awful hard battle.' I said : 'Do you feel secure ?' l Secure in Jesus, Mr. Gough.' Oh, I tell you, ladies and gentlemen, that is the strength of the movement to-day. From one end of the land to the other do we hear of Christian temperance associations. Oh, if in the Washing- tonian days men bad been as wise as God has helped them to be now, what a wonderful revolution would have been effected then ! It was a great tidal wave that rose all over the land, but there was an ignoring of Christ, there was nothing to do with religion, nothing to do with praying. I used to go to places to speak, and they would say: 'Mr. Gough, we have got a lot of reformed men here, and must not have any politics or religion talked.' It was so all over the country. And what was the result ? Washington- ianism has utterly failed to gather into the harvest those who might have been saved if it had not been for the repudiation of everything, savoring of GOSPEL TEMPEEANCE. 321 religion and Christianity. Now, to-day, beside these grand principles, we look into the future and see the light which stands tip-toe upon the mountain-top that shall usher in the day of triumph by and by. "Ladies and gentlemen, I shall detain you but a minute or two longer. Some of us remember when we fought a hard battle for temperance ; some of us remember the riots in Faneuil Hall, when the liquor- sellers declared that we should not occupy that plat- form, and for three successive nights they beat us off, put their own chairman in the meeting; we remem- ber very well when it was a reproach to be a temper- ance man, and temperance men were persecuted. Now it seems as if — I was going to say it was becom- ing popular, but I don't like that word popular. I believe the principle is becoming universal from Maine to Louisiana, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific slope, and it is because it was begun in prayer, and it will end in thanksgiving. [Applause.] The women of Pittsburg before Christmas met together for prayer ; it was the outcropping of the women's crusade movement ; thatp phase of it has passed away, but the foundation of the movement was prayer, and they continued praying even when they gave up the saloon visiting, and what is the consequence ? From 60,000 to 70,000 in Pittsburg and Allegheny City alone, the past three months, have signed the pledge I It is in Cleveland, in Omaha, in all the West, away down in Maine, it is reaching to San Francisco, it is every- . where, and Christian men and women are being raised up to do battle against this fearful enemy, Breth- 322 THE TRUE PATH. ren, we are working against an awful foe, and it needs all our strength and shrewdness and all the power we have for the fight. When we put our instrumentali- ties and our agencies forth, let us cry to God to help us for His own name's sake, and to make these agen- cies, so feeble, successful. - By and by we shall stand in the circle unharmed and saved, and the fire shall rage harmlessly around us while we give the glory of our salvation to Him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb forever. " May you and I meet in that land where the song shall be, 4 Worthy is the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world,' is my sincere and heartfelt prayer ; and I thank you very gratefully for your patience and courtesy to me to-night." [Pro- longed applause]. GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 323 PART IV-IMPORTANT FACTS, INCIDENTS AND EXPERIENCES OF REFORMED MEN. CHAPTER XXVII. STORMING THE DEVIL'S DEN. — FRANK MURPHY IN RAMCAT ALLEY. — MARRIAGE. — DISPATCH. In evidence of the unselfishness and extensive- ness of Mr. Murphy's efforts for the amelioration of the condition of his fellow-man, as well as on account of its pecular character, we give place to the follow- ing from the Daily Express of Philadelphia : " Midnight witnessed an impressive scene. Frank Murphy, escorted by Sergeant Pearson and a couple of police officers, and accompanied by a full delegation of newspaper men, was standing in the garret of the tenement house on Ramcat alley and St. Mary street. Lying on the floor (some in a nude condition) and standing around him were colored and white women. Some of the latter hid their faces in their hands, while others welcomed the visitors. 324 THE TRUE PATH. " ' I am married, and my name is Mrs. Annie How- ard/ said a fair-haired woman, with a soft voice. 'I have seen better days, and I still trust in the Al- mighty. I love my husband, and he is good to me.' " Some of the rooms were even wretched, and the inmates sullen and constrained, while in others Mr. Murphy was greeted with great cordiality. " The ' bosses ' of the rooms paid a rental of $4.50 to $7 per month. They sub-let them to several families. Some were occupied by eight or ten persons. The atmosphere was so close and foetid that several of the visitors were forced to seek the fresh air of the street. " ' These properties are owned by a wealthy retired Market street merchant,' said the sergeant. ' He is now in Europe living on the proceeds. The agent is a Mr. Dunlap, and the rental of the two buildings amounts to $2,100 a year.' A MARKIAGE ARRANGED. "In one of the rooms Mr. Murphy was most cor- dially received by two fine-looking black men, both of whom had signed the pledge. One of them (John Folk) was a banjo player. He had lamed his foot in the army. " ' Are you married to Ellen V asked Mr. Murphy, pointing to a woman who was lying on the floor with her face closely covered up. " ' Well, I'm married in a certain way; I ain't in the regular way, because I ain't got the money to pay for a minister. It's all I can do to raise money GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 325 enough to eat ; and I give folks I know a rest here in the room rather than let them stay on the streets. They can't pay because they've got nothing.' " ' Well, will you marry her if I pay the minister?' " ' Oh, yes,' he cried, candidly. ' That is if she says so ; I love her well enough.' " l Will you consent, Ellen ?' " ' Yes, I'd like to very much,' she replied as she threw the bedclothes off her face, .and accepted Mr. Murphy's extended hand. " ' Then, come up to the Annex building on next Sunday morning and we'll have a marriage ; I'll pay the minister/ said Mr. Murphy. " John took down his banjo and played ' Down the Swanee River,' while Mr. Murphy's son, who accom- panied him, passed around the hat and a dollar was collected for the player. " This put John in great glee, and he sang ' Yaller Girl Picking Cotton.' AMONG THE BARREL HOUSES. " It was almost too late an hour for the visit, but Mr. Murphy had been detained from starting out at half-past ten o'clock, as had been arranged. Many of the barrel houses were closed, but Mr. Murphy visited those that were open, and was everywhere re- ceived with respect. Many said they had heard him speak, and all appeared to have a cordial welcome for him. " The reporter left them still climbing the rickety 15 326 THE TRUE PATH. stairs at one o'clock this morning. It was surprising to see so few drunken persons. " 'I guess they must have known Murphy was com- ing and kept on their good behavior,' observed an officer. " ' How can a man stand over a range all day with- out taking a drop of porter now and then?' asked one respectable colored man who had been a sailor. " ■ Take coffee instead,' replied Mr. Murphy. ' Its like a steamboat. If you pile on grease and oil you will kindle a hot fire, but it soon wants replenishing ; but put in good coal and you have a solid fire. So it is with coffee and bread. It's substantial, while the porter and gin give nourishment for only a time.' 11 ' Dat's de G-od's truf,' exclaimed John Green, the ex-sailor ; 'I guess I'll have to try it. Anyhow I'll be up to your Sunday breakfast, Mr. Murphy.' SPECIAL DISPATCH. 11 Thursday, 3 o'clock, a. m. — Francis Murphy and party have just returned from their excursion to Hell's Half-acre. If any man is hard-worked in the Lord's service, it is Temperance Murphy." FLOWERS. These beautiful little objects in nature have had their share of attention in the work of Francis Mur- GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 327 phy. He is not only given to pretty little button- hole bouquets, but they do not appear at all amiss, or show anything like a strained association, when pinned upon his coat and in close proximity to his genial face. Some of the best of his converts have been caught by them, thus proving Mr. Murphy's claims for con- stant little acts of kindness toward the fallen. One of these we will here make mention of. At the Philadelphia Tabernacle, on the evening of May 31st, 1877, a Mr. McMullan, who had just signed the pledge, said that he had been brought to the step through the presentation of a flower by Mr. Murphy. He then promised to be present in the evening and sign the pledge. He had redeemed that promise. Another instance, is that of William J. Jones, Esq. He was encountered while intoxicated, by Mr. Mur- phy, upon the public streets. The lecturer stepped up to him, and taking the little bouquet from his breast put it upon that of the inebriate. The effect was to induce the well-known " Deacon " to attend Mr. Murphy's meeting and sign. In regard to this' case, we will add, there are few men in this city or State better known than " Deacon " Jones, as he is familiarly called. He has for many years been con- nected with the press. At one time he held an hon- orable position, but, from a too great indulgence in intoxicating liquors, his power and influence as a writer became gradually weakened. A man of ability, had he abstained from the intoxicating bowl, he would to day have occupied a high place, com- 328 THE TRUE PATH. manding the respect of the people, while peace and plenty, happiness and contentment would have been his. Faithful to his pledge, he will soon take the position which is fitted for him and become a most useful citizen. For years the efforts of his pen have been made under the influence of liquor, and most grievously against himself. This reformation may prove a monument to the power of Francis Murphy. One of the noblest instances of faithfulness and de- votion in the present temperance struggle, is found in the able and affable Secretary of the National Christian Temperance Union, Mr. John L. Linton. He had acquired wealth and influence through his superior skill and intelligence in business, and not long since erected a very elegant home, at a delight- ful spot, on the banks of the Delaware, not far from Philadelphia. Having inherited a hospitable and genial nature, he prepared for the generous entertain- ment of his friends, and had built in his home a wine- cellar, costing in the neighborhood of $10,000. That we may furnish the fact intended in these remarks, as briefly as possible, we will use the words of Mr. L., and say that " It was the wine-cellar that* caused the loss of the entire home, and the temporary ruin of its builder and owner." To-day Mr. Linton is an active, well-known, efficient temperance man ; is high up in the scale, among those who have found refuge in reform ; and holds also an honorable place among GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 329 the most active of the philanthropic men in the front rank of Murphyism. He has, through many months, given his entire time, and freely of his money — of which he has yet a share — for the success of the Re- form Movement; and has been instant, in season, and out of season, in individual sacrifices, refusing all com- pensation therefor. Such men cannot be kept back ; and we predict for him something of a palatial char- acter, both here and hereafter, minus the wine-cellar. " THE FLOGGERS FLOGGED.' In the State of Wisconsin a great work has been inaugurated by Rev. G. S. Allen, of Colorada. Hav- ing begun the campaign in the State Prison, in which 275 out of 350 convicts signed the Murphy pledge, and donned the " badge of blue," the work spread quickly, until a large portion of the State yielded to its influence. From professional men of celebrity, down to noted bruisers, every grade and condition were soon in the embrace of the now distinguished goddess Reform. An incident, of some interest in the work, is furnished us in an uprising at Sheboygan Falls. There, a few years ago, a Methodist Minister was fearfully beaten, by a mob, for having dared to speak from the pulpit against intemperance. In this movement a great meeting was held in the city, and the most signal of all successes was the result. The "floggers" themselves were flogged, as has been re- 330 THE THUE PATH. marked, and a new condition presented. Bankers merchants, business men, mechanics, working-men, and tavern loungers, were dredged in promiscuously, until the place was so cleaned that an opponent of temperance would have perhaps met with the fate of the Methodist Minister referred to, had he essayed a speech. RESULTS OF THE MURPHY MOVEMENT. The following paragraphs are from an Evening Daily of the Quaker City: " Pen cannot fully portray the glorious results ac- complished by Mr. Francis Murphy in the temper- ance movement inaugurated by him ; but now and again, some of them come prominently to notice, and are deserving of more than ordinary commendation. Amongst the latter, we would now refer to the prac- tical efforts put forth by Mr. Charles P. Hower, busi- ness manager of the Merchants' Advertising Com- pany. " Although quite a young man, his devotion to the cause of temperance has been so earnest and stead- fast, that he deserves a statue of gold erected to him. Nowhere in history can be found a similar case, where one so humble and modest, in so short a space of time (less than three months) secured employment for over one hundred men who had signed the pledge. This is practical Christianity, and indicates genuine philanthropy, and the spirit of a public benefactor. GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 331 u In this single instance, what benefits have result- ed from Mr. Murphy's labors in this city? God has showered upon him his richest blessings, and we sin- cerely trust that there will be no cessation in the labors of all interested in the cause of fallen human- ity, until our city, State and Nation have become the citadels of temperance.'' "the hardest drinker. The manner in which the Murphy men are con- ducting their onslaught, against the greatest of evils, will be seen in the following sentences from a speaker at a meeting in the West : " Mr. Raper, being called for, said, he had been at Versailles to hold a meeting in the interest of tem- perance, lately. He inquired of a minister, 'Who is the hardest drinker in the place ?' He was answered : 1 He lives two miles from here.' They procured a conveyance and went to see him. The man was greatly surprised when told that they wanted him to come to the meeting and sign the pledge. He was prevailed on, and did come, and did sign the pledge. Since then he learned that that man and others whom he influenced had been converted and become Chris- tians." "MR. MURPHY'S POCKET-BOOK CONVERTED." " At a,recent meeting,. in the Iron City, several men testified to the value and sincerity of the great Apos- 332 ' THE TRUE PATH. tie's labors. Captain Sturdivant gave a brief history of the life and conversion of Mr. Murphy, and bore the highest testimony to his character and liberality. The people need not be afraid of Mr.' Murphy becom- ing rich. His pocket-book was converted along with his head and heart. Mr. Swartzwalder spoke in high terms of Mr. Murphy's love for the fallen and of the great happiness he had brought to thousands of once happy homes." "success by the law of love." At a meeting in the Queen City of the West, Mr. Best of Pittsburg, said : " He didn't intend to make a speech, for he thought if he should he would fail. He signed the pledge in Pittsburg, and had kept it inviolate. Although it was a hard task, he under- took it, God being his helper ; and he knew that with that help and the sympathy of good men, those who sign the pledge can and will succeed. 