PUTTING DOWN THE DRINK.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 December 1915, Page 9 (Supplement)

PUTTING DOWN THE DRINK.

A SKETCH IN IRISH LIFE. (By Canon Langbridge). I saw him coming, a small, sad, elderly man, with the record of old drill upon his shoulders. I thought he would stop me, and he did. "Reverend sir," he said, with a faded military salute, "drink's a'great snare." "No doubt of that," I said, resolved not to give him anything to get a cup of tea, the alcliolic nature'of which I knew too well.

A great snare entirely,' he.said; "has your Reverence such a thing as a pin I" "No," I answered) rather decisively, for I felt sure I was being gently led into expense. • "With pardon," said the man. "I remark one inside your coat. Her ladyship slipped it in, maybe, for an emergency like this."

"All right," I said, surveying uneasily a slight tendency to a crowd; "take it, you're welcome."

I felt for the pin, and saw that my man was feeling for something, too. The two things came out at the same moment. His thing was a blue ribbon. "I'd like it done," he said, "by one* of ray own clergy; and, preferably, by a dignitary like yourself, for though you haven't gaiters on you, I remark the rosette in your hat." "Oh, bother the rosette;*.' 1 answered. "What do you want me to do?" "Just to pin it on ex tamper, till I'd have it sewed in proper form. It's like blessing the colours, your Raverence." "Come on, then," I said, with irritation; and, at the cost of a couple of pricks I fastened the ribbon on.

The man looked round on the exulting' grins.

"Let this," he said solemnly, with a finger and a thumb over the ribbon, "he a warning and encouragement to young and old. Drink's a snare, a great snare entirely. Maybe, you'll hardly believe it," he added, with a sudden burst of confidence, "but I was nearly -a victim myself."

"Stand by your ribbon," I said, eager* to get away, "and your ribbon will stand by you."

"I thank you for them noble words;" said my man. He saluted, and stood aside. Not a word about a small trifle —no suggestion of the urgency of a cup of tea. I was surprised, almost incredulous.

I wasn't in my own country; I was near Dublin, in brief charga of a little cheerful town. I had to take the Asylum service, as well as that of the church.

At ten on Sunday I was in my dingy robos. I watched the women troop in—passive faces, scarlet hoods, and pink gowns. Then came tjfc shambling men in their grey jackets and loose grey trousers. Close to the man-attendant stepped a little drilled figure, a puckered face, gentle, sad, resigned. It was my friend of the blue ribbon. A straaige bird, and newly caught; yet he seemed at- home in that melancholy cage. I stared, but there was no time for questions. I began to read. With his glasses on, the little soldier seemed almost too respectable for a world like this. He took command of the service; never have I heard finer Aniens. In all the other responses he book and maintained an easy lead. I was a bad second in everything. My sermon was a lame apology. He ought/to have preached, r .

When the service was over I spoke to the attendant. "Leave the new patient with me," I said, "just for five minutes." "Certainly," he answered; "he's as nice a little fellow as ever came in here. No J trouble at all, and sweet-spoken as ever you see. He have Andy, there, rebuked for cursing, and he's agitating, I believe, for total closing on Sundays." "Ia he very bad'/" I asked, touching my forehead. "No worse than yourself," said the attendant. "He's fit to make his will and to leave thousands if he had 'em." He touched his hat and let his patient sheep back to their lean pasture. "Sit down," I said to my little soldier, and he sat down in a gentle saintly way. Then I asked, with curiosity that I couldn't control, "What, in the name of wonder, brought you here?" "I acted for the best," he said, "after meditation and prayer. 'Twas a choice of evils, your Reverence, and I chose the least; isn't the asylum better than the gaol?" "But who was going to put you into gaol? You hadn't committed any crime?"

"No, your Reverence; but they put that construction upon it. The polis looks on human nature with a hard malignant eye." He wiped his speetaeles and put them in his pocket. Then he leaned a little forward and spoke like a man thinking aloud.

"I was meditating on drink," he said, "and the traps that it lays for the careless; and I 'got longing to do something for the ribbon you pinned on —the polis have it torn off o' me, God forgive 'em. Then I remembered a neighbour of my own—as honest a poor man as ever broke bread, but a victim and a martyr to the drink, He was out for the day, and I had the key of his little place. SaySjS then, thinking it over, 'Jericho is delivered into my hands: 'tis just a blow of the trumpet and the walls will fall down flat,'" The asylum clock struck eleven. I had to hurry for the church service. "What did you do?" I asked.

"I resolved, with the help of God, to smash every bottle of porter—for I knew his habit of hiding it under the praties."

"And did you carry your purpose out?"

"In the letter, I did not; in the spirit, I did. Your Reverence, I was warned from a child of the sin of waste. I removed the porter." "Where?" "To my own person. Your Reverence, I drank it. 'Bate the drink,' I says, 'and bate the inimy.'" "How much was there?" "Seven bottles—no, truth before all —seven and the half of another. Your Reverence, I done my duty, but I lost my head." "Did you fight?" "There was argument and there was broken glass. A summons was took out. Your Reverence, the prison leaves a stain. I sent the wife out for a doctor." "To cure you?" "No, but to certify to my insanity." "But yqu're not insane."

"No, thank God! I keep my wits; and you'd want 'em all here, not to go mad like the world around. But I have every attention, and the food is plain, but good." "That's a comfort," I said. "It is, your Reverence, there's comfort everywhere here for them that seeks it." "How long shall you be here?" "Two months," he said: "that's the shortest time. I don't fret, for I found a little field of labour; and I'll emerge Board day like Jonah from the whale's belly."