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Show I MEN WHO TAKE ! ' , THE PLEDGE Pledges as Vouchers For EmploymentEfficacy Employ-mentEfficacy of a Pledge. "The pledge is a fine thing; but don't take it too often or you'll forget, perhaps, per-haps, that you've ever taken it at all. Jusrbear in mind that one good strong pledge well kept is worth a hundred broken pledges." The above 'remark, the recent public utterance of a Roman Catholic clergyman, clergy-man, was made for the benefit of a young men's temperance society which had degenerated into an athletic club. Rivalry with brother societies had developed de-veloped professionalism, and this in turn had fostered certain iorms of victorious vic-torious jubilation quite. -out of joint with temperance principles. The idea seemed to prevail that the only thing a member had to do after infringing the society's pledge was to go to a priest and renew it. This simple sim-ple formality would place the member again in good standing. Many men visit a priest for the purpose pur-pose of taking the pledge who never think of joining a temperance organization. organiza-tion. No snecial vnc of humanity seems to prevail among the pledge-: pledge-: takers unless possibly middle-aged la-! la-! boring men, from 35 to 50, who have families to suport. Professional men. such as lawyers, doctors and professors, are rarely known to take the pledge. Store clerks, bartenders, compositors and skilled mechanics me-chanics of every description may be frequently seen among the applicants. Often it happens that a man presents himself who is not a Catholic at all, but still insists upon taking the pledge from a Catholic priest. The solemnity of putting himself upon his knees and repeating the words: "I faithfully promise, with the assistance of God's grace, to firmly abstain from intoxi- eating drink for one year," is after all a serious matter. . Generally a year limit is set, but any term may be named. As a rule, priests object to giving the pledge for i more than a year's time, having learned learn-ed from experience that three and five-year five-year pledges generally go to pieces within a month. Sometimes an applicant will present himself who is already deep in liquor, and men on the verge of delirium tremens tre-mens are proverbially very penitent and full of good resolves, ready even to take the piedge for-the rest of their lifetime. Tn such a case the priest usually advises the unfortunate fellow to go home and take a good sleep, to sober up. go to confession on the following fol-lowing Saturday, and then take the pledge. Many applicants present themselves for the pledge merely in order to get back to work after being discharged or .suspended on account of drink. An employer will frequently exact the pledge as a sortt of . voucher for the man's good intentions. Cards are specially prepared to serve as certificates for such cases, and these are .duly signed by the clergyman. In some localities these certificates are made out in the form of promises which the applicant signs and the clergyman certifies to; this signed promise is delivered de-livered to the boss and a- coupon to I correspond to it is retained by the priest. u . It often happens that a man who cannot can-not be induced to take the pledge for a year will consent readily enough to take it until Christmas. Another favorite favor-ite date for the expiration of a pledge is March 17. St.. Patrick's day, although al-though there are many who will name the Fourth o July.--. The man who tike th pledge until Christmas does not by any means intend in-tend in advance to start drinking upon that day. He merely foresees that, he will meet a great many friends at Christmas, and he foresees also the consequent interchange of a good many gretings. Rather than run the risk of breaking his pledge, ; he seems to prefer pre-fer to have it finish its own course and expire legitimately and honorably. .Very few of the old-timers are now alive to boast of having taken the pledge from Father Mathew "the real pledge," as it used to be called.- on account ac-count of its long formula and its stringent strin-gent wording. Nowadays the form is i sample and brief, and perhaps to some it does not mean as much. i The clergy regard the pledge as but an earnest or serious good intention, I with no inherent or sacramental grace! attached thereto. Its value comes from the individual's own self-reliant force ; of character, or from what Roman i Catholic theologians designate ex opere j operant is. I Whether the rank and file of pledge-takers pledge-takers coincide with such a view may indeed be questioned. Instances recur frequently enough to show that many who take the pledge seem to regard it as possessed