The Use and Need of the Life of Carrie A. Nation [43]
articles,
showing how dangerous alcohol is to the human system.
Any physician that will prescribe whiskey or alcohol as a medicine
is either a fool or a knave. A fool because he does not understand his
business, for even saying that alcohol does arouse the action of the heart,
there are medicines that will do that and will not produce the fatal
results of alcoholism, which is the worst of all diseases. He is a knave
because his practice is a matter of getting a case, and a fee at the same
time, like a machine agent who breaks the machine to get the job of mending
it. Alcohol destroys the normal condition of all the functions of the
body. The stomach is thrown out of fix, and the patient goes to the doctor
for a stomach pill, the heart, liver, kidneys, and in fact the whole body
is in a deranged condition, and the doctor has a perpetual patient. I
sincerely believe this to be the reason why many physicians prescribe it.
I was doing my own work at the time God spoke to me; cooking,
washing and ironing; was a plain home keeper. I cooked enough for
my husband until next day, knowing that I would be gone all night. I
told him I expected to stay all night with a friend, Mrs. Springer. I
hitched my horse to the buggy, put the box of "smashers" in, and at half
past three o'clock in the afternoon, the sixth of June, 1900, I started to
Kiowa. Whenever I thought of the consequences of what I was going
to do, and what my husband and friends would think, also what my
enemies would do, I had a sensation of nervousness, almost like fright,
but as soon as I would look up and pray, all that would leave me, and
things would look bright. And I might say I prayed almost every step
of the way. This Mrs. Springer lived about ten miles south of Medicine
Lodge. I often stopped there and I knew that Prince, my horse,
would naturally go into the gate, opening on the road, if I did not prevent
it. I thought perhaps it was God's will for me to drive to Kiowa that
night, so gave the horse the reins, and if he turned in, I would stay all
night, if not, I would go to Kiowa. Prince hastened his speed past the
gate, and I knew that it was God's will for me to go on. I got there at
8:30 P. M. and stayed all night with a friend. Early next morning I
had my horse put to the buggy and drove to the first place, kept by
Mr. Dobson. I put the smashers on my right arm and went in. He and
another man were standing behind the bar. These rocks and bottles being
wrapped in paper looked like packages bought from a store. Be
wise as devils and harmless as doves. I did not wish my enemies to
know what I had.
I said: "Mr. Dobson, I told you last spring, when I held my county
convention here, (I was W. C. T. U. president of Barber County,) to
close this place, and you didn't do it. Now I have come with another
remonstrance. Get out of the way. I don't want to strike you, but I
am going to break tip this den of vice."
I began to throw at the mirror and the bottles below the mirror.
Mr. Dobson and his companion jumped into a corner, seemed very much
terrified. From that I went to another saloon, until I had destroyed three,
breaking some of the windows in the front of the building. In the last
place, kept by Lewis, there was quite a young man behind the bar. I said
to him: "Young man, come from behind that bar, your mother did
not raise you for such a place." I threw a brick at the mirror, which was
a very heavy one, and it did not break, but the brick fell and broke
everything
in its way. I began to look around for something that would break
it. I was standing by a billiard table on which there was one ball. I
said: "Thank God," and picked it up, threw it, and it made a hole in
the mirror. While I was throwing these rocks at the dives in Kiowa,
there was a picture before my eyes of Mr. McKinley, the President, sitting
in an old arm chair and as I threw, the chair would fall to pieces.
The other dive keepers closed up, stood in front of their places and
would not let me come in. By this time, the streets
showing how dangerous alcohol is to the human system.
Any physician that will prescribe whiskey or alcohol as a medicine
is either a fool or a knave. A fool because he does not understand his
business, for even saying that alcohol does arouse the action of the heart,
there are medicines that will do that and will not produce the fatal
results of alcoholism, which is the worst of all diseases. He is a knave
because his practice is a matter of getting a case, and a fee at the same
time, like a machine agent who breaks the machine to get the job of mending
it. Alcohol destroys the normal condition of all the functions of the
body. The stomach is thrown out of fix, and the patient goes to the doctor
for a stomach pill, the heart, liver, kidneys, and in fact the whole body
is in a deranged condition, and the doctor has a perpetual patient. I
sincerely believe this to be the reason why many physicians prescribe it.
I was doing my own work at the time God spoke to me; cooking,
washing and ironing; was a plain home keeper. I cooked enough for
my husband until next day, knowing that I would be gone all night. I
told him I expected to stay all night with a friend, Mrs. Springer. I
hitched my horse to the buggy, put the box of "smashers" in, and at half
past three o'clock in the afternoon, the sixth of June, 1900, I started to
Kiowa. Whenever I thought of the consequences of what I was going
to do, and what my husband and friends would think, also what my
enemies would do, I had a sensation of nervousness, almost like fright,
but as soon as I would look up and pray, all that would leave me, and
things would look bright. And I might say I prayed almost every step
of the way. This Mrs. Springer lived about ten miles south of Medicine
Lodge. I often stopped there and I knew that Prince, my horse,
would naturally go into the gate, opening on the road, if I did not prevent
it. I thought perhaps it was God's will for me to drive to Kiowa that
night, so gave the horse the reins, and if he turned in, I would stay all
night, if not, I would go to Kiowa. Prince hastened his speed past the
gate, and I knew that it was God's will for me to go on. I got there at
8:30 P. M. and stayed all night with a friend. Early next morning I
had my horse put to the buggy and drove to the first place, kept by
Mr. Dobson. I put the smashers on my right arm and went in. He and
another man were standing behind the bar. These rocks and bottles being
wrapped in paper looked like packages bought from a store. Be
wise as devils and harmless as doves. I did not wish my enemies to
know what I had.
I said: "Mr. Dobson, I told you last spring, when I held my county
convention here, (I was W. C. T. U. president of Barber County,) to
close this place, and you didn't do it. Now I have come with another
remonstrance. Get out of the way. I don't want to strike you, but I
am going to break tip this den of vice."
I began to throw at the mirror and the bottles below the mirror.
Mr. Dobson and his companion jumped into a corner, seemed very much
terrified. From that I went to another saloon, until I had destroyed three,
breaking some of the windows in the front of the building. In the last
place, kept by Lewis, there was quite a young man behind the bar. I said
to him: "Young man, come from behind that bar, your mother did
not raise you for such a place." I threw a brick at the mirror, which was
a very heavy one, and it did not break, but the brick fell and broke
everything
in its way. I began to look around for something that would break
it. I was standing by a billiard table on which there was one ball. I
said: "Thank God," and picked it up, threw it, and it made a hole in
the mirror. While I was throwing these rocks at the dives in Kiowa,
there was a picture before my eyes of Mr. McKinley, the President, sitting
in an old arm chair and as I threw, the chair would fall to pieces.
The other dive keepers closed up, stood in front of their places and
would not let me come in. By this time, the streets