Excerpt from An Old Story: A Temperance Tale in Verse The Press is - almost universally - indefatigable in efforts to manifest the miseries incident to Intemperance: every Journal of the Kingdom is earnest in work for its diminution or suppression. The "time is not yet" when traffic in alcohol will be suspiciously and effectually restrained - or prohibited - by Law. Meanwhile, it is counselled that public opinion must pioneer the way to legislative enactment: and a duty is inculcated on every writer to contribute aid towards a consummation - that cannot fail to be mighty in its influence on human kind. Thus exhorted - and especially stimulated by a "call" in the Times of the 9th of August, 1872 - in this book, and the book that preceded it, "The Trial of Sir Jasper," I have humbly striven to help on the work: trusting I may assist the many other "writers, talkers, preachers, workers," to "abate this nuisance and scandal, our national drunkenness." I have tried to make this book broader and more comprehensive in details than its predecessor: to treat, indeed, as far as my knowledge extends, every phase of the "horrible vice," adding notes from the "authorities" by whom I am principally guided. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.