11 It is not only the redemption of the drunkard we labor for — there is the poor mother's heart to be made glad, the poor weeping wife's tears to be dried, the little children to be lifted up. His own four little children had suffered enough, through his intemper- ance, to have killed them. There is one law that makes men better, and that is God's law of love. Human legislation has failed in this matter, -but this law of love will succeed." GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 333 MURPHY AND THE " FIRE SHARPS." A recent visit to some of the fire houses, in Phila- delphia, led Mr. Murphy to a new idea. " Why does such a man as you drink ?" he asked of a fine, stal- wart " laddie," whose face bore slight indications of recent dissipation. " Well, you see," was the reply, " we must have some stimulant when we are soaking wet at a fire, after being up all night, and that keeps up the ap- petite." " Wouldn't a good cup of coffee and a sandwich do as well, if not much better ?" "Yes," was the laughing response of all hands. " But how in the world are we to get the coffee and sandwiches at midnight or daybreak, when buildings are threatened on all sides ?" " You should be served by the authorities. Come up to the meetings and sign the pledge in a body, and I will endeavor to create an interest in the public mind so that you will be supplied with, a good cup of coffee and plenty of sandwiches, as you are holding the pipe or passing on the water." " Go ahead," was the response. " We are with you." ' REFORMERS RECOGNIZED/ At a western meeting, Mr. Hall told " of an excur- sion of a fire company to Sandusky, a few years ago. 15* 334 THE TRUE PATH, Every man of the fire company left Pittsburg drunk, remained drunk while in Sandusky, returned home drunk, and some of them kept drunk for several weeks after they got home. He was one of the com- pany. After Mr, Murphy had taken him up, and set him to talking, an invitation came from Sandusky for workers. He and a Mr. Hill were detailed to go there. He went reluctantly. On their arrival they were recognized ; and, the result was, the citizens stood aloof from them for about ten days. But when the people saw that they behaved themselves, they began to visit their meetings, and before they left, 2,500 persons had signed the pledge ; and at an elec- tion since, a Murphy man was elected Mayor of the city." " a mother's love." A temperance worker recently spoke as follows, at a Cincinnati meeting : " The good book says, ' Can a mother forget her sucking child ?' He told of scenes he had witnessed in which women do forget their sucking children. Can they do it ? Yes, they can, and they do. Dr. Guthrie, the well known Scotch clergyman, was offered a baby by its mother for a glass of whisky. " A mother's love ! He illustrated it by a most thrilling account of a child carried away by an eagle to its eyrie on a mountain crag. Several attempts GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 385 had been made to scale that crag and save the child, but all failed. At last the mother made the attempt and succeeded. What nerved her to the effort? A mother's love. And jet there are fathers and mothers in this city who are bartering away that love for that which robs them of everything dear to humanity." "SLOW PROGRESS. A Mr. Ludlow, of Springfield, Ohio, said, at a Murphy meeting, a few weeks since, il He sometimes got discouraged, but he remembered that his old class- leader had said to him when he was a boy, and felt somewhat discouraged at his slow religious progress, 1 Never mind, lad, you'll get out of the brush by and by.' He related many instances of the evil effects of using intoxicating liquors, upon men, a long list of whose names he could call, who had spent fortunes and gone down to drunkard's graves. In Springfield they have had but one to fall out of five thousand. There is something in this movement that has never been in any other. He saw one hundred men in a Bible class that had never been in a Sunday-school in their lives before." 336 THE TEUB PATH. CHAPTER XXVIII. A CHARITABLE GIFT. While Captain Cyrus Sturdivant and Mr. R. 0. Stevenson were on their way from a Murphy meeting in the Quaker city, they accidently met with a woman and her drunken husband on the sidewalk, the former trying to help her tottering companion along. Im- mediately they stepped up, and offered their assis- tance, which was accepted by the wearied woman. They accompanied the pair to their home, where there was every indication of the very impoverishing effects of a course of inebriation. In the room, into which they were ushered, there was neither a chair nor block to sit upon. Then the wife, who seemed to be possessed with something of intelligence, narrated to these kind-hearted men how she had been reduced, through rum, from affluence to penury and want ; whereupon Captain Sturdivant gave the woman about one-half of the small amount he had with him at the time. On the following morning the poor woman purchased some beef steak and coffee, and prepared herself and husband a comfortable breakfast out of the very charitable gift of the previous evening. The husband was greatly surprised, at the inviting repast, and wanted to know u how she had come by it ?" She replied, that * the gentlemen from the temper- ance meeting, who had helped him home, had kindly GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 337 furnished the means for it." He was so overcome by the act of generosity, that he determined to attend the Tabernacle meeting and sign the pledge. At the next opportunity, he gave his name to the reform movement, and is now one of the thousands who from having lived dissipated lives, are given to soberness and industry. HOW AN IRISHMAN QUIT SELLING LIQUOR. The following incident was narrated by Mr. Mur- phy in one of his Tabernacle talks : "I was speaking upon the subject of temperance in New Brighton, Connecticut. After I got through, a lady came upon the platform, and, taking me to one side, said : ' I wish you would please come to my home.' Well I was delighted to hear the sweet musical voice of my countrywoman and I went home with her and her beautiful daughter Mary. She said, before we reached home, ' I wish you could see James, my husband.' " He had bought property in New Brighton and it had since increased very rapidly in value ; it had cost only two thousand dollars and it was now worth forty thousand. He was a moulder by trade, and came into wealth, and, being possessed of true Irish hospitality, he was always ready with a drop of the creature. Having arrived at his house, his wife called to him, ' Come down, James O'Connor.' James 338 THE TRUE PATH. came down, and I said : c How are you.' He looked kindly into my face and said, ' I am all right.' I said, 'James, I am afraid you are all wrong.' 'Never mind,' said he, 'just take a drop.' So he went to the pantry and brought out his bottle in grand style, ' and now ' said he, ' give us a little boiling water and some sugar.' ' If you please,' said I, 'I can not touch it.' ' Ah,' said he, 'you're the temperance man V ' Yes,' said I. We then talked and reasoned togetl^r. During this time, I noticed a little mark over the forehead of the mother, and she had a welt of her hair brought down to cover it. I said : ' Mrs. O'Conner, what happened to your face?' She said, 'Don't say anything about that.' A countryman of mine sold her husband liquor ; there he spent his nights ; and that was the origin of the mark. I said to her : ' Will you tell me where this countryman lives?' She told me, and I spoke to him about it. He was a true Irishman, and he loved the family, and he said: 'If it has made James O'Conner put that mark on his wife, never shall I again sell a drop of intoxicating liquor.' And he never did, and he has made a respectable living since he quit selling it." ' RUM KILLED THEM. The following affecting incident was also told by Mr. Murphy: GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 339 " A dear countryman came to America in search of a fortune. He had a beautiful family, and was a stone mason by trade. He had brothers in the city of Portland who represented a large amount of wealth, and he thought he would go into the liquor traffic. "My brother engaged in the business. He had a beautiful son whom he took in the business with him ; and he had two beautiful girls. He commenced in the liquor traffic and he made a large amount of money. When his son was twenty years of age he had twenty thousand dollars' worth of property. His son drank constantly and kept on drinking. Finally, at the age of twenty-one, this boy, this darling of his life, was taken with the delirium tremens and died ; his father was at his side. His dear mother, who had been so proud of him, worried and walked up and down her home until she sickened and died from a broken heart. I was personally acquainted with the father. I knew him to be a genuine noble-hearted Christian man. But he commenced to drink, and to such an excess that his own two brothers had him arrested and carried to the county jail. " While he was incarcerated I made it my duty to visit him. I wish I had the power of a Dickens, to describe the man. He was in one of those little dark cells, and had nothing on him but his pantaloons, his hair was standing up on his head, his hands and fingers looked liked the claws of an eagle, they were so spare and thin. When he saw me he came to the door, and in his sweet loving way he said, ' Ah, Mr. Murphy, that's you.' And the tears ran down his 340 THE TRUE PATH. cheeks as he spoke of his darling boy. Poor Willie died, whipped into eternity with the scorpions chasing him, whilst his father held him. "His sister was one of the finest girls in Portland, and she, poor Mary, took to drink, and died from the effects of intoxicating liquor. I have attended the fu- nerals of the father, mother, son and daughter ; and I saw them placed side by side in the grave yard. " There is no marble slab, to-day, to tell of the last resting place of this mother and her children, but if the truth could be written over their graves, it would be said, ' Rum killed them.' " "THE RIGHT-ABOUT-FACE/ This valuable incident was furnished by Miss Wil- lard, in her farewell address at Boston : " I carry many, many sweet memories away from Boston of true, kindly girls who clasped my hands and said : ' We will try to do all we can to help the world along ;' of others, many of older years, who have showered blessing upon my head ; of men, kind and brave, who have told me 4 Grod bless you;' but there is one thing, the sweetest that has come to me in Boston. A young man, gentle, cultured, a gradu- ate of Harvard University, with everything at his feet, everything to be enjoyed ; and yet ' the club- room, you know. The Senior's party, you know,' comes along so casually that people don't think .any- GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 341 thing about its influences until it ensnares a man. Harvard had educated him in all that her cultured curriculum could give ; but she had not educated him in that belief which will recreate a life and lift one up in Christ Jesus. ' To please his young wife/ he said, he came to the inquiry meeting — to please her because she had been so kind ; he was sorry to say he had not always led the life he ought to have led. Right there I looked him in the face and said : ( Can you, will you hold this belief that you have ? Will you take Christ for your Master V 'What? Do you ask me that ? Why, I was scoffing at Moody in the Tabernacle only last night ; and you ask me to put away the whole tide of years and years — the mo- mentum of which bears me right along ? Why what do you mean ? I came here to please my wife.' ' Yes ; but there is but one bell that rings from Genesis to Eevelation, and its voice is ' To-day — to-day, if you would hear his voice harden not your heart.' Re- member, probably this is your last chance — your only time. You set that interior faculty, your will, against the whole past. God's spirit will help that will, or if your will is weak He will do it all for you, if you just give up to Him.' ' Do you mean that ?' ' I do ; I mean it because I have tried it myself in so much of doubt, so much of temptation of soul, that I can never tell you all.' 