One afternoon in the month of June, 1870, a lady in deep mourning,
followed by a little child, entered one of the fashionable saloons in
the city of N----. The writer happened to be passing at the time,
and prompted by curiosity, followed her in to see what would ensue.
Stepping up to the bar, and addressing the proprietor, she said:--
"Sir, can you assist me? I have no home, no friends, and am not able
to work."
He glanced at her and then at the child, with a mingled look of
curiosity and pity. Evidently he was much surprised to see a woman in
such a place, begging, but, without asking any questions, gave her
some change, and turning to those present, he said:--
"Gentlemen, here is a lady in distress. Can't some of you help her a
little?"
They cheerfully acceded to the request, and soon a purse of two
dollars was made up and put into her hand.
"Madam," said the gentleman who gave her the money, "why do you come
to a saloon? It isn't a proper place for a lady, and why are you
driven to such a step?"
"Sir," said the lady, "I know it isn't a proper place for a lady to be
in, and you ask me why I am driven to such a step. I will tell you, in
one short word," pointing to a bottle behind the counter labelled
"whisky,"--"that is what brought me here--whisky. I was once happy,
and surrounded with all the luxuries wealth could produce, with a
fond, indulgent husband. But in an evil hour he was tempted, and not
possessing the will to resist the temptation, fell, and in one short
year my dream of happiness was over, my home was forever desolate, and
the kind husband, and the wealth that some called mine, lost--lost,
never to return; and all by the accursed wine cup. You see before you
only the wreck of my former self, homeless and friendless, with
nothing left me in this world but this little child;" and weeping
bitterly, she affectionately caressed the golden curls that shaded a
face of exquisite loveliness. Regaining her composure, and turning to
the proprietor of the saloon, she continued:--
"Sir, the reason why I occasionally enter a place like this is to
implore those who deal in this deadly poison to desist, to stop a
business that spreads desolation, ruin, poverty, and starvation. Think
one moment of your own loved ones, and then imagine them in the
situation I am in. I appeal to your better nature, I appeal to your
heart, for I know you possess a kind one, to retire from a business so
ruinous to your patrons.
"Do you know the money you take across the bar is the same as taking
the bread out of the mouths of the famishing? That it strips the
clothing from their backs, deprives them of all the comforts of this
life, and throws unhappiness, misery, crime, and desolation into their
once happy homes? O! sir, I implore, beseech, and pray you to retire
from a business you blush to own you are engaged in before your fellow
men, and enter one that will not only be profitable to yourself, but
to your fellow-creatures also. You will excuse me if I have spoken too
plainly, but I could not help it when I thought of the misery, the
unhappiness, and the suffering it has caused me."
"Madam, I am not offended," he answered, in a voice husky with
emotion, "but I thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you
have said."
"Mamma," said the little girl--who, meantime, had been spoken to by
some of the gentlemen present--taking hold of her mother's hand,
"these gentlemen want me to sing 'Little Bessie' for them. Shall I do
so?"
They all joined in the request, and placing her in the chair, she
sung, in a sweet, childish voice, the following beautiful song:--
"Out in the gloomy night, sadly I roam;
I have no mother dear, no pleasant home;
No one cares for me, no one would cry
Even if poor little Bessie should die.
Weary and tired I've been wandering all day,
Asking for work, but I'm too small, they say;
On the damp ground I must now lay my head;
Father's a drunkard, and mother is dead.
"We were so happy till father drank rum,
Then all our sorrow and trouble begun;
Mother grew pale, and wept every day;
Baby and I were too hungry to play.
+------------------------------------+-------------------------------+
|Against Liquor |Against Tobacco |
| | |
|Recognizing in alcoholic beverages a|Acknowledging smoking, chewing,|
|deadly enemy to the delicate |or snuffing tobacco to be |
|functions of the human system, a |always detrimental to the human|
|menace to the home, and their use as|system, an enemy to perfect |
|a drink an outrage against society, |health and happiness, and an |
|the State and the Nation, I hereby |offense against good form and |
|promise to not only abstain from |respectable society, I hereby |
|them myself, but to use my influence|express myself against the use |
|against their manufacture, sale, and|of this vile poison. I shall |
|consumption. |also endeavor to discourage its|
| |use among my friends and |
| Name______________________________ |associates. |
| | |
| Address___________________________ | Name_________________________ |
| | |
| Date______________________________ | Address______________________ |
| | |
| | Date_________________________ |
+------------------------------------+-------------------------------+
|"If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for |
|the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." I Cor. 3:17. |
| |
|"Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor |
|adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, |
|nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor |
|extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." I Cor. 6:9, 10. |
+------------------------------------+-------------------------------+
Slowly they faded, till one summer night
Found their dead faces all silent and white;
Then with big tears slowly dropping, I said,
'Father's a drunkard, and mother is dead.'
"Oh! if the temperance men could only find
Poor, wretched father, and talk very kind;
If they would stop him from drinking, then
I should be very happy again.
Is it too late, temperance men? Please try,
Or poor little Bessie must soon starve and die.
All the day long I've been begging for bread;
Father's a drunkard, and mother is dead."
The game of billiards was left unfinished, the cards thrown aside, and
the unemptied glass remained on the counter; all had pressed near,
some with pity-beaming eyes, entranced with the musical voice and
beauty of the child, who seemed better fitted to be with angels above
than in such a place.
The scene I shall never forget to my dying day, and the sweet cadence
of her musical voice still rings in my ears, and from her lips sunk
deep into the hearts of those gathered around her.
With her golden hair falling carelessly around her shoulders, and
looking so trustingly and confidingly upon the gentlemen around her,
the beautiful eyes illuminated with a light that seemed not of this
earth, she formed a picture of purity and innocence worthy the genius
of a poet or painter.
At the close of the song many were weeping; men who had not shed a
tear for years wept like children. One young man who had resisted with
scorn the pleadings of a loving mother, and entreaties of friends to
strive and lead a better life, to desist from a course that was
wasting his fortune and ruining his health, now approached the child,
and taking both hands in his, while tears streamed down his cheeks,
exclaimed, in deep emotion:--
"God bless you, my little angel. You have saved me from ruin and
disgrace, from poverty and a drunkard's grave. If there are angels on
earth, you are one! God bless you! God bless you!" and putting a note
into the hand of the mother, said:--
"Please accept this trifle as a token of my regard and esteem, for
your little girl has done me a kindness I can never repay; and
remember, whenever you are in want, you will find me a true friend;"
at the same time giving her his name and address.
Taking her child by the hand she turned to go, but, pausing at the
door, said:--
"God bless you, gentlemen! Accept the heartfelt thanks of a poor,
friendless woman for the kindness and courtesy you have shown her."
Before any one could reply she was gone.
A silence of several minutes ensued, which was broken by the
proprietor, who exclaimed:--
"Gentlemen, that lady was right, and I have sold my last glass of
whisky; if any one of you want any more you will have to go
elsewhere."
"And I have drunk my last glass of whisky," said a young man who had
long been given up as sunk too low ever to reform, and as utterly
beyond the reach of those who had a deep interest in his welfare.