THE DRUNKARD.
“The drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty, and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.”—Prov. xxiii. 21.
A pipe in mouth, a jug in hand,
A haggard face and pale,
A slovenly dress, a slouching gait—
These tell the drunkard’s tale.
A dirty house, a weeping wife,
Children inclined to roam,
A cheerless hearth, an empty board—
These mark the drunkard’s home.
The vulgar song, the ribald jest,
Confusion, slang, and noise,
The cheating game, the madd’ning draught—
These are the drunkard’s joys.
A wasted youth, a manhood lost,
Old age without a friend,
A workhouse, or, perhaps, a jail—
Such is the drunkard’s end.
An angry Judge, a conscience raked
Through endless years to come,
A knawing worm that dieth not—
Such is the drunkard’s doom.
CLEANLINESS,
ITS ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES.
A civil, quick, and steady lad
Was wanting once a place,
But nobody would hire him,
He’d such a dirty face.
In vain at waiting on the cook
He showed his happy knack,
For she declared against a boy
Whose hands were always black.
He tried to plead how quickly he
Could heat and clean her oven,
But she turned from him in disgust,
And called him “dirty sloven.”
Poor boy, I really felt for him,
And longed to take him in,
When, lo? another lad appeared,
As neat as a new pin.
And who could doubt between the two,
He quickly lost all hope;
Yet was the only difference
Caused by a little soap.