'I will this day come to Christ,' said he; and humbly the young man went down upon his knees — probably for the first time in many and many a year. That was the turning point in his des- tiny ; that was the right-about-face, which meant an 342 THE TKUE PATH. exalted manhood, which meant a happy home, a lovely wife, a home that was a home to go to." GOING TO SATAN S DOMAINS. Miss Willard narrates the following : " For three years I have been to Old Orchard Beach every summer, and to' several other places, where we continued through the summer this work. It is not put away then, but lasts right through, and this next summer will be the same subject — G-ospel Temperance. At some of those meetings the ladies said they wanted some of our reformed men to speak, and so they brought out one man who represented one class to whom we go as temperance workers. He related his experience, and told how he had been in every clime, and in every prison in every place he had visited, on account of his one besetting sin — drunken- ness ; how he had been buffeted on every shore, and cuffed on every sea, and had had many a policeman ask him in a gruff voice, ' Where are you going ?' He said when he was visiting a ship-mate he met a lady who asked him the same question, but in a kind, calm voice : 1 My brother, where are you going V ' Well,' said he, 'as near as I can find out I am going straight to his Satanic Majesty's domains.' She took out her Bible and said : e I am trying to go just the other way. These are my credentials.' In a short time GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 343 she had him in a crowd of fifty women, and there they prayed ; there they sang ' The mistakes of iny life have been many, The sins of my life have been more.' and since that time he said he had not drank a drop. The other class we go to is the well-to-do ; those who have genius ; those who have education ; those who have culture.' HOW THE WOMEN" WERE " STARTED. It may be interesting to many persons to know how the women of our country began their great efforts against intemperance. The following is the account given of its origin by Miss Willard re- cently : " A. Boston man went to Ohio, and in the town of Hillsborough lectured on ' Our Girls.' That man described how his mother, after having been driven to desperation by the intemperance of his father, went to the man who had sold him liquor and asked him if she might pray for him. He consented, and with tears in his eyes promised never again to sell liquor to her husband. At the close of the lecture a Presbyterian clergyman arose and said that the women had heard what one woman had done, and asked that the women of Hillsborough might unite in such a work. The ladies remained and decided that Mrs. Thompson, the wife of a drunkard, should lead the 344 THE TRUE PATH. movement. Her spn, a lad of fourteen, heard what was said, and hastening home, told his mother that they had got her into business over at the church. The husband was in the next room, and he said : ' I guess, mother, you'd better not go, it's all folderol.' 1 Well,' she answered, ' the men have been at it long enough, and it is time for the women to try their hands now.' The next morning the husband said: 1 Well, children, it's no use for us to say anything to mother, there's where she gets her marching orders ' — pointing to the family Bible. Then the 146th Psalm was adopted as the hymn of the crusade. Mrs. Thompson went to the church, a prayer- meeting was held, conducted by women, and then they went to the first saloon, where the Bible was read, though it had never before been heard except in ridicule. So the crusade began, and the speaker declared that she was glad that she was one of those engaged in the work." " THEN SHAKE !" At a meeting in the Temperance Tabernacle, in Philadelphia, the first two signers were considerably intoxicated. They came forward to the table during the exercises and attached their signatures to the book with no little difficulty. "I am drunk now," said one of them, u but I'm going to do it. Will yer keep it, Charlie ?" he asked his companion. " Yes." " Then shake," and the men squeezed each other's GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 345 hands and made their promise more binding by shaking hands with the usher who was stationed at the table, and called upon him to witness their agree- ment. Then they rolled down the aisle and disap- appeared. " i'm unraveling ! " Mr. Charles Wenzell, the reformed sporting man, of Pittsburg, who has done valiant work for temper- ance, tells of a man who went home from a drinking spree, and, on looking around for something to eat, found some bread and milk in a bowl, into which a ball of thread had fallen. He swallowed the thread as well as the''* bread and milk, but an end of the thread stuck in his teeth, and, as he drew it out, it came arm's-length after arm's-length, until, becoming alarmed, he called out : " Maria! Maria ! come down here with a light ; I'm unraveling ! " And, adds Mr. Wenzell, that " is what we want you to do, boys. We want you to unravel the chain that has been entwining itself about you." "won and saved." At a collection taken recently at a temperance meeting, a man went up to the platform, when Mr. Murphy said: "I know you have a good heart." 346 THE TRUE PATH. " Yes," replied the man, " jour kindness has won and saved me." The incident was a pleasing one and affected the whole audience. "I MADE HIM WHAT HE WAS." A few weeks ago a saloon-keeper in Dover, Dela- ware, who patronized his own bar very liberally, stepped into a back room where men were at work about a pump in a well. The covering had been re- moved, and he approached to look down, but being very drunk he pitched in head foremost. He had become so much of a bloat by the use of strong drink that it was impossible to extricate him 'in time to save his life. There was great excitement in the town. Men and women who had never been inside of his saloon before, were first to rush to the rescue, and to offer sympathy to the bereaved family. As he was being dragged from the well and stretched out dead upon the saloon floor, a wholesale liquor dealer from Philadelphia stepped in. After the first shock at thus finding one of his best customers dead, he turned to a prominent lady, a crusader, and said, pointing to the wrecked victim : " I made that man what he was. I lent him his first dollar and set him up with his first stock of liquors, and he is now worth $10,000 or $15,000." Looking him full in the face, she responded : " You made that man what he was — a drunkard, GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 347 a bloat, a stench in the nostrils of society, and sent him headlong into eternity, and to a drunkard's hell ? What is $15,000 weighed against a lost soul, a wasted life, a wife a widow, and children orphans ?" He turned deadly pale, and without a word left the house. RUM-MADNESS. From an account, lately furnished us, of a visit to the Orange County, N".. Y., Insane Asylum, we re- cord these lessons as suited to this place and work : "'All incurable,' said the Superintendent. 'That little melancholy looking fellow, shuffling along this way, is Johnny Landon, well known two or three years ago on the road between Port Jervis and Mil- ford. He came from England a few years since with $3,000, and married a wealthy girl in New York, moved up the Erie, and run a freight wagon. His wife and four children had to leave him, he used them so badly. Two years ago he was brought here. Rum fixed him.' " Amid this Babel of yells and shrieks, a middle- aged man sat at a table absorbed in a game of check- ers which he was playing, his right hand against his left. " ' Maybe you know that man ?' said Mr. Goodale. ' Hello, Mapes. Playing it alone ? ' " The patient looked up. I was astounded to re- cognize in the greatly changed features the genial 348 THE TRUE PATH. Capt. Perry Mapes, once the well-known owner of a line of Hudson river steamboats, the partner of CoL E. R. Abbott in the Rathbone House, Elmira, and a few years ago owner of a large hotel in Hornellsville. Know him ? No man was better known from New York to Buffalo. " ' What brought Capt. Mapes here V I asked of the keeper. " ' Rum,' was the reply." CHAPTER XXIX. "WHAT. RUM WILL DO." The words and facts herewith given were taken from the lips of Mr. Grough, the orator, and are wor- thy the attention of every reader : u A minister of the Grospel told me one of the most thrilling incidents I have heard in my life. A mem- ber of his congregation came home for the first time in his life intoxicated, and his boy met him on the door-step, clapping his hands and exclaiming, ' Papa has come home !' He seized that boy by the shoul- der, swung him around, staggered, and fell in the hall. That minister said to me (I could give you his name, if necessary), ' I spent the night in that house. I went out, bared my brow that the night air might fall upon it and cool it. I walked out and down the GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 349 hill. There was bis child dead; there was his wife in strong convulsions, and he asleep. A man but thirty years of age asleep, with a dead child in the house, having a blue mark upon the temple where the corner of the marble steps had come in contact with the head as he swung him around, and a wife upon the brink of the grave!' ' Mr. Gough,' said my friend, ' I cursed the drink. He had told me I must remain until he awoke, and I did. "When he awoke he passed his hand over his face, and exclaimed, 6 What is the matter ? Where am I ? Where is ray boy ?' ' You cannot see him.' ' Stand out of my way. I will see my boy.' To prevent confusion I took him to the child's bed, and as I turned down the sheet and showed him the corpse, he uttered a wild shriek, 'Ah, my child !' That minister said further to me, ' One year after that he was brought from a lunatic asylum to lie side by side with his wife, in one grave, and I attended the funeral.' The minister of the Gospel who told me that fact is to-day a drunken hostler in a stable in Boston. Now tell me what rum will do. It will debase, degrade, imbrute, and damn everything that is noble, bright, glorious, and god-like in a human being. There is nothing drink will not do that is vile, dastardly, cowardly, sneaking or hellish. We are, are we not ; to fight till the day of our death ?" THRILLING STORY. " At a certain town meeting in Pennsylvania, the question came up whether any persons should be li- 16 350 THE TRUE PATH. censed to sell rum. The clergyman, the deacon, the physician, strange as it may now appear, all favored it, one man only spoke against it, because of the mischief it did. The question was about to be put, when there arose from one corner of the room a mis- erable woman. She was thinly clad, and her ap- pearance indicated the utmost wretchedness, and that her mortal career was almost closed. After a mo- ment's silence, and all eyes being fixed upon her, she stretched her attenuated body to its utmost height, and then her long arms to their greatest length, and raising her voice to a shrill pitch, she called to all to look upon her. ", Yes!' she said, 'look upon me, and then, hear me. All that the last speaker has said relative to temperate drinking, as being the father of drunken- ness, is true. All practice, ail experience, declares its truth. All drinking of alcoholic poison, as a bev- erage in health, is excess. Look upon me I You all know me, or once did. You all know I was once the mistress of the best farm in the town. You all know, too, I had one of the best — the most devoted of hus- bands. You all know that I had fine, noble-hearted, industrious boys. Where are they now ? Doctor, where are they now ? You all know. You all know they lie in a row, side by side, in yonder churchyard ; all — every one of them filling the drunkard's grave ! They were all taught to believe that temperate drink- ing was safe — that excess alone ought to be avoided ; and they never acknowledged excess. They quoted you, and you, and you, pointing with her shred ol a GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 351 finger to the minister, deacon and doctor, as author- ity. They thought themselves safe under such teach- ers. But I saw the gradual change coming over my family and its prospects, with dismay and horror. I felt we were all to be overwhelmed in one common ruin. I tried to ward off the blow ; I tried to break the spell, the delusive spell, in which the idea of the benefits of temperate drinking had involved my hus- band and sons. I begged, I prayed ; but the odds were against me. " ' The minister said the poison that was destroy- ing my husband and boys was a good creature of God ; the deacon who sits under the pulpit there, and took our farm to pay his rum bills, sold them the poison ; the doctor said a little was good, and the ex- cess only ought to be avoided. My poor husband, and my dear boys fell into the snare, and they could not escape ; and one after another were conveyed to the sorrowful grave of the drunkard. Now look at me again. You probably see me for the last time. My sands have almost run. I have dragged my exhausted frame from my present home — your poor-house — to warn you all ; to warn you, deacon ! to warn you, false teacher of God's words I' And with her arms flung high, and her tall form stretched to its utmost, and her voice raised to an unearthly pitch, she ex- claimed, 'I shall soon stand before the judgment seat of Gocl. I shall meet you there, you false guides, and be a witness against you all ! ' " The miserable woman vanished. A dead silence pervaded the assembly ; the minister, the deacon and 352 THE TRUE PATH. physician, hung their heads ; and when the president of the meeting put the question, ' Shall any licenses be granted for the sale of spirituous liquors?' the unanimous response was ' No ! ' " A TRUE IRISHMAN. The following is furnished by Colonel Drew of Washington, D. C, in illustration of what can be done toward reform, by a resolute and good intentioned man: " A man I knew in Washington kept a grocery on Pennsylvania avenue and Ninth street and kept liquor in connection with his business, but it was by no means his principal business. One night he sold a quart of whiskey to a blacksmith who lived in an adjoining square. When he came to his store Mon- day morning, he was told that the man had become intoxicated during Sunday, and had built a fire for his forge Sunday night, and had fallen into it. The shop and forge was burned, and the man too. The dealer walked across the square and saw the man's charred body, and he then walked back to his store, called down his employes and rolled out every barrel of rum, gin, spirit and every cask of wine, and staving the heads of the barrels in, he let it run into the Potomac. He shut up his shop, and never sold a drop afterwards. That man did that though he was in debt for goods in his store, to-day he is worth : GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 353 000 ; and be never sold a drop of rum since he shut up his store. The name of this man is J. Savage, of Washington, an Irishman, and one of the greatest de- fenders of this cause in this country." "A CRIPPLE FOR LIFE. The following narrative of Mr. John Tennyson, was taken down as uttered at a Murphy meeting in the Tabernacle, Philadelphia, a few weeks since: " If I were to take the time to tell you ail the bene- fits I have received from signing the pledge, you would have to ' amen ' me down like Brother Mur- phy. I am doing well, better than I ever did before. I have been lifted from the depths of a life of degra- dation into a better life. A few weeks ago I was discarded from a home of luxury and ease to that of woe and want. Nine weeks ago last Saturday night, I entered Concert Hall in a semi-intoxicated condi- tion. I took a seat in the remotest corner of the hall where I might hide my tattered garments from the rude gaze of the people, and you may know how