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George. If you would like to go into the library to see it, Frank, I will take you tomorrow afternoon after school.

Frank. May boys go in?

George. Any that want to see it, and will behave well, may. I go sometimes with father, when he goes to read there on a Saturday afternoon, after his week's work is done. Frank. What does he pay, for going to read there?

George. He does not pay any thing; any decent persons may go there and ask for a book, and it will be given to them; they may sit there and read it, but must not take it away.

Philip. Come on boys, and show your cousin the jail.

George. There are father's two apprentices coming in at the gate, Thomas Corley, and Harry Anders; and there is Mr. Elmer, our Sunday school teacher.

Robert. I wonder where he is going.

George. To give his vote, I suppose, before the crowd gathers.

The two apprentices now joined the boys,

and Mr. Elmer seeing several of his class, stopped, and said, "I hope boys you are not going to spend all the day here?"

George. No, Sir, we shall only stay until we see some of the people give their votes; my father told us we had best go away then. Philip. Go away! why, then you will miss all the fun.

Mr. Elmer. What is your name, my lad? Philip. Philip Radly.

Mr. Elmer. Well Philip, what do you mean by fun?

Philip. The carriages driving fast about the streets, with papers hanging outside, and sometimes a fiddle playing inside; and the boys have fun, throwing sods at each other, in the State House yard, and then

Mr. Elmer. Let me tell the rest: drunken men quarrelling and fighting, and blaspheming their Maker's holy name; and thus abusing the blessing of liberty which he has bestowed upon them. That is a part of election fun too, is it not?

Philip. Some only drink too much, because they are glad they are freemen.

Mr. Elmer. And thus risk losing their liberty.

Philip. I do not know what you mean.

Mr. Elmer. Did you never hear of fighting, being the means of a person getting into prison?

Philip. Yes, but not just getting drunk. Mr. Elmer. Just getting drunk, often causes fighting; but you speak as if you thought getting drunk no evil.

Philip. It does no harm to any one but a man's self.

Mr. Elmer. Do you know any man that is a drunkard, and has a family, and does that family no harm? he spends the time in which it is his duty to be earning bread for them, in a tavern, or grog shop, getting in debt, or using the few cents, which he has no right to deprive them of. When he staggers home, his wife cannot be glad to see him, for she dreads his passion, which often leads him to abuse her. His children, (if they are better taught, than to despise even a worthless parent,) feel ashamed of him, and only love to

be at their home when they know he is away from it.

Philip. But some have no families.

Mr. Elmer.

Well, we will suppose one who has not a relative living; he does harm to his country by breaking its laws, and making himself a worse than useless member of the community, by setting an evil example.

Philip. He breaks no law by drinking, if he can pay for the liquor.

Mr. Elmer. There is a law which forbids excessive drinking, and a fine for breaking that law. But if it were possible, (which is not the case,) for a man to be a drunkard, and as you said, "do harm to no one but himself," do you know what the harm is which he does to himself?

Philip. I did not mean it was no harm to get drunk, but that if a man chooses to hurt himself, he has a right to do it, and take the consequence.

Mr. Elmer. I suppose, my lad, you are not much acquainted with what the Bible teaches, and that you are not in the habit of

going to Sunday school, or you would have been better instructed than you are.

Philip. I do read in the Bible sometimes, but never went to Sunday school.

Mr. Elmer. Why not?

Philip. I have no nice clothes to go in. Mr. Elmer. Have you ever learned any passages to repeat out of the Bible? Philip. No, sir.

Mr. Elmer. George, I think you have learned all the twelfth chapter of Luke; I wish to show Philip from that, what is the harm which a drunkard does to himself. In that chapter, Jesus Christ speaks of a servant who thought his master would never come to call him to an account for his conduct: one thing which he did, was “to be drunken;" now, what did Jesus, who knew all things, say was to be the consequence?

George. I suppose you mean what is in the forty-sixth verse, sir, it is: "The Lord of that servant will come in a day that he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and appoint him his portion with unbelievers "

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