STARTLING FACTS AND FIGURES.
ONE evening, at the Sunday Breakfast Association [Philadelphia], after a very full and clear explanation, the following questions were put and very fully answered by the raising of the hands in the congregation of nearly 900 poor, unfortunate, discouraged persons:— 1. How many had Christian parents and were instructed in religious life? About 90 per cent. of all present raised their hands. 2. How many were faithful Sunday-school teachers? About 75 per cent. raised their hands. 3. How many have been brought to their unfortunate, dilapidated condition by the use of strong drink, directly or indirectly? About 75 per cent. replied. 4. How many commenced drinking before twenty-one years of age? About 70 per cent. voted they did. 5. How many deliberately started out to be drunkards? Two persons raised their hands. 6. How many started drinking liquor with the idea that they could and would stop whenever they wanted to? About 75 per cent. of all the drinkers raised their hands. 7. How many who have had the experience in the path of sin will say to us, “Use all your influence and power to keep young men from the path in which we have been walking?” About 98 per cent., nearly every hand, was raised. At the close of the after-meeting, about 9:20 o’clock, when there were about 400 persons present, the following question was asked:— 8. How many are desirous of getting out of their sinful ways and would make an attempt to lead righteous lives, if they thought they could, and would succeed in holding out to the end? Of those then present, about 95 per cent. held up their hands and seventy-eight persons came forward for prayer. The above questions and answers ought to be very suggestive to any thinking person. We believe the answers are very accurate, as they were taken with great care, to get at the exact statistics. These answers also show that 75 per cent. of these persons coming to the association are brought to their sad, deplorable plight by the effects of strong drink, and that the drinking commenced before they were twenty-one years of age. These answers also show that, tho men’s better natures are blunted and seared by the awful curse of rum and other sins, yet deep down in the heart there is still some good and some tender feeling left which prompts them to say, almost to a man, “Use all your influence and power to keep young men from the path in which we have been walking.”—Rescue Evangel.