much interest I felt in the meeting when I tell you I fell asleep, and was not awakened until Mr. Mur- phy was making his closing speech. The next day at noon I signed the pledge and have not since regretted that step. " Soon after the war I became intimately acquain- ted with a young man whose life in this world bade 354 THE TRUE PATH. fair to lead him on to fortune. His was a jovial dis- position, frank and open hearted, and it was his wont to meet with convival friends on a set night and make a time of it. One cold winter morning in the year 1868, after indulging more than usual,- that morning he proceeded to his work, which consisted in putting a tin roof upon a building. He had been there only a few hours when making a mis-step he fell backward through the skylight, a distance of forty feet and was picked up in a lifeless condition. An eminent physi- cian was sent for, who said : ' 1 can not add tortures to his miseries, he can not live.' He was taken to the Pennsylvania Hospital, his relatives were sent for, and the first at his bedside was his mother. As she bended her slender form over the bed of that oldest son, with an agonized eye she looked into the eyes of the physician, saying: 'Oh! sir! can he live? Can my boy live ?' She did not want him to be sent to a drunkard's grave. The physician replied : ' We can not tell, his life is in a higher power than ours.' All through that dreary winter she carried him nourish- ment and consolation. He was removed to her home only to rise from that bed a cripple for life. It is unnecessary for me to tell you that that man and my- self are the same person. I hate the vile groggery ; it has robbed me of the use of a good right arm, it has invaded our social and family circles and re- moved our best friends. Oh, men, arise and assert your liberty by enrolling your name on the roll of honor. Oh, men I why bow ye down to images of btone? Now, rise! be free! trust in the God above, GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 855 for with him is mercy and goodness. Gome forward then to-night and sign the pledge. Take the advice of one who has known the miseries which result from the use of intoxicating drink, and who is now free from it and enjoying a life of temperance." " FROM THE TOP OF THE LADDER TO THE FOOT." The following words were uttered by Mr. Frank* Burns, of Pittsburg, at the Murphy Tabernacle, in Philadelphia, a short time since: " I am amazed at the immense size of this build- ing, which I expected so little to see. I came here to-day to see Mr. Murphy, because I have been so weary with the work in Pittsburg that I wished a little rest ; and, I thought I would get a little rest by coming to see him, as he has been a friend to me. As I was sitting here to-night my thoughts went back to a little over five years ago, when I was in your city, about to leave it for Pittsburg, accompany- ing my father's body home. He died, while on a visit here, of pneumonia, after five days illness. I was at that time attending Jefferson Medical College. When he died I became heir to a fortune of over $80,000. As I was his only child, and as my mother had died four years previously, I did not have the right people to counsel me. I spent a portion of my time in this city. I then went into the liquor busi- ness in New York, I next went down to Pittsburg 356 THE TRUE PATH. and got' married, and made a wedding tour to Eu- rope, through Ireland and England. I assure you Irish whiskey did not improve matters with -me. I returned, and, to make a long story short, I gradu- ally went on till I got from the top of the ladder to the foot almost. Thank God to-night I am saved ; but I might have been saved sooner. About four months ago I had a drinking spree of about five days. I had not heard of Mr. Murphy being in Pittsburg, but one morning I met brother David Hall, who asked me to come and hear Murphy. I said : 'All right.' I didn't know where Murphy was. I thought it was some new saloon. I said : ' Yes, I would as soon drink Murphy's whiskey as anybody else's.' So he took me up to the University and we saw Murphy. It was not the Murphy I expected to see. I signed the pledge. I have been saved through the instrumentality of Mr. Murphy, by the grace of God, from a drunkard's grave. I do not come here to praise him. But I know the good he has done me, and I know what he has done for Pittsburg." 11 CAUGHT IN THE MURPHY NET." Mr. Harry Rawle had been engaged in the sale of intoxicating liquor in Pittsburg. He came to the conclusion that he had better 'stop the business, and sign the pledge. Recently he was invited to give his testimony before a large meeting, when he said : GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 357 " This is the first time I have ever been before an audience in my life. Brother Murphy has asked me to say a few words. I will say them in my own way. I kept a saloon about four years, during which time I have drank a good deal. I was often told I had better give up drinking. I took a quiet drink very often until Murphy came to Pittsburg. One day I thought I would drop in and see who Mr. Murphy was. I went in. A gentleman who knew me said, c I had better come up and sign the pledge.' I said : ' I don't drink much ; I do not think it is necessary for me to sign it.' He said : ' I have seen you when you have had too much.' I said : ' I am in the business, and I cannot sign it now, as I have nothing else to do.' Some lady said : ' We will pray for you.' I said : ' I' will be thankful to you for that.' I went home and told my friends I had seen Murphy. And was asked what I thought of him. I said : ' He is a nice kind of a man ; that was all there was of him.' I did not take much stock in him. Nevertheless, after a little while and a varied experience, I was caught in the Murphy net. Just before Murphy came away I signed the pledge, and have kept it ever since." 16* 358 THE TRUE PATH. CHAPTER XXX. THE WAY TO MASTER THE APPETITE. Mr. John H. Love, of Philadelphia, said before a great Tabernacle meeting : "At the age of sixteen I had an iron constitution. For twenty-five years I was a moderate drinker. I could start on five glasses and keep on drinking and still remain pretty sober. The habit was increasing upon me year after year, and my appetite for drink got stronger and stronger, so that I could not do without it. The accursed stuff was dragging me down into the lowest depths, and poisoning me. I had power over everything but that. Whiskey had the mastery over me. Now, thank God, since I have signed the pledge, I am master ; and, by the help of God, I will be master. It is something noble for you, young men, to throw the cursed shackles from off your feet. There is not a man living but can stop drinking and be a man. This country is large. There is not a man in the country, or city, but what there is employment for, if he will go about it in the right way. Some say : ' There is no use in my sign- ing it, I cannot keep it.' Whenever the temptation oomes to you, even if you have the whiskey poured out, get on your knees first, and I will guarantee that the whiskey is thrown on the floor, and you will go off feeling a better man. I have had trials, but I can look back and say I am master now." GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 359 u WOULDN'T RETURN TO IT FOR $100 PER DAY." Mr. Charles Wenzell, the reformed sporting man of Pittsburg, narrated his experience in Cincinnati, at a large meeting. He remarked, " That no doubt some in the audience knew him from days gone by, when he was in an entirely different occupation. Last ^October he had a drinking saloon in Pittsburg, and sold it out — not because of a sense of the impro- priety of his calling, but simply because the saloon was not paying. He went to New York for the pur- pose of embarking for South America, but didn't go, for reasons he need not state. He spent all the money he had to pay for his passage, and in obedi- ence to an irresistible desire returned to Pittsburg. He did not return to resume his old business, for that was not tolerated under the law. He had been a card player for twenty -three years, and had made his living that way. He couldn't explain why he went back to Pittsburg. Having nothing else to do he at- tended a Murphy meeting. After the meeting he was asked by a newspaper reporter what he thought of it, and carelessly answered that he thought ' Mur- phy was on a pretty fine racket, and making some money by charging twenty-five cents a head at his meetings.' The next day he attended a meeting in a church, the first church he had been in for twenty years. He attended other meetings, and resolved to join the church and sign the pledge. He called upon Murphy and asked his advice, and what he would do 360 THE TRUE PATH. after giving up "his old ways, and how he could make a living. Murphy replied, that God would provide a way, and referred to the Scriptural teaching about the Father feeding the sparrows and clothing the lilies of the field. 'But,' queried Wenzell, ' I am no sparrow.' Murphy answered, " Try it, and you will be provided for/ The speaker did give himself to the church, and signed the pledge, and severed him- self from his old associations. He would not return to that business again if he was assured that it would yield him $100 a day, in exchange for the bright and beautiful life in the future for him. He felt confi- dent that there was hundreds to-day in the business he had abandoned, who would quit it in a minute if- they could see the means ahead of them by which to earn an honorable living. He enjoined them to try the experiment, and declared that they would be well taken care of." A PATHETIC STORY. At a Gospel Temperance meeting in the Boston Tabernacle, a few weeks ago, Mr. D. L. Moody in- troduced Mr. William Torrence to the audience in the following words : " When I went to Chicago last October I received a letter from a Glasgow minister, enclosing one from a father in Scotland, written to this Glasgow minis- ter, asking him if he could not get me to look after GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 361 his boy who was in America ; that the last he heard of him he was somewhere in Chicago. Mr. Sawyer took this letter and search was made for the young man. Weeks passed away, and just before we left, a little while before we left, in one of the second meet- ings a young man rose for prayer, and when we came to inquire his name it was this young man that we had been looking after for weeks and months. One thing I suppose that drew me out toward him was his name was Willie, and that is the name of my only boy, and this Scotch father' went on to tell how he loved his only boy, and if I could only find his Willie and bring him to Christ how thankful he would be. That Willie is here to-day, and I am go- ing to make him tell his own story." Mr. Torrence said: "I have been a drunkard. The hot blood of shame comes to my face to-day as I stand before this immense audience. But there is a thrill of gratitude in my heart that I can stand here and tell you that I am not now a drunkard. That is a thing of the past, and by the grace of God I stand before you sober, redeemed, regenerated, saved. Twenty-years ago I was a bright, happy boy starting out from a country village in Scotland to finish my education. I went to Glasgow with the prayers of a father and mother that hoped to see me shine to society. They thought a brilliant career was before me, but alas, how their hopes were blighted. In the city of Glasgow I commenced to drink and fell in with friends that led me on. I was an apt scholar. Day by day I got deeper and deeper into the vortex 362 THE TRUE PATH. until a few years ago, the last link in the chain was forged, which bound me to a drunkard's life. I was bound hand and foot, body and soul by this terrible curse of intemperance. " I left my native land a few years ago, after I had broken my wife's heart, and laid her in the grave. She was the. truest friend I ever had ; when all friends forsook me she stood by me, and when I closed the big coffin lid over her pure white face I shut from my sight a true friend that Grod had sent me. She was a Christian woman, her father was a clergyman, and I nipped her young life. Whiskey did it. I loved her as I loved my life, but she died after we had been married three years, and then, driven to despair and remorse, I left my native country with- out saying good-by to kith or kin. " The ghost of that pale face haunted me for three years, drunk or sober, at home or abroad, asleep or awake, it haunted me and drove me almost to mad- ness. I tried to drown my sorrow, but there has come to my heart a different hope; instead of that ghost of my wife's pale face haunting me, there has come to me now the hope that by-and-by we will meet together, and if we did < not live long together in this world, I feel that by-and by, in the endless years of eternity we will be together. " She left me a little daughter, and when she was a baby I used to perform the little offices devolving upon her mother, who was sick, and the child was very fond of me. I have only seen her once since that time, but now I am on my way to Scotland to GOSPEL TEMPEKANCE. 