Born Drunk

Horowhenua Chronicle, 1 November 1916, Page 3

Born Drunk

A TERROR TO TERRORS, The War Cry has been interviewing one of the Salvaton Army's reclaimed wrecks. iHe seems to have been reared in an atmosphere alcoholically endowed with a superfluity of vinous flavors. He remarked to the Cry man : '.My tirst recollecticn is of a rednosed, fat man sitting on a chair in the corner and talking slowly and stupidly in; a thick Voiice to my motli-

or. That was my old uncle, a brewon*. My father was often drunk. My grandfather drank. My relations all drank. All my childhood was mixed up with running to the public house or tho "Rrewey Tap" for quarterns of spirits or for beer. Wonderfully enough, I never tasted drink mntil I was nearly thirty years old. "When I did begin I eould'nt leave off. All the three-bottle men, j all the drinkers, moderate and otherwise, that had begotten me and my fathers, woke up in me, and the drinkdevil laughed. My soul was set hard and fast for hell. "I didn't want to drink. Xo drunkard does. 'But there are the drinkshops w.itl) the drWK wide open, a.nd in you miKt go. 'Russia has shut up all the spirit shops since the war started. I believe if you askedl all the Russian drunkards if they wanted the drink-shops open again they'd say, 'Xo; we want to drink, and will drink if the shops are open, so for our sakes and Russia's sake keep them shut.' Well, that's away from the subject. I had plenty of money and a position. I drank them away. I became tram conductor, canvasser, sandwich man, and then could do nothing but sell matches on the kerb. To those that knew me T was known ; i> 'Hilly Horn-drunk.' For years I lived in dos.s houses and was a terror to the human terrors that frequented rtiein. At last, when I was abrut to commit suicide, the Salvation Army mo and gave me fresh heart."