Temperance by Thomas De Witt Talmage

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jul 24, 1884

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 10, No. 28.

Temperance.

By Thomas De Witt Talmage

A Fatal Mistake.

A RIGOROUS divorce law will hinder women from the fatal mistake of marrying men to reform them. If a young man of twenty-five or thirty years of age, has the habit of strong drink fixed on him, he is as certainly bound for a drunkard's grave as that the train starting out from Grand Central Depot at eight o'clock to-morrow morning is bound for Albany. The train may not reach Albany, for it may be thrown from the track. The young man may not reach the drunkard's grave, for something may throw him off the iron track of evil; but the probability is that the train that starts to-morrow morning at eight o'clock for Albany will get there; and the probability is that the young man who has the habit of strong drink fixed on him before twenty-five or thirty years of age, will arrive at a drunkard's grave. She knows he drinks, although he tries to hide it by chewing cloves. Everybody knows he drinks. Parents warn, neighbors and friends warn. She will marry him. If she is unsuccessful in the experiment, why, then, the divorce law will emancipate her, because habitual drunkenness is a cause for divorce in Indiana, Kentucky, Florida, Connecticut, and nearly all the States. So the poor thing goes to the altar of sacrifice. If you will show me the poverty-stricken streets in any city, I will show you the homes of women who married men to reform them. In one case out of ten thousand it may be a successful experiment. I never saw the successful experiment. But have a rigorous divorce law and that woman will say, "If I am affianced to that man, it is for life, and if now, in the ardor of his young love, and I am the prize to be won, he will not give up his cups, when he has won the prize, surely he will not give up his cups." And so that woman will say to the man, "No, sir; you are already married to the club, and you are married to that evil habit, and so you are married twice, and you are a bigamist. Go!"

—Dr. Talmage.