363 see my child. She wrote me a letter some time ago which said, i Dear papa, I aai very glad to know you are a good man, and you are coming back to see your little daughter,' and she sent me a thousand kisses, and I am going to have them. I am going back to be embraced by my father and mother and to attend my sister's wedding. But I have also an invitation to another marriage, and that is the marriage supper of the Lamb, and I have accepted that invitation and shall be there. " I am going beside the grave, in that cold church yard, where lies my wife, and to stand there before God and thank Him that I am able to come and utter that prayer, * Oh God save me and keep me,' and God has done so. Five months ago I went into the Tabernacle in Chicago without a hope and without a friend. What took me there I cannot tell you. I sat and listened to such testimonials as by the grace of God I am able to utter before you to-day. I went into the second meeting, and arose for the first time in my life for prayer, and the prayers of Christian people touched my heart. " Mr. Sawyer came forward and asked me my name. I told him and he started, and I wondered what could have been the matter, and he said, ' My dear sir, we have been looking for you for two months nearly ; fifty praying men and women of Chicago have been praying for you.' I certainly could not understand this, because I did not know there was any one cared about me. He then told me of the letter which had been sent to Mr. Moody. I S64: THE TRUE PATH. could not stand the knowledge of this fact that my father and mother were still looking after me. " In this condition I was led to Mr. Moody's room and Mr. Moody knelt down and prayed for me, and that prayer is still riveted upon my mind, and will be as long as I live ; and then Christian people took me in hand and told me I was not the miserable, de- graded, wretched creature that people told me I was ; that if I had no friend in this world I had a friend in Jesus ; that if my earthly father and mother were seeking for me these many years, Jesus was seeking for me and had tried to save me ; that such a lost wretch as I might be saved, and that truth sunk down into my heart as it never had done before. " In my young days I was told all about this, but I didn't understand it, but that morning the Lord of Glory flashed into my heart that it was true and I was led then and there — I was partially intoxicated at the time — to yield myself to God, and I did so ; and that night, in my room, I begged and prayed to God to accept such an unworthy sinner as I was, and ere the morning sun shone there came to my heart a still small voice that said, ' Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.' " A few months ago I started out in business ; I hadn't a cent ; I hadn't anything. I was engaged by a firm who thought they might trust me. People said I would not stand. I could not stand it myself, but I started out strong in the Lord and I stood, and I am here to-day sober. I have traveled all over the Northwest, through Minnesota and Illinois. I GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 363 represent a respectable firm, travel with plenty of money and live at the best hotels, and I have honored the Lord for all He has done for me. But above all there is a peace and hope, not the drunkard's hope, but the hope that the Christian has of eternal life. I begin now to realize what life is, and I want to live now, not for myself, but to help those who belong to the class of which I once formed a part. "I have had temptations on the road, but I over- came them. The first week I started out, when I was in a large hotel I asked for a pudding and I found it swimming in brandy sauce. I tell you the old devil within me smelt it at once, but the Lord was with me, and I called the waiter and said ' take it away for I am afraid of it/ and I asked the land- lord as a duty which he owed to the class to which I belonged that it should be written on that bill of fare that there was brandy in that sauce (applause), and I went to my room and thanked God I was saved from that. My father wrote to me that he was afraid I should fall, because I was a commercial traveler again, but I replied I was a commercial traveler and traveling with the Lord, and He was with me, and that he need not be afraid, and in such moments of temptation, I whisper into the ear of Him who is mighty to save, and I come out more than a con- queror. " I left Chicago last Tuesday night, and the re- formed men in that city asked me to tell the reformed men in Boston how glad they were to hear that you are trusting in the same God for your salvation. 366 THE TRUE PATH. " The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is the grand cure for the drunkard. With that in my heart I never want a single drop of liquor, because Jesus Christ is there, but while the devil was in tny heart he wanted me to drink all the time." "OUT OF SIX, THE ONLY ONE. 7 Wm. T. Haines, Esq., of Chester, Pa., at a Murphy temperance meeting at West Chester, said that this was the first movement in which he ever had faith. He said no one but a born idiot would argue that drinking is a blessing to anybody. He stated that the^ reason he had signed the pledge was that he re- membered that out of six men who started as young men together^ he was the only one left. They drank and they filled drunkard's graves. Two had died by their own hands, two more had died even while they were drunk. A WONDERFUL DELIVERANCE. A Boston lawyer writes, under date of May 16th, that " he had been a drinking man for years, and lately had become completely subjected to the appetite. He had tried again and again to break off, but in a few days he would find himself in some favorite rum shop. Last Sunday afternoon he went to the Tabernacle and GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 367 heard the testimony given there of those who had been saved. That night he prayed twice before re- tiring to bed. On Monday morning he arose, feeling a marked change. He had his breakfast and went to his business, experiencing no desire to get rum.. He went home that night, the first time for months that his family could not smell the liquor from his breath. He was filled with courage, and before retiring prayed again. Tuesday morning he arose, and after break- . fast went to business again, passing the doors of rum shops where he had been accustomed to get his morn- ing drink. He felt himself absolutely free from any desire to drink. The third day came and there was no desire for rum. He felt that God had answered his prayers and given him strength to lead a good life in the future." CHAPTER XXXI. " BOYS KIDNAPPED " BY INTEMPERANCE. Mr. Murphy, at one of his meetings, called on a reformed man named Martin for his testimony. He appeared on the platform with his two little sons, aged respectively four and five years, who had been separated for some time from him, on account of his intemperate habits. He said that seven weeks ago he had signed the pledge, and that God had given 368 THE TBUE PATH. him the strength to keep it ever since. When he was drinking he was compelled to commit his children to the care of the Home, but when he took a stand for temperance his children were restored to him, and now he has a happy family and a pleasant home. He said that the best thing for any man to do would be for him to sign the pledge, and then ask the Almighty to give him strength to keep it. In commenting upon this case, Mr. Murphy said : " There is no place that has felt such a sensation as was experienced in Philadelphia when little Charlie Eoss was kidnapped. The newspapers were teeming with it. I was in Chicago at the time, and story after story and report after report came, describing the event in words that caused the stoutest hearts to weep. Do you know there is hardly a family in this city but what has just as sweet children as Charlie Eoss kidnapped? There has been a scene on this stage to-night unrivalled by any scene I have ever witnessed, and that was two dear boys, who had been kidnapped through the evils of intemperance, have been restored to him again, and he is once more a happy man, and clothed in his right mind." " DRANK UP A BARREL OF MONEY." At a great temperance gathering in the Queen City, James C. Dunn said, " That only five weeks ago, in Columbus, he little thought he would be before them GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 369 advocating temperance reform, but the reformers came to him with words of love, and they touched his heart. He signed the pledge, and for the first time in his life realized what a precious thing life is. Even in this short time of five weeks he has been enabled to look back upon a thraldom worse than slavery. He felt redeemed from the grave. " Early in life he became a drunkard. His father gave him a good education, and started him in busi- ness, and in Western New York he drank up forty thousand dollars in whiskey. He then came out West, to Columbus, and tried to reform. His fa- ther helped again and started him in business, but again he was floored. Then he became a clerk and worked a few years, but still beset by the terrible appetite for drink. Then occurred a lapse of reason. His father helped him again, and he found himself in business and doing two hundred thousand dollars a year, but — would they believe it ? — he drank that all up ; and still another dry goods store. That was three dry goods stores he had consumed in drink. Yes, and he drank a barrel of money besides." THE ONLY SURE HELP. At the Tabernacle, in Philadelphia, Mr. J. A. Southwick, a leading merchant said, " That on Easter Sunday night he signed the pledge, and when he did so he gave his heart to Christ. For years he had 370 THE TRUE PATH. been a drinking man, and had several times been prostrated by severe illness, but when he recovered he always went back to drinking. He joined a good temperance society, thinking that he would be safe. For a time he was safe, but the tempter became stronger and he fell. He then thought he could ab- stain from drinking by his own will, but the same ill-success attended his efforts, and now he could say that no power but that of the blessed Saviour could keep a man firm and true. A man must rely upon a strength greater than his own ; he knew it from ex- perience, and would say to all that when they signed the pledge, if they sincerely desired to keep it, the best and surest way would be to ask God to help them." RAN THE GAUNTLET OF THE RUM SHOPS IN CHICAGO. At a Gospel Temperance Meeting, Miss Willard recently said, "That as often as she heard the testi- monials of reformed men she wished the man she loved best, her brother, could stand on the Taber- nacle platform and tell what strong drink had done for him, but he was a thousand miles away and could not testify. She remembered how susceptible he was to religious inflences, his successful college course, his entry into the ministry and the large harvest which he gathered in, and how, when broken down, he- went to a physician for medicine and was given a receipt GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 371 which was practically a receipt for strong drink. The appetite grew on him, and at last his devoted wife made me acquainted with his condition. When I saw him, he held up the Bible and said, ' Do you believe in this ? I tell you that no drinking man can believe in the Bible. I believe in nothing but in the fact that lam going headlong to perdition.' He said a man needed nothing but will, and lie prom- ised he would not drink any more, but I need not tell you how he fell." Miss Willard then related how her brother was saved from the curse of intemperance through the intervention of a helping hand and a willing heart in the person of Deacon Willard of Chi- cago, who preached Christ to him and induced him to again accept Him as his Saviour ; and the words of life act as a talisman On that brother and enables him to run the gauntlet of the rum shops in Chicago, and he has stood firm for years. " FOUR TIMES IN PRISON." John Murray, one of Mr. Murphy's recent converts, being introduced to a meeting, spoke as follows : " Six weeks ago I was on my way over the hills to the poor house. I was intemperate for twenty-six years. My father left me with a good trade, a large blacksmith shop, and a two-story house. In two years I swallowed them .all, and I have swallowed everything that I have earned since. I would work 372 THE TRUE PATH. for a week or two and then go on a drunk for a week or two. I have had the mania-a-potu twice and have been four times committed to Moyamensing prison for drunkenness." He depicted what he had under- gone during the first few days after signing the Murphy pledge. For four days he could not take any nourishment, but by the grace of God he had held out. "GOD DID ALL FOR HIM/' In a New England Temperance Meeting, a Mr. McElwain was the first speaker. He said, " That he was ashamed to get up and say that for twenty-five years he had been a slave to drink, but such was the fact. For seventeen years he was a moderate drinker, but eight years ago he became convinced that he was forming an appetite that was getting the better of him. He joined all kinds of temperance societies, but fell again and again during eight years. He did every- thing he could in his own strength, but after eight years' struggle, he was drunk from Thanksgiving Day to the first of March. Everybody gave him up, even his little boy's Sabbath school teacher telling the little fellow that his father must die as he was living. Early last March he was a perfect wreck. While intoxicated he went, he knew not how, into a Baptist prayer meeting. He arose and asked for prayers ; the minister talked to him and made him GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 373 promise to go to church again Sunday morning. Saturday he got up and got more rum. Next day a Baptist brother took him to church, and he went three times that day, intoxicated. At noon the church people talked the matter over and appointed a detail of men to watch him and get him sober. When the rum was out of him he was very weak, and in that condition he was brought to the Tabernacle, where he arose for prayer and prayed himself. He got up from his knees as free from the appetite as any person in the Tabernacle, and it never had come to him in the slightest degree from that time. His home had been changed and his wife and children and he him- self were happy. He expressed the hope that those who were trying to conquer their appetite in their own strength might become convinced that they could not do it and surrender themselves to Grod. He took no credit at all to himself. God having done all for him." "THAT UNDERTOW OF TEMPERANCE. At a Murphy meeting in the Quaker City, Dr. J. S. Cram said : "That he was glad to be present, and he was attracted to the place in spite of himself. Six months ago he heard Mr. Murphy in the city of Pittsburg, but he had no faith in him, because he esteemed him as a fanatic, and rather preferred the beer gardens and theatre to the church. He signed the pledge in Concert Hall, after his wife had done 17 374 THE TEUE PATH. so. She had often desired him to take a stand for total abstinence, but he felt that he would be signing away his liberty if he appended his name to the tem- perance pledge. Six weeks ago he gave his heart to Jesus, and has experienced a happiness that he had never known before. He thanked God for that undertow of temperance, which had borne him along until it landed him at the foot of the Cross. If the man who signs the pledge does not give his heart to God there will be little hope that he will keep it." " PREPARATION TO COMMIT SUICIDE. At a Murphy gathering in Pennsylvania, Dr. Lees said : " He had a curious story to relate. When twenty years of age he married an orphan girl sixteen years of age on three weeks' acquaintance. He began to study medicine, and his family increased of course. He graduated at the University of Pennsylvania, went through the army without drinking, but was finally taken sick, and came out of the attack a -per- fect slave to morphine. He had an insatiable thirst for liquor, which soon ate up his library and all the comforts of home. He had made every preparation to commit suicide, but a hand stayed him, and he went down on his knees and prayed for deliverance. Six weeks afterwards he signed the pledge, and now he was a sane man again." GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 375 "THIRTY YEARS OF INTEMPERANCE. Mr. John F. Shorey, of Mass., recently said to an audience : " My friends, it is a joy to stand before you to-day — a joy of one of the redeemed — redeemed from the lowest degradation of intemperance that it is possible for a man to arrive at. Thirty years ago I took my first drink of liquor. You may think it singular, but, as I remember it, it was on my twenty-first birthday, and to morrow is my fifty-first. I remember taking it down here in Federal street, in this city, and from that time on I continued to drink as a ' moderate drinker/ and so on until the appetite became so strong that I could not resist it. On that day, when the boys think they really are free, on that day I sold myself to Satan, and how well I served him you may well know when I tell you that for thirty years I was a victim to my appetite. It is hardly necessary for me to go through with my experience. Thirty- one years ago I was a Sabbath School scholar at Tre- mont Temple. I want to say that right here, because there are so many young men around here who think there is no danger of their becoming a drunkard. They say that the influence of the Sabbath School, the influence of the church, the influence of all around them, will keep them from intemperance. But I tell you there is no influence that can keep you, but the power of God that can save you from the evils of intemperance." 