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drink, but in vain. One day, Bob said
to his brother’s wife, “A plan has oc
curred to me that, perhaps, with God’s
help, may frighten Tom into letting
up on the liquor poison. He has just
got a fresh jug of whisky by express.
Well, I will pretend I am going to the
city on business, and will pass here
on my way to the train, and speak to
him. He will think I am gone and
you must be mum about what I am
telling you and wait for develop
ments.”
After Bob had gone by, apparently
to take the train. Tom betook him
self to his precious jug, and by night
he was crazy drunk. He insisted on
giving whiskey to his little boy, and
when his wife tried to prevent his
doing so, he caught up his gun and
threatened to shoot her. An old ne
gro, Uncle Toby, who had lived on the
place since slavery days, came to his
mistress’ rescue, and the liquor-mad
dened man turned upon him.
At this juncture, the outer door
opened; there was a strong smell of
brimstone, and a frightful looking fig
ure entered, black from head to foot,
save for rims of fiery red about the
blazing eyes. The thing had horns,
and a tail, and carried a pitchfork. Tt.
made straight for the group in the
room.
“Lor’ a mussy. it’s de debbil,” cried
Uncle Toby, making a blue streak for
the door. Mrs Bings followed, taking
with her the gun, which had dropped
from Tom’s nerveless hand. With
outstretched hairy arms, the “Debbil ’
approached Tom, who leaned out cf
the back door, closely pursued by the
Satanic shape. Round and round the
house they raced. Tom’s bare legs,
for he had undressed, gleaming in the
star light. Finally he dashed into the
house and rushed into the closet,
where he remained trembling and
praying, until he heard his wife’s
voice calling him. He answered from
the closet and she opened the door.
“The thing is gone.” she said. “I
have been praying for you.”
Without a word he took up the jug,
and emptied its contents out of the
window. “I will never drink another
drop,” he said. When Bob came over
next day his brother said to him, sol
emnly: “Bob, so help me God, I’ve
had my last spree.”
He kept his word. He believed
firmly he had had a visit from the
evil one. Later, he joined the church
and became an exemplary member.
Many months afterwards, when he
had shown no slightest inclination to
break his pledge, his brother told him
that the devil who gave him such a
scare and race was none other then
himself, in disguise.
He laughed heartily. “Well, your
scheme worked all right, Bob, and I
thank God for putting it into your
head, but that devil was mighty real
to me when I was running.”
GEORGE W. WHEELER.
Hattiesburg, Miss.
A WINTER HOME FOR THE GOL
DEN AGE HOUSEHOLDERS.
Like all the other Householders, the
news of our Golden Age editor’s mar
riage came to me as asurprise. I had
thought of him as belonging to the
public as editor, lecturer and author,
untrammeled by home lies. In
his case, I believe with Mrs.
Bryan, that marriage will be no
hindrance, but, on the contrary,
a means of broadening and bright
ening his field of usefulness. From
oil I have heard of his prospec
tive wife, she will be truly a help
meet to him in his work. Not know
ing him personally, I have yet learned
to admire him for his fearlessness in
proclaiming the gospel of temperance,
in the face of the most trying circum-
stances, and I have come to love him
for the eal and ard/r with which he
works for the Master. It is gratifying
to know that there are such men.
A few days ago, I did my first elec
tioneering. It was at a municipal
election. Previously, I have voted and
then gone on about my affairs, but
this seemed to be a time where my
efforts were needed, so I worked for
a good man that day and helped to
prevent the election of one not suited
for a city councilman.
I enjoyed Mrs. Bryan’s talk about
her visit to South Florida. My pleas
ure would have been enhanced if I
could have been taken under her care
to see the champion alligator that was
eager to break his winter’s fast, and
brought safely away again. As to
oranges, I have seen them growing in
California, but did not have time to
“get tired picking’’ them from the
tree. I wish we householders had a
club house in Florida; perhaps we
might save up enough to pay for a
month’s delightful time in mid-winter,
out of reach of Jack Frost. lam sure
1 would enjoy going boating with Fi
neta, Julia, May, S. T. P., Old Woman,
Violet and the rest, including the male
contingent, Bachelor Ben, particu
larly.
TENNESSEEAN.
*
FROM AN ACTORS STANDPOINT.
The stage must be giving pretty bad
plays when one of its professionals—
William Lackaye—the well known ac
tor, calls upon parents to keep their
children away from it. He says, “The
way to stop the attendance of young
Master and Miss at salacious plays is
for parents to take a hand. Let them
keep their children from the theatri
cal filth. Let the public stay away
from the unclean. Then we shall have
decent plays, acted by gentlemen and
gentle women.”
The Christian at Work says Mr.
Lackaye “is right. No young person
should witness a performance about
which thefr parents and guardians
know nothing. Many boys and girls
have been ruined morally, through
contamination from the stage. It is
all right to have a stage censor, but
first let ns try to punish the men and
women who write indecent plays, the
men and women who act them, the
theatrical managers who stage them,
JUST A LITTLE SHOP TALK
FOR 1909
READ WHAT OUR FRIENDS THINK OF US:
Cartersville, Ga., March 9, 1909. Locust Grove Ga., March 6, 1909.
Enclosed you will find our check for $2 to The Golden Age, Atlanta, Ga.
extend our subscription to your paper for Gentlemen:
another year. Find ennclosed $2 to renew my subscription
With best wishes for your continued success to your bright and helpful paper,
in whatsoever you undertake, I beg to remain, All good wishes for its success.
Sincerely your friend, Very Sincerely,
FRANK E. MATTHEWS. HELEN HOWARD.
Look over this liberal clubbing list; grasp the intellectual feast we have spread for
you on our 1909 table, then help yourself and us by sending the necessary price per plate
of your own selection:
GOLDEN AGE and Uncle Remus’s Home Magazine— Regular price, $3.00; our price... .$2.25
GOLDEN AGE, Uncle Remus’s and Atlanta Georgian (daily)—Reg. price $7.50; Our’s $5.75
GOLDEN AGE and Christian Herald—Regular price, $3.50; our price $2.75
GOLDEN AGE and Woman’s Home Compa ion—Our price $2.50
GOLDEN AGE and Cosmopolitan $2.25
GOLDEN AGE and Atlanta Journal (Semi-Weekly) $2.25
GOLDEN AGE and The Circle $2.50
The Golden Age for April 29, 1909.
and the newspapers which give them
notoriety.”
The Western Christian Advocate
says: “The theatrical magnates will
say, of course, that they are not to
blame; they only give the public what
it wants, and they will say, too, that
the whole stage should not be con
demned for a few rotten spots; that
the stage really upholds and educates,
but the truth is that the best the stage
does is io entertain, while the worst
it does is to degrade. The theater
teaches very few lessons, on the other
hand, under the guise of instructing,
it represents conditions which we all
know exist, but which is unuecesstry
and demoralizing to enlarge upon. And
to create a morbid appetite for this
sort of thing, theaters go the limit in
indecent advertising—often more ob
jectionable than the plays them
selves.”
Under existing conditions on the
stage it seems to me that the best
thing to be done, is for all decent peo
ple to keep away from it entirely, or
at least until it has been completely
renovated and disinfected. I would
like to hear from the Household writ
ers as to their views in the matter.
Does not the stage degrade and un
dermine character, familiarizing us
with vice, speciously disguised, until
it loses its revolting aspect and be
comes amusing and inviting?
HOMER O’NEIL.
DON’T OVERDRESS YOUR CHILD.
You can’t begin too early to train
girls in taste and sense upon the sub
ject of dress. The woman who dresses
her little daughter expensively, who
even goes without proper clothing
herself, to deck her girl in dainty,
fresh, fashionable garb, does great
wrong to herself and to her child. The
fitness of things is reversed when the
mother denies herself what is due her
to give her child what she does not
need. Under such circumstances fine
dress is positively harmful to a girl.
If any one in the family is to be
dressed in fashion and elegance it
should be the mother. Simplicity is
absolutely necessary for good taste
in all that relates to children. There
is room for pretty color effects and
for the refinements of suitability, and
all that, but departure from plainness
of material and style in children’s
dress is a departure from good form.
What shall be said for the woman
who has such small sense of the fit
ness of things as to deny herself the
dress suitable for her in order to put
upon her child what is unsuitable and
out of taste? —Exchange.
LOVE TAKES WING.
Bachelor Ben, I’m sorry to say,
Love does not last forever and aye;
Not. at least in the manly breast:
I was happy, believing myself pos
sessed
Os the love of one who vowed to be
true,
Till the stars should fall like evening
dew.
Alas! he kneels at a shrine that’s
new;
His falsehood hurt like a poisoned
blade,
But pride came finally to my aid,
And I’m going to be a
BACHELOR MAID.
Alabama.
CHOICE RECIPES.
Toast that is palatable and nourish
ing is made by beating one egg thor
oughly, add to it a cup of sweet milk
and a little salt; dip into the mixture
each slice of bread and brown on a
hot greased griddle or pan, then but
ter and serve.
To make violet perfume as good as
bought, buy half an ounce of orris
root, break into small pieces (if i>os
sible it is not powdered), and put in
a bottle with two ounces of alcohol.
Cork tight and shake well. After two
or three days it will have the odor of
fresh sweet violets.
To take ink out of mahogany, apply
diluted sulphuric acid with a feather,
let it lie a few minutes, then rnh off
quickly, and repeat the operation, if
the stain is not quite removed.
I have never had a case of malarial
fever or chills in my family since dis
carding calomel and blue pills, and
substituting the unsweetened juice of
a lemon mixed with four times as
much water. My children and I drink
this every night before bed time. It
will cure a periodic headache.
MRS. HEWLETT.
11
