People's friend. (Rome, Ga.) 1873-18??, June 21, 1873, Image 1

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PEOPLE’S Volume 1. PEOPLE'S FRIEND, PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY MORNING BY A. B. S. MOSELEY, ROME, GA. JSRjmsJCKII’TION, One year iti ndvai.ee ------- .f 2.00 ADVERTISING’ One M(«are, Am iiwertion - - - - SIOD Suhiwtuaewt hieertion, each - . ® u Liberal emttnteta made for »ii or twelve montbe ad Vert eeniente. TO DRINK, OR NOT TO_DRINK. JEX MARGIE P. MOBE2JEK- Ib author q/* ddrs.Llde Merurftiker, ax a slight Men <f love for her dfi*Mterexted, icovuMlg sympa thy and her unswerving tntdhfulnexx, and ie tadrn&ralion oj her ’brMhint ge* i* dedicated. cAAmtir vl Alice started back with a ery of ter ror, bat tite white-robed fignme held her firmly, amd said: “Do y<m fcnow what you are*-doing?” “For heawen’s sake let n«e loose,” she replied, -struggling to escape. ‘'Will yo» fflMMrry him?” caastnaued the woman, pointing to the recreating form of Ed»& -Clayton. “If y«i do so, you arersfined. Look at w! do not follow aaie; I have rrtffmsMi eufared, xvdtesaA— an« do yon fcaw," **l ahe \ ntinwda» a wild whispw. he is lying ovt sbhere at the foot wfl ’the hill, and that I.am going to wait till he sleeps, and ithen—-Ah, won 11 j>ay him!” and the wold eyes gleamed fear fully in the twifeght. By this tin* Alice had recowened, (Somewhat, and said, “Mrs. Watery you must go to yasr troom now; you dun t know what yen <ey! There is b® one at the foot erf the hill, it is al! a fancy. Come with me and let us ftrf your nurse.” “1 tell you, Iwß mot ! He is there am’ is waiting to hill me, but I will getithe best of him Ahis time. Come, I will show you—teas there I I have juatkeft him,” and Mbs. Waters pulled the y mng girl dosm the steps, and out upon i the lawn. At .that moment Dr. Hawthorne eame aut, and Alice fearing to oppose the maniac, beckoned him to follow them. He did so nmebserved, and Alice, aa-ompanied by i» white-robed jguide wot in search of the phantom drunkard which she sefjiosed existed .only in the imagination of the poor, -demented svonaan whom «fe * had saved from death, but could not Bare from a frane fate-T-he fete of the fenatw. At the Wof the gardes stood an aid mill whi<A had formerly Belonged to the Gray estate, but which had gone, with nsa-iy other things at the death of Alice's father. to pay his nu merous debts. This mill hud lieen bought by a miDfenaire of the cftv, an old mwi with a half dozen grown (Chil dren, children who lived in hopec- of inheriting, at their father's death, the money which his penary denied them in his life-fraae. Thet* was a platform in front of tin* mill, and as Alice and her guide ntared this, Mrs. A\ aters said: “Look, leak, there he is crawling like a Unite !*’ Alice turned her eyes toward the platform, andbeheld a sight that made her blood cuddle, her heart stop beat ing, and her Angers grow cold and tremulous. Tkere. upon his all-fours, ragged, dirty aid miserable, craw led a human bring. His hair hung in tan gled maws over his eyes, his whiskers were unshaven and unkempt, and his Rome. Georgia, Saturday, June 21, 1873. clothes heavy and disgusting wiih filth. The white foam was dripping from his swollen lips, and he muttered through clenched teeth, the most bitter and unmeaning oaths. In a frenzy he tore his fingers while attempting to gouge into the rough floor, which he evidently imagined an enemy. Alice stood overcome with pity and shocked that such a spectacle should exist in a civilized community. For a moment Alice forgot the poor unfortunate be side her, forgot herself, forgot all, sav ing the wretched being before her, but she was re-called to consciousness by Mrs. Waters, who said : “Do you see him? He thinks he is killing me, bnt ha 1 ha! I’D show him; keep <3till a moment,” and before Alice could intercept her, she sprang forward and ran up the steps of the milk With the fury of a tiger she sprang upon the prostrate form of the drunkard, who turned and met her with a rage as violent, though less potent than her own. For a moment the struggle was fierce and terrible, intermixed with oaths sad bitter imprecations, bat the strength of the man was impaired by the inffiaence of the liquor he had Wr en, and good he lay prostrate, with the maniac’* knees upon his breast, and her lisaadc at his throat It was a fear ful sigiht, and Alice weakened, and stunned, for a mbfnent, sprang upon the platSenn, seized the infuriated wo man by the shoulders, and drew her fcway, jsMit as Dr. Hawthorne reached, »r “Alice, any child, let me cotte; gdt away, will kill you!” he exclaimed as he placed his foot upon the prostrate man, and caught and held the hands of the m&tttae, whose eyes were glaring with a light inconceivable to those who have never seen the fire of madness illumining the human face. Dr. Haw thorne atteswpted to soothe Iter enrag ed feelings, by telling her that the man was not her husband; but with a wild glitter in her eyes, and a mocking laugh, she rqpfeed: “Fool who! No sir, nobody ever did that way except Henry Waters. I know him. Ke is used to crawling; he has crawled home, crawled to me Lund beaten me many times; that’s where he was mining this time, but I’ve stopped him -one time, ha! hal I told him I had token it the last time, Mid I’ve done it, for he’s dead now, Man ! He always said he’d kill me. .but I don’t think he will, the drunken dqgl” and with a gesture of ineffable contempt she kicked the form of the nunc at her feet. “Oh, Uncle, this is too revolting; I taaunof stand it!” said Alice. “Speak to Mrs. Waters, she may listen to you!* “Mm. Waters,” said the young girl, turning to her, “come now, let us go home; west have whipped him enough; you slunrid let him be, tuid go now to your “Oh. vet,” she replied‘brightening “he used to .call the children to see me when he bad lieaten me—now I have 1 killed him. J <rill call them to see who ‘ got the bwd of the long fi^ht! Ah, j ha! ha! we 11 hat ea fine time now; no more fighting, uo more liquor, no 1 more cursing, no more whipping ba ' bies —jwon’t they be glad ! Ha! ha ! !Im ! Come along!* and with 1 step, she hurried fraui the plaihn in. i pulling Alice after her. With a shudder, the young gill started off, bidding her Uncle follow, as she feared to be alone uith the de mented woman. At a short distance from the mil!, Mrs. Waters turned, saying:. **He may not be quite deed—Let mo see. Just wait a minute,” and with incredible swiftness she ran past 1 ■■ Dr. Hawthorne, and was again upon i the platform before he could overtake i her. Again Alice returned and by persuasion induced her go io tuc house. As they walked slowly toward the mansion, the poor heart-broken wife recounted with an eloquence that any speaker might envy, the ills which had been heaped upon her. She spoke with a withering contempt and a burn ing hatred of the man who, under the name of husband and protector, had squandered her fortune and wrecked her life-bark. To hate those once be loved, is a peculiarity of insanity, and the variety of ways in v. uch this poor woman manifested this feeling was a matter of wonder to *?r listeners. After reaching the mansion, they at tempted to induce her 13 go to her room, but in vain. The fit was on her and she was proof agaiarl force or en treaty. Dr. Hawthorne feared for her to get a sight of her children, and after seating herself on the front steps, she forgot her contest, the mill and her enemy there encountered, and sat stolid and rigid. She was entirely un manageable. At last Alice remember ed that she had frequently overcome her stubbornness by music, and with a sign, to her Uncle, she glided through the open window, seated herself at the harp and commenced a low, melan choly dirge. Like the sound of an .aeolian harp her music seemed to breathe of sorrow and pity, of tender ness and hope, and when she had flayed for M»vor«l the pool* wife bowed her head and wept aloud. Dr. Hawthorne’s eyes filled with tears, .and rising he took her arm and said, “Come; let us go in now ” Without a word she arose and fol lowed him. Alice followed them and with the tenderness of a sister, un dressed and placed the bow obedient woman in bed. She sat by Jx r until ehe slept, talking to her of various sub jects, but avoiding anything pertain ing to her husband, children, or past life. In the meantime the Doctor return ed to the mill, and with tl>e help of two servants, had the ragged inebriate iwougbt to the house. As they lifted and placed the helpless form upon the front verandah, he said: “Go ask your mistress what 1 shall do with him.” The servant hurried up stairs and knocked at the door of the room,where Alice sat watching beside her charge, and delivered his message. “Take him to the bath-room first, and after he is cleansed and dressed, bring him up to the second room on the left of the stairway. I will send you some of Uncle’s clothes for him. With a bow, the servant returned, and was sent by Dr. Hawthorne to ex ecute the command. With many ; sneers, and. much contempt for their ' burden, the two negroes carried the bundle of mgs,and filth,ami misery to the place designated. They went through the performance of bathing the body outlie prodigal, but could he ' have heardth e sneers—been conscious I of the supreme contempt which these j menials felt toward him, he would have died before he would again have j descended so low. Juat as they had I concluded that, thor.gh far from clean, the drunkard might “v.ash Lisself if he I wants any mo’ washin’,” a knock was I heard at the door, ami the waiting j girl said without, “What sort o' hsh is you gem'men fishin’ for in dis p< ad ?* “AV el!. Miss NcJlie,’ said Tom, “to I tell de truf, we’s fit lain’ for ’spectable whisky salmon, but wt't coteh adrunk | mud-tnrde.” “Ha! ha! La! ’nd we can’t eat him ; neither,” said Jim. Spects we ll put britches on him and make him crawl, j eh, Tom ?” “Make ’im walk, you fool;’ twouldn’t; be no fun to see a turkle crawl, but he looks mighty funny trying to walk on two legs.” And with many such remarks, they dried and dressed the almost uncon- j scious man. After they had put his ’ clothes on Tom said: “Now let’s make him git, ’ and with ! a laugh and a slap, they pushed him ; from the open door into the hall. ■ With drunken unconsciousness, he ran, or rather staggered across the hall and came with the whole force of his weight, against the opposite wall, bruising his face, and falling to the floor. Quick as thought, the two ne groes were at his side. They lifted him up, and were bearing him up the . steps with the utmost solicitude, when Alice appeared at the head of the i stairway. “What was that noise ? Did you let' him fall Tom ?” she asked. “Course not, Miss Alice, Tom knows ■ his business better’n dat. He’s so: mean, he pushed Jim clean ober de railing!” “Did he hurt you Jim,” she asked 1 with solicitude. “No’m—thank you—but he sorter skinned my elbow, a little!” “Oh well, that’s nothing, he’ll pay you, for your kindness some day—he’s rich enough.” i Don’t charge him nuflfin—ha !• ha!” said the chuckling darkey, as he car- i ried the burden up the steps. Alice opened the room, ordered him to be j placed in bed, and went down to send ‘ up supper foi the outcast. When she I had done this, she went out upon the ) verandah to seek her Uncle. (to BE CONTINUED.) Critics and Criticism. That distinguished ornament of the i world df* letters who initiated Paul Clifford into the mysteries of literature , Dr. McGrawler to wit declined the art of criticism as consisting in slashing, tickling and pleasure. Slushing meant I going for an unfortunate author right i and ieft, without mercy—after the j manner of Captain Jack. To tickle ] was to intermingle a little praise with j a very great deal of censure, something in the proportion of the raisins to the ; flour in an old maid’s cake. Plaster- ' ing meant indiscriminate eulogy. Undeniably the latter mode is the i favorite one with the gentlemen who I undertake to enlighten our public con- i cerning matters dramatic and musi cal. Bettering the advice of the good natured bard— “Be co their faults a little blind And to their virtues very kind,” —they ore, in their treatment of play wrights and actors, totally blind to their faults, and have a faculty of dis covering merits and virtues which would be invaluable in an expedition in search of the mythical open polar sea. So true is this that with some few uoble exceptions the critics are but mere tenders to the claqners. Why this is thus we care not to inquire, utterly disinclined as we are to place l any credence on the sensational sto- ‘ ries recently set afloat in which it I was unhesitatingly asserted that the I praise bestowed was praise paid for. j j However that may l>e, it will be conceded that as the theatre-go- j i ing public are restrained by what we consider a false conventionally from indulging in the “hiss” which 'in other countries has, to use John Mitchel’s phrase regarding the shoot- I ing of exterminating Irish landlords, such a “fine morel effect,” fearless and i independent criticism is a prime ne ! cessity. That article this journal pro ' po.-t-s to furnish its readers, gladly | ; awarding praise where it is deserved i I and prompt to censure when sad ne- ! I cessity demands recourse to the “slash I • ing' process. Three drunken men entered a saloon in Philadelplria, lately, beat the pro- I prietor, stabbed his wife in three places, ' ' and also a friend who attempted to protect her was severely stabbed. FRIEND. -A-dievt to the Sparkling Bowl. Adieu, adieu, thou sparkling bowl We part to meet no more; Thou shall no more my powers control, As thou hast done before. Now once again I feel I’m free From thy remorseless sway ; And now thou has no charms for me As in a former day. The cause of Temperance is mine, Henceforth Uutil I die; I fondly worship at her shrine And with her pilgrims vie. Cold water, hall, God’s precious boon, I am thine devoted; At eventide, at morn, at noon, Thou art the drink for me. Come allye bloated, thirsty throng, Who worship Bacchu’s still. And faint and fall, and suffer wiong, Come join us if you will. We are a noble Temperance band; Your faithful friends we’ll be; We’H give to you the helping hand, And aid you to be free. Let us, come bid the bowi adieu, Gast off the fatal charm; The poison dash at once from you Which does you naught but harm. 8. 11. HODGES. —Reformation Lodge Repositor. Temperance in L«crr»nge. “Rev VV. D. Atkinson delivered a speech on temperance and intemper ance in the Court-House Monday night, in presence of a good sized audience. We were not present, but have been in formed that the speaker slashed right and left at churches and preachers be cause one of the churches in this place was denied to him to lecture in. Whether the cause of Temperance can be advanced by decrying the church or any branch of it, is a ques tion Mr. Atkinson might profitably consider.”— LaGrange Reporter. Temperance, although of the most vital importance to the moral welfare and happiness of mankind, is perhaps regarded with more indifference than any other cause, and those who have the moral courage to advocate it, with pen or upon the rostrum, are not only subject to the vilest abuse from those who are slaves to alcoholic stimulants, but are denounced by men who ac knowledge that the evil of intemper ance is a growing one, and which if not checked, will ultimately under mine our social fabric, ruin the Church and corrupt the law-makers of the land Under such circumstances, if is not difficult to understand why so many men who are recoghized as phil anthropists, and who are possessed of eminent abilities, shrink from openly advocating it. Yet it is to be regret ted that men are devoid of proper courage to discharge a duty they owe to theirGod,their country and their broth er men. To such it is not considered disreputable or disrespectful to publicly profess and advocate Christianity,yet to throw obstacles in the way of the tem perance cause and array themselves in open hostility to its principles and teachings, is an inconsistency we do not know how to reconcile with the precepts of the Book Divine. If the Church is not interested in the promo tion of temperance, to whom should we look ? Religion and temperance go hand in hand, and the former can not succeed without the latter, or in other words, no man can be a true Christian who is addicted to intemper ance. If a church in the city of LaGrange was denied the State Lecturer of the I. 0. G. T., of Georgia, for the purpose of lecturing in, the publication of the fact places the morality of the place in an unfavorable light. While the Good Templar organization does not propose to take the place of the Church, yet it does propose to act as auxilliary to the Church, in lifting up those who have sunk low in the scale of human degradation and restore them to fami ly, friends and society as well as to save the young, the pure and virtuous for ever falling into the snares of the tempter. LaGrange may enjoy the unenviable reputation of closing her Church doors against the temperance cause, and may turn a deal car to the salvation of drunkards, but it is a record we would not care to have en tered up against Marietta. P. T. Barnum advertises for four hundred and sixty teetotalers to trav el with his menagerie, to do hard work with good pay, but to be free from vulgarity, profanity, and all bad habits. Number 23.