376 THE TRUE PATH. " MONEY BROKERS USED TO GET ALL MY CLOTHES." The testimony of Mr. Samuel McLain, on a recent occasion, at the Philadelphia Tabernacle, was as fol- lows : " I am thankful to God I am a reformed man, and intend to keep so. I have been so low in the world that I could take the clothes off my back and give them for whiskey. But I would like to see the man who would get me to do it now. I have been de- spised by a Christian father and mother. I have been thrown out on the world homeless. I am as good a mechanic as there is in the city of Philadelphia, and I worked at my trade before I became a drunkard, but through the effects of liquor it has left me in Moyamensing Prison and the Eastern Penitentiary. " Since I have signed the pledge I have respectable friends. When I came into this institution I had nothing, but look at me now ; and, thank God, I have two or three more suits. The money brokers used to get all my clothes, but they don't get them "FROM FORTY TO FIFTY GLASSES OF LIQUOR A DAY." In a Boston meeting, a Mr. Jackson said : " It was not an easy thing for a man who had fol- lowed a life of intemperance to get up and confess it, but the gospel temperance work made men strong. GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 377 He commenced drinking when he was twenty-three years old, not because he wanted liquor, but because older men invited him to drink, and he continued in that course for twenty years. He finally drank all the way from forty to fifty glasses of liquor a day, and he tried to stop but could not. A year ago last January he became convinced he must stop drinking, the plan of salvation was not new to him, and after carefully considering the matter he asked God to help him. The next day he went into a rum saloon, pushed in as it were by the Evil One himself, called for liquor, poured it out and left the saloon without drinking. The same thing occurred the next day. Could that have been my own natural strength that prevented my drinking that liquor ? No. It was the power of God. And since January, 1876, God has kept me from drink, and also provided for my temporal wants." " ONE OF THE WORST OF DRINKING MEN. ■ Lately, at a Murphy meeting in Pennsylvania, David Warburton said that "he was one of the worst of drinking men. He had drank liquor in every form, and had been crushed to the lowest condition. He had sold his hat, coat and shoes for rum, and, through drunkenness had sold the wedding ring given him by his wife. He was a disgrace to society, and therefore was not fit to speak. He and his wife went upon their knees and asked God to be with them and to pardon them for their sins. He divided a loaf of 378 THE TRUE PATH. bread with his poor wife ; it was all that they had, and it was rum that made them so poor." The speaker's appearance was sufficient to satisfy any one of his life of dissipation. "TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF SLAVERY. 7 ' At a Moody Gospel Temperance Meeting, in Bos- ton, a Mr. Mclntyre said : tl It is wholly unexpected that I am called upon to-day, but if there is any one thing that I thank God for more than another, it is that He gave me the disposition and willingness when He converted me, to stand up whenever I had an oppor- tunity to testify to His salvation. It is always a sad sight to see a man possessed of ordinary abilities stand up before an audience and acknowledge that for twenty-five years he has been a slave to rum ; but such is the fact. For the first fifteen or seventeen years after I commenced drinking — I commenced quite young — I was what they call a ' moderate drinker;' for the first fifteen or seventeen years I thought I could leave off at any time ; but I was mis- taken. I found I could not quit it ;, nothing was of avail except the power of Grod." GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 379 CHAPTER XXXII. DOWN TO " BUMMER-POISON." At a temperance meeting lately, William Murray, of Boston, said " he had travelled all the way from the fifteen cent sample-room drink to the five cent bum- mer-poison, and had been noted for his swollen head, red nose and blood-shotten eyes. He had concluded, 1 If he could not be a light-house he would be a can- dle.' Therefore, he had signed the pledge, and he was going to do all he could to induce others to follow him. Since he had become temperate old friends had returned to him and new ones he found in abundance." "the only true pledge." Recently, at a G-ospel Temperance Meeting, Mr. Powers, of New York, said " for fifteen years he was a drinking man, and his business led him into hotels all over the country. He was successful in business, but the dark cloud of intemperance had followed him. Three weeks ago he experienced a change of heart, and every phase of his life was changed thereby. Ho had been powerfully tempted during the past three weeks, and while dining at a cafe a friend placed a goblet of ale before him to drink. On the impulse of the moment he seized the goblet and threw it across the room, paid his check and left never to enter it 380 THE TRUE PATH. again. He had signed pledges enough to paper the Tabernacle, but they were only idle words. The only true pledge is the grace of God." "NOT TOO MUCH RELIGION." Mr. Hall, the active reformer, of Pittsburg, said at a Western meeting, li that he had entered, upon a re- ligious life,, and hoped to be more religious in the future. Some people say there is too much religion in this thing. There was a time when he would have said the same thing; but it was not so with him now. He urged all to give their hearts to Christ, and hoped that all who had signed the pledge would do so." "A DRUG STORE TIPPLER." Mr. 0. S. Bitz, of Mansfield, Ohio, said at a gathering: "That he was happy to be there. He did not appear before the people as a reformed drunkard, but one of those sly chaps — a reformed tippler — a man who slips into a drugstore, gets be- hind the prescription case, takes his drink, pays his ten cents, and slips out again. He had seen gentle- men behind those cases take their drink on the sly, and the next Sunday he had seen them take up a collection in church for the heathen." GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 381 " SOLD $16,000 WORTH IN ONE DAY." Mr. E. L. Menagher, of Gallipolis, Ohio, urged upon a meeting the importance of taking the weary and the fallen by the hand and rescuing them : "For fourteen years he had manufactured whiskey, and had sold as high as $16,000 worth, in one day, in Pittsburg, but he has given it up, and is now engaged in promoting temperance." PROMISING BEFORE AN AUDIENCE. Mr. George W. Southworth, of Philadelphia, re- lated, at a meeting, his experience as a moderate drinker: " He had often made resolutions to stop, but he always found his appetite stronger than his mental promises. He concluded that if he stood up before this vast audience and promised never to drink again he could keep his resolution, and • so he had signed the pledge." "A PROFESSIONAL PLEDGE-TAKER." Mr. John Carrigan said, at a meeting in Philadel- phia : "That he had been a professional pledge- taker. His pledges lasted about twenty-four hours, and he had made enough resolutions to fill a fashion- able lady's Saratoga trunk. All was sunshine at his home now, and he hoped all his friends would sign the Murphy pledge." IT* 382 THE TRUE PATH. "CAME TWO HUNDRED MILES TO BE REDEEMED.'* Mr. Holden, at a Boston Tabernacle meeting, said : " That he had sought God for years, and at last had found him. He tried to drink a glass now and again, but he could not control his appetite. He had a praying wife, who had prayed for him for fifteen years, but now he believed in the efficacy of prayer. He came from Canada, 200 miles, to Boston for the purpose of seeking the Lord, and for three or four days after arriving in the city was wandering about from place to place in a drunken condition, and his friends unable to find him. When he became sober he fell on his knees and asked God to save him from his sins. Since that time he had found the peace of God in his heart, and now, instead of carrying a flask of brandy in his coat pocket, he carried a testament. His appetite for liquor had departed, and he made an urgent appeal to Christians to extend a kind and helping hand to the poor drunkards with whom they came in contact. That was the way to help them and touch their hearts." " SAVED THROUGH A WIFE'S PRAYERS." At a great meeting in Wilmington, Delaware, Mr. Daniel B. Hall, in a telling and effective speech, made reference to his wife, who was present, and pic- tured her anguish, tears and sufferings in days that GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 383 were past, on account of his intemperance : " Through her prayers he was saved, and he prayed God that he might ever be able to stand fast and uphold the ban- ner of Temperance." "beaten by one glass of whiskey." Mr. John M. Nesbitt, of Pittsburg, at a meeting said : " That he had studied law, went into politics, became a candidate for Senatorial honors, and was beaten by one glass of whiskey. The morning of the day of election he was seen turning down a glass of whiskey, and the gentleman who saw him voted against him, and that vote defeated him. He owns considerable stock in the town where he formerly lived. He has no money, but he has stock to the amount of ten cents in every brick of every saloon in the place." "COST him $100,000." Mr. Eeynolds, at a meeting in the Queen City, said : " He was a newly reformed man, and that it cost him just $100,000 to learn what he now knows for the first time." 44 RATHER HAVE THE RED IN HIS BUTTON-HOLE." Mr. George W. Hotchkiss, of Bay City, Michigan, a " red badge" wearer, in addressing a meeting, said : 41 That he had been told of the questionable character 384 THE TRUE PATH. of his badge. But he preferred to carry the red in his button-hole rather than on his nose. He re- minded the audience that the principle symbolized by the blue ribbon, if persevered in, would keep the blue devils out of their brains." U A DOLLAR IN HIS POCKET." A sailor, Thomas Halliday, at a New England meeting, blessed God that, after an inebriate life, and one of constant poverty, he could now put on a good pair of pants and coat, and have a dollar in his pocket. "A RICHER MAN. Mr. Heveron, a Murphy reformer of Allegheny county, said, at a meeting: "That he had been a business man ; was a merchant and manufacturer of pig iron for many years ; but, through the accursed influence of strong drink, he had been overpowered, lost his property, his reputation, and his character. Yet, he thanked God that, nothwithstanding, he was a richer man than ever in his life before, and felt an abiding interest in temperance." "GASH in tee bank." A German, at a Murphy meeting in Pennsylvania, although speaking the English language imperfectly, GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 385 earnestly and rapidly said, " I shust vants to tell you peoples somethings. Once I drank so mooch lager beer I vus blind all the vile. Now I drinks no more lager, and I halfe gash in tee bank and gash to gif to peoples vot needs some helps." THE PRAYER OP FAITH. At a meeting in the Moody Tabernacle, a Mr. Morgan said, " That for years he had been what was called a moderate drinker, though his drinking had cost him an excellent situation in Boston. He described how he had become interested in the Tabernacle meetings, reading of them in the newspapers, and had thus been drawn to think seriously of religious matters. After awhile he prayed to God for light, and when his prayer became the prayer of faith, it was answered. His appetite for drink and even for tobacco was taken from him, and he felt that he could do nothing but shout for joy." "THE HAPPIEST TWO MONTHS. At a New England Meeting, a Mr. Hart testified " to the power of God to keep men from strong drink. He was a reformed man, redeemed in the blood of Christ. We must look to a higher power than pledges, promises and our own will. Two months ago he became converted, and they have been the two hap- piest months he ever passed. He felt stronger to- 386 THE TKUE PATH. day than when he left off drinking, and concluded by- pointing all drunkards to the cross of Christ for strength and salvation.'