"The drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty, and drowsiness
shall clothe a man with rags."--Prov. xxiii. 21.
A pipe in mouth, a jug in hand,
A haggard face and pale,
A slovenly dress, a slouching gait--
These tell the drunkard's tale.
A dirty house, a weeping wife,
Children inclined to roam,
A cheerless hearth, an empty board--
These mark the drunkard's home.
[Illustration]
The vulgar song, the ribald jest,
Confusion, slang, and noise,
The cheating game, the madd'ning draught--
These are the drunkard's joys.
A wasted youth, a manhood lost,
Old age without a friend,
A workhouse, or, perhaps, a jail--
Such is the drunkard's end.
An angry Judge, a conscience raked
Through endless years to come,
A knawing worm that dieth not--
Such is the drunkard's doom.
[Illustration]