Grappling with the Monster; Or, the Curse and the Cure of Strong DrinkArthur, T. S. (Timothy Shay)
Religion
Grappling with the Monster; Or, the Curse and the Cure of Strong Drink
Arthur, T. S. (Timothy Shay)
Temperance
and satiate the fierce thirst, coming out sick and exhausted. It was
impossible to conceal from his congregation the dreadful habit into
which he had fallen, and ere two years had elapsed he was dismissed for
drunkenness. He then went to one of the chief cities of the West, where
he received a call, and was, for a time, distinguished as a preacher;
but again he fell into disgrace and had to leave his charge. Two other
churches called him to fill the office of pastor, but the same sad
defections from sobriety followed. For a considerable time after this
his friends lost sight of him. Then he was found in the streets of New
York City by the president of the college from which he had first
graduated, wretched and debased from drink, coatless and hatless. His
old friend took him to a hotel, and then brought his case to the notice
of the people at a prayer-meeting held in the evening at one of the
churches. His case was immediately taken in hand and money raised to
send him to the State Inebriate Asylum. After he had remained there for
a year, he began to preach as a supply in a church a few miles distant,
going on Saturday evening and returning on Monday morning; but always
having an attendant with him, not daring to trust himself alone. This
went on for nearly a whole year, when a revival sprang up in the church,
which he conducted with great eloquence and fervor. After the second
week of this new excitement, he began to lock himself up in his room
after returning from the service, and could not be seen until the next
morning. In the third week of the revival, the excitement of the
meetings grew intense. After this he was only seen in the pulpit, where
his air and manner were wild and thrilling. His friends at the asylum
knew that he must be drinking, and while hesitating as to their wisest
course, waited anxiously for the result. One day he was grandly
eloquent. Such power in the pulpit had never been witnessed there
before--his appeals were unequalled; but so wild and impassioned that
some began to fear for his reason. At the close of this day's services,
the chaplain of the institution of which he was an inmate, returned with
him to the asylum, and on the way, told him frankly that he was
deceiving the people--that his eloquent appeals came not from the power
of the Holy Spirit, but from the excitement of drink; and that all
farther conduct of the meetings must be left in other hands. On reaching
the asylum he retired, greatly agitated, and soon after died from a
stroke of apoplexy. In his room many empty bottles, which had contained
brandy, were found; but the people outside remained in ignorance of the
true cause of the marvelous eloquence which had so charmed and moved
them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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