* "far happier than for fourteen years/' At a Murphy meeting in Pennsylvania, Mr. John Martin said, " That he had signed the pledge fourteen days ago, and he would say that he was far happier than he had been for fourteen years. He thanked God that he had been enabled to keep the pledge, and by His power he would never touch it or drink it so lonoj as he should live." 41 PLEADED AT THE BAR." A Mr. Hughes, of Springfield, Illinois, at a large meeting said : " I have never made many speeches, but I have often pleaded at the bar. I don't mean a legal bar, but I mean the illegal one. I have signed the pledge, and I hope you will all pray for me that I may make good my resolve." GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 387 CHAPTER XXXIII. DR. HENRY A. REYNOLDS. — BIOGRAPHICAL FACTS. The following remarks, taken from the lips of Dr. Reynolds, who is regarded as the head and front of the " Red Ribbon " total abstinence movement, are worthy so prominent a leader and worker. They have in them the ring of an earnest and faithful re- former. The doctor uttered them, not many months since, at a meeting of the National Temperance Convention. It may be proper to remark here that the followers of this Apostle are in thorough accord with the Murphy Movement ; are almost identical with it in their methods and successes ; and freely exchange sympathies, courtesies, and laborers. They are perhaps of a little later growth than the Murphy uprising, and have no doubt received strength from it. Evidently, both are of the same Spirit — that of the Lord of Hosts. Dr. Reynolds said : AN INHERITED APPETITE. " It does not put me out in the least to follow such speakers as the Hon. Mr. Raper, Rev. Dr. Miner, Gen. Neal Dow,. Mrs. Mary Livermore, Wendell Phillips, or any other orator, as I do not make any profession to oratory myself. I claim to be one of God's feeblest instrumentalities, raised up by his grace, and trying 6m THE TRUE PATH. to do something for him and for those who have suf- fered, as I have suffered, through rum. I am one of those unfortunate men who have an inherited appe- tite for strong drink. I love liquor to-night as well as an infant loves milk. THE SUFFERING AND COST. " The love for intoxicants is as much a part of my make-up as my hand, and at the time I left off drink- ing I had an experience of twenty years. I have suffered from delirium tremens as the result of drink- ing intoxicants. It hast cost me three thousand dol- lars for what I know about drinking intoxicants ; and I considered my life, previous to two years ago, ten thousand times worse than thrown away. I have walked my father's house night after night, for seven nights aDd days, a raving, crazy madman, as the re- sult of intoxicating beverages. " COULD ALMOST HEAR THEM HISS AT ME." " At the time that I was suffering and upon the verge of delirium tremens, I was obliged to do some- thing I had never done before in order to rid myself of this infernal curse. I had drunk my last drink. I had broken my bottle. I had sworn off before a justice of the peace. I had done everything men or- dinarily do to rid themselves of the habit of drink- ing, all to no purpose. I had delirium tremens, and it would almost seem as though a man who suffered GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 389 as I during those seven days and nights would never touch the infernal stuff again ; but I did, and several times afterwards I was on the verge of the delirium tremens, so near to them that I could almost look over and see them, and hear them hiss and howl at me. ENTREATED GOD TO SAVE HIM. " I was obliged to do something different from what I had ever done before in order to rid myself of this infernal appetite. I knew but very little about the Bible. Drinking men do not read the Bible much. But I knew God had promised to assist those who asked Him in faith, believing, and I threw myself upon my knees, in my office, by my lounge, and asked Almighty God to save me, and promised Him that if He would save me from such sufferings as I had once been through, that, with His assistance, I would be true to myself and to Him, and do what I could to make others happy. SAVED THROUGH THE PRAYERS OF NOBLE WOMEN. " At that time a little band of noble women, who had caught the inspiration from the West, were pray- ing in my native city in a public place. Some of these women had been educated in churches where they did not believe in woman's praying or talking in public. Some of them had suffered very much as the result of having drinking husbands and sons. 390 THE TRUE PATH. They had received no assistance from the pulpit, law, or press, and were compelled to do something dif- ferent from what they had ever done before. So they threw themselves upon their knees at the foot of the Cross, and asked God to give them relief from their long suffering. And I stand here to-night believing myself to be a monument of God's grace, saved through the prayers of the noble women of America, and feel myself to be a beacon light erected upon the breakers upon which I have been shipwrecked, to warn others off from those shoals and breakers. "DOING WHAT I CAN TO MAKE OTHER PEOPLE HAPPY." " Since I signed the pledge I have become a happy man. I used to be an unhappy man. I didn't want to live ; I dragged out a miserable existence. I would have cut my throat, or blown out my brains, but didn't dare to. Now, I am one of the happiest men in the world. Instead of going about the streets cursing and swearing, I am going about from Dan to Beersheba doing what I can to make other people ■ happy, singing c Nearer, my God, to thee,' l Rock of Ages,' 'All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name,' and looking upon the world as my country, and mankind as my countrymen. "ENCOURAGEMENT AND SYMPATHY FROM FRANCIS MURPHY." " And I want to say a word here in reference to Mr. Murphy. You may have noticed that we have GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 391 been very much together. I met with him during the first of my experience as a reformed drunkard. I received words of encouragement and sympathy from him. A reformed man needs kind words and sympathy from some one. I believe Mr. Murphy to be (I will say it, notwithstanding he is present) one pf God's accepted noblemen. I consider it to be a privilege and a pleasure to be with him, and to receive at the present time his kind words and sympathy. " SYMPATHY BETWEEN REFORMED DRUNKARDS." " There are a great many people who do not under- stand that there is a sympathy between two reformed drunkards that cannot exist between a man who has drank and a man who has not, A man who has never drank don't know how it is himself; two men who have, do understand perfectly well, and can sympathize with each other. A man who never drank would condemn, while we would pity one whose appetite is almost beyond human control. • Brother Murphy has said that he wishes he could blot out his past life. I do not feel so. I would not have my past life wiped out if I could ; not that it is pleasant to recall, but I have been fitted by suffering to sympathise with men who so much need sym- pathy, and who have so little." " IT IS GOD'S WORK." " You have heard, doubtless, of the work which has been going on in Massachusetts and Maine. I 392 THE TRUE PATH. claim that it is God's work, and at his feet I lay all the glory. Judging from a human standpoint, it is a wonderful work, but judging* from a spiritual point of view it is not wonderful, because nothing God does is wonderful. A minister said to me the other day : ' Dr. Reynolds, I have often heard of you, and am glad to meet you. I have an offer to make you. I have fifty dollars in my pocket that I will give you if you will tell me how you do this work.' I told him I did not do it, that God did it. I told him that I looked upon myself as one of the foolish things of this world that had been raised up to confound the wise." RECLAIMED AND FULL-SOULED CHRISTIANS. " I have a sympathy for the drunkard which I can- not express or explain. I love him as I love my brother ; and as the result of going out and taking God for my leader, and acting what I believe to be a practical Christian life, I have the honor and privi- lege and pleasure of standing here to-night and saying to you, that during the past twenty-one months, end- ing the tenth of this month, fifty-one thousand men have been reclaimed from drunkenness and planted upon the rock of total abstinence — looking to G-od for assistance to enable them to keep their feet there. Hundreds, and hundreds, and hundreds are full-souled Christians." "SAVED BY GOING DOWN TO THEM." " They haven't been saved by cuffs, and curses, and the cold shoulder, but by the hand of brotherly GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 393 love and sympathy ; not by standing up here and beckoning to them to come up, but by going down to them as Christ did, and giving them a hand through which an electrical thrill of sympathy went, impreg- nating their whole organization, and making them feel that they have one friend. And if there is a man in God's world who is ready to accept the hand of friendship and sympathy and brotherly love, it is the poor, unfortunate drunkard. These men must be saved by practical Christian work ; by treating them as men." " COMMENCED AMONG THE HUMBLER CLASSES." " ISTow, this reform movement is not very high- toned. It is even found fault with because it is not high-toned enough. The reason is because these high-toned people, so called, won't come down. They don't dare to do right. They don't do right. If. they did, the reform clubs, instead of being made up of middle-class men and humble men, would be made up in part of those in higher circles of society, who would give it a higher tone ; but something keeps them out. But this reform work commenced, and has been carried on, as all other reforms, among the humbler classes in society." HOW CHRIST DID. " It was so with Christianity. Christ was the re- puted son of a poor man, a carpenter, and was in the highways and hedges most of his time. He didn't 394 THE TRUE PATH. stand up in high places and beckon to men to come up ; he didn't judge men by their property, or color, or nationality, or anything except the principle that was in him. He mingled with the most debased and vile and unfortunate and wretched, and led them along, and walked with them, and saved them by kindness and sympathy and brotherly love." "about prohibition." "A word about prohibition. I come from the State of Hon. Neal Dow. I am proud of the State of Maine. I never knew what it was to go to the polls and vote for anything but prohibition,*drunk or sober. I rode up to the door in which the ballot box was, got out of my carriage when I was so drunk that I could hardly walk, and always voted for pro- hibition, and I always intend to so long as God gives me the breath of life. And I want to tell you an- other thing about prohibition. PUBLIC SENTIMENT MUST BE EDUCATED UP TO PRO- HIBITION. " Prohibition can't succeed until there is a public sentiment to back it up. And I want to tell you how the public sentiment is being raised in Massachu- setts. The public sentiment there is in favor of tem- perance ; and it is very much needed to be created now, and is being created by the united efforts of every class of people. This work is not being done GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 395 by the women, the Good Templars, the Rechabites, the Sons of Temperance, the Methodist Church, the Baptist Church, or any other in particular ; but by the united efforts of all people whom we can get in- terested in it that have any claim whatever upon being good people. * TOTAL ABSTINENCE ABOVE ALL. . "And if I had time I could tell you something about my work, but I have not. It takes about aji hour and a quarter for me to make a twenty-five minutes' speech. But my heart is in the work. I have forsaken everything for this work. I went to Massachusetts without a second shirt to my back, and without one that belonged to me, as the result of working for God in lifting up these men. But I had rather stand up here to-night $10,000 in debt, with my feet planted on total abstinence, than to be worth $50,000 and be where I was two years ago. THE WAY TO CONQUER. " Thanking you for listening so attentively, I want every one of you to pray for me that I may be kept. He who conquers himself is greater than he who conquers a city. I have conquered myself through God. Pray for me earnestly, every time, that I may lift up those who are suffering from strong drink. 396 THE TRUE PATH. CHAPTER XXXIY. ALCOHOL HAS NO MEDICINAL VALUE. There are many who hold to the delusion that alcohol is indispensable as a medicine. Among them are not a few physicians and chemists who have never given the subject much thought. But there aj*e others, chiefly such as have considered the matter fully and intelligently, who are clear and convincing in their position that it is useless and unnecessary. One of these takes the same arguments adduced in its favor as a remedy, and applies them with equal force to the proving of it beneficial as a beverage. Another shows by the peculiar modus operandi involved in its so-called support of the constitution, under a tempo- rary failure of the physical powers, that it is not a supporter of vitality : that it is simply " a blind ex- periment," as Dr. Bostock has said, " upon the vitality of the patient ;" that it " supports vitality in precisely the same way that a wild hyena would if let loose, among a crowd;" that it is inimical to life, and ab- solutely hurtful in sickness. PHYSICIANS TRAINED TO THE DELUSION. Of course, there are those who will say, very sagely, that they know it has done thus and so — citing re- markable instances of rallying, or of recovery, from GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 397 its effects. And there are those, too, who will ask, as has been queried by another, " Why do physi- cians, who are free from the blight of alcohol, pre- scribe it in debility, low fevers, small pox, consump- tion, etc. ?" The answer is, that they have been trained to do so, just as physicians were once trained not to allow patients cold water in dangerous diseases, in which cold water is now conceded universally to be unavoidably needful. Alcohol aids the system just as a goad and heavier plough gives the faithful ox more of ease and rest. The human system frets under it — strives to dispel its influence, to rid itself of it ; and always suffers, in a greater or less degree, ill effects from its use. It is a high condition of stimulation — a species of poisoning — that can only save life, if even such is the result, where any of the well-known poisons would do it with less of jeopardy. WHAT DISTINGUISHED MEN SAY. But let us refer to a few of the most distinguished of medical authorities upon this subject : Professor Thomas Sewell, M.D., of Washington, savs: " Every independent, honest, sober, intelligent doctor will tell you that' there is no case in which ardent spirit is indispensable, and so long as it is used as a medicine, so long shall we have invalids and drunkards among us. Only let our profession take a decided stand on this point, and intemperance 18 398 THE TRUE PATH. will soon vanish from our country. The day is not far distant when, by universal consent, ardent spirits in every form shall be cast out from the sick room as its last lurking place, its final stronghold, and this without impairing the power of the healing art or limiting its resources. When this is effected, and not till then, will the cause of universal temperance have gained a full triumph. When the light of that day arises a whole class of diseases of the body, mind and moral constitution is extirpated for ever." In the " Medical Gazette," Dr. Carson, of Pennsyl- vania, thus writes : 11 The profession teaches that it is a valuable remedy for disease. The graduate passes into the community, and in dysentery, typhoid and typhus fevers, cholera, and in every phase of real or apparent weakness, pre- scribes it for his patient ; and thus not only fostering that fierce appetite for alcohol, which ceases only with death, but impressing the community with the belief that alcoholic drinks are absolutely essential to the preservation of health and the cure of disease. What can moral suasion do ? What can the Maine Law effect in opposition to such a sentiment among the masses, founded, sustained, and encouraged by the voice of the medical profession ? Is there a disease of the heart, the head, the lungs, the liver or the kidneys that has not been produced a thousand times by alcoholic drinks ? Is there a single one of those diseases which demands their use as a remedy ? Alcoholic stimulants are not necessary in the treat- GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 399 merit of any disease. ' Think, gentlemen, of the five hundred young physicians being annually sent from this city (Philadelphia) to the various States of the Union to practice their profession, placing the brandy bottle in tens of thousands of the families as a remedy 1 Who can calculate the mischief that they will pro- duce? It were better for mankind that they had never been born." In the " Medical Journal," of Boston, Dr. Fuller thus very pointedly remarks : " The use cannot be separated from the abuse, either as a beverage or as a medicine. We cannot prevent the use of alcohol as a beverage without dis- carding its use. I think that the profession cannot but perceive that while alcoholic prescriptions are so universal, and while it is recommended as a domestic medicine, it will continue to be used as a beverage, and its lamentable effects will follow." The well-known medical writer, and founder of a successful medical college in New York, Dr. Trail, thus reflects: u The effects of intemperance may be summed up in a few words — vice, crime, pauperism, social cor- ruption and national decline ; and the root of the evil is alcoholic medication. It is true now, as it has ever been, that just to the extent that medical men advise and prescribe alcohol as a medicine will the people drink it as a beverage. The use of alcoholic drinks always did and always will follow in the wake of alcoholic medication." 400 THE TRUE PATH. The " Medical Times," of New York city, an ably managed and influential journal, thus appeals to the good sense of the medical profession : " The alarming extent to which alcoholic stimu- lants are being resorted to as a beverage, by the pub- lic, should, attract the serious consideration of phy- sicians. The opinion is becoming prevalent that stimulus is beneficial. The various quacks who trump their 'bitters' into the market, are beginning to understand this, and have already reaped a golden harvest from a very extensive sale of their nostrums." On one occasion, said Dr. Blakeman, in narrating the instance of a young lady, before the Academy of Medicine : "In consequence of the prescription of a physician, she was led into habits of intemperance to such an extent that in the course of eight months she was ac- customed to take two and oue-half pints of brandy daily. She died a drunkard." Professor Benjamin F. Barker, of the New York College of Medicine, said : " I have known several ladies to become habitual drunkards, the primary cause being a taste for stim- ulus, which was acquired by alcoholic drinks being administered to them as medicine." In the " Materia Medica" of Dr. Chapin, the fol- lowing words have escaped the editor's pen : " It is the sacred duty of every one exercising the GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 401 profession of medicine, to unite with the moralist, the divine, and the economist, in discouraging the con- sumption of these baneful articles ; and^as the first step in the scheme of reformation, to discountenance the baneful notion of their remedial efficacy." Before the Academy of Medicine, in New York, Professor Post instanced the case of a patient — a young man — who was hereditarily predisposed to consumption of the lungs. Acting upon the advice of a physician, he freely took to the use of alcoholic stimulants, became an inebriate, and died of delirium tremens. In this we have the peculiar wisdom of a class of physicians set before us. Better had he fal- len by his pulmonary affection, a thousand fold. Dr. Post also employed these words : " Even as a medicine alcohol is ' a mocker,' and all the bitters, tonics, etc., which men use who would scorn to enter a rum shop, are disguised assassins in satan's ser- vice." Professor Mussey of the State Medical College of Ohio, says : " I deny that alcoholic spirit is essential to the practice of either physic or surgery. So long as it re- v tains a place among sick patients, so long will these be drunkards.' 5 The venerable Dr. Porter, of Portland City, Maine, after an experience of sixty years in his profession, declared as follows : 18* 402 THE TRUE PATH. " I exceedingly regret the exception (in favor of ardent spirit as a medicine) in the constitutions of temperance societies." Professor Emlen, of the Philadelphia Medical Col- lege, uttered these words : 11 All the use of ardent spirits is an abuse. They are mischievous under all circumstances." Dr. Johnson, curtly said of alcohol: " I have known it to do much harm, and never any good." THE MEDICAL FRATERNITY NOT INNOCENT. Facts and names might here be given ad infinitum, did our space warrant, or any further evidence than we have adduced seem necessary. It is unmistaka- ble that the medical fraternity has not been innocent of the destruction of both bodies and souls in thus playing with what is as dangerous, in the sick room as fire. It has a mission to fulfil in the great work of reform, of an all important kind. If it will but set its face firmly against stimulants, they will soon decline from the tinctures, extracts, and nostrums of the drug-store and quackery ; and many shining lights in its own calling will thus be preserved to ennoble its character, and aid in the mitigation of physical suffering among the people. HOW TO SUCCEED MORE SPEEDILY. If the work of reform is ever to succeed — as surely it will — it will do so much more speedily, if the great GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 403 and heaven-inspired professions of the ministry and medicine will consistently and zealously wield their power on the side of Truth and Temperance. TWO MORE WITNESSES. In concluding these reflections, we will advert to two more testimonies of importance touching our subject : E. A. Law, Esq., a gentleman who has been promi- nent and active in the work of temperance among boys and girls, thus writes : " Everywhere- 1 find, alcoholic medication the chief obstacle in my pathway. Everywhere the medical profession is the stronghold of intemperance. The people are everywhere indoctrinated with the ' re- spiratory food' and 'vital supporter' fallacies, and the practice of physicians keeps up the clamor. Professor McCullough, of Dumfries, in the World's Temperance Convention, as early as 1862, uttered this sentence of wisdom : " The last and strongest fortress the temperance army will have to conquer will be the Medical Pro- fession." To the great healing profession, we say, ' heal thyself. 7 404 THE TRUE PATH. CHAPTEE XXXV. ALCOHOL IN THE LIGHT OF SCIENCE. As this work has the purpose, in its preparation, of doing good, we deem it advisable to show the real character of spirituous and malt liquors. For it is clear that very few persons, comparatively, have any fair knowledge of the general nature and effects, physiologically, of alcohol upon the " human form divine," otherwise they would disdain to use it, much less become its miserable slaves. We will, as briefly as possible, present it, as authoritatively furnished us in the light of science : " By its chemical composition ethylic alcohol would take a certain place as a food, because it is repre- sented by the symbols C2 H6 0, which show that it possesses carbon or heat-giving properties ; but whilst at one time it was considered a food, and was subse- quently declared to be utterly useless in the human economy — being eliminated comparatively unchanged it is now generally conceded that it is ' food ' of a sort, but working rather more injury than good in the human system. If we take two men of equal vitality, and give one alcohol and keep all food from the other, it is probable that the one who has the alcohol will live the longest ; but we know now if human beings are supplied with suitable food, those who take the least alcohol will cceteris paribus, live the longest. GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 405 So far, we have used the term i alcohol ' in a general way ; but pure alcohol is only known in the chemist's laboratory. It has so great an affinity for water that it is only by the greatest care that the chemist can obtain it absolutely pure. He must distil it over and over again, and absorb the water with caustic potash before he can obtain the liquid he wants. " Now this liquid is absolute poison — if we can conceive it possible that any one would drink it. So energetically does it absorb water that, taken into the system, it would dry up the tissues and destroy life. Suffice it to say that, while alcoholic drinks to a certain extent act as stimulants, it is known that they are really depressants and narcotics. As ordi- narily imbibed, they act for a time as stimulants so called. They accelerate the motions of the heart and excite the nerves ; they cause a feeling of genial warmth at the surface ; but the internal heat is de- creased, and when administered in large doses the temperature goes down so quickly and to such an extent that it is readily detected by the aid of a ther- mometer. As bodily heat, especially in this climate, is synonymous with vitality, it will be readily under- stood that anything which reduces it, without furnish- ing the requisite material for the reaction, must of necessity be useless as an article of food." "is it strange?" Before these facts, is it strange at all that all liquors, rnalt or spirituous, blunt and debase the faculties of 406 THE TRUE PATH. soul and body? Is it any wonder that the most eminent and wisest physicians^ chemists and scien- tists have always deplored its use ? And is it singular that ministers, lecturers and essayists have always felt that it was a subject worthy public ex- posure ? WHAT LAMB SAID OF IT. The great Charles Lamb, one of the most charm- ing writene in our language, has cried out from his whole being, " The waters have gone over me. But out of the black depths, could I be heard, I would cry out to all those who have but set foot in the perilous flood. Could the youth, to whom the flavor of his first wine is delicious as the opening scenes of life, or the entering upon some newly-discovered paradise, look into my desolation, and be made to understand what a dreary thing it is when a man shall feel himself going down a precipice with open eyes and a passive will ; to see his destruction, and have no power to stop it, and yet to feel it all the way emanating from himself; to perceive all good- ness emptied out of him, and yet not to be able to forget a time when it was otherwise ; to hear about the piteous spectacle of his own self-ruin; could he see my fevered eye, feverish with last night's drink- ing, and feverishly looking forward for this night's repetition of the folly ; could he feel the death, out of which I cry hourly with feebler outcry to be de- livered, it were enough to make him dash the spark- ling beverage to the earth in all the pride of its mantling! temptiaton. " GOSPEL TEMPERANCE. 407 AN APPEAL. Under such statements can we do less that call upon the people everywhere, young and old, male and female, to put their shoulders to the great wheels of the Gospel Movement wherever it shall appear ; to encourage it by word and act ; and to extend senti- ments and deeds of encouragement to those who have just escaped the powerful grasp of the miserable Demon, whose hands and lips are red with the best blood our nation has ever produced ? Let the pulpit and rostrum, the capitalist and laborer, all ranks and conditions, at least, upon this question, stand together in behalf of a common hu- manity. Let all remember that, when the sin and curse of rum is washed away, the clouds of pauper- ism and crime will break from over us, and let in the full light and beauty of peace, prosperity, happiness and righteousness. CLOSING WORDS TO THE REFORMED MEN. To the men who have signed, we say, be steadfast! Yes, men, be steadfast ! Remember that you stand pledged to lives of sobriety and manliness. Allow no temptation so much as a moment's consideration. Your arch-enemy is wily — yea, the insinuating Devil himself. Give him the finger and he will instantly seize your hand. You cannot risk his company an hour or a moment, with any more impunity than you can a year. When the appetite appears, throttle it. Down, on your knees ! You have not strength enough ; but God has. Ask Him, and He will give 408 THE TRUE PATH. you victory so that like David, you shall never lose a battle. Ask Him, and He will give you more freely than even you can receive. Under no circumstances, stand in your own strength ! Even God, who teaches temperance and truth, in all things, may turn from you and smite you, as He did Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, if you imagine that in the strength of your own will, you are some great one. Be humble ! Trust Jehovah ! Solomon said ^ that a lofty spirit in man preceded a fall, and we have ever so found it. Those who most think they stand, always are surest and quickest to fall. Be de- pendent, then ! Call upon God's Holy Spirit ! Pray daily, and He will keep your feet. Is the precious boon of freedom, of soberness, of respectability, and temporal and eternal happiness, not worth so slight and transient a struggle ? Keep before you, also, your obligation 1 It was of your own volition. You had tried the venomous thing in the glass, and found it stung you. It would have done so again, and again, until you had died in the delirium or disease emanating from its fangs. Thank God, you escaped with your life ! You tried, we say, and escaped. Of your option, you chose Temperance. Let it be this, then, forever. Be courageous, be true. And if all others go down in the conflict, and are faithless, stand firm and invin- cible in the power of the Almighty, and He will put upon your brow a wreath that archangels and sera- phims will honor.