He was a constant witness of the ravages of the demon of drink--saw how strong men succumbed, and weak ones turned to brutes in its clutch.

And were they not his brothers, the strong men and the weak ones alike?
And how could he, their keeper, see them desperately beset and not fly to their help?
Ah! he could not and did not walk by on the other side, but, stripling though he was, rushed to do battle with the giant vice, which was slaying the souls and the bodies of his fellow citizens.

Rum during the three first decades of the present century was, like death, no respecter of persons, entering with equal freedom the homes of the rich, and the hovels of the poor.

It was in universal demand by all classes and conditions of men.

No occasion was esteemed too sacred for its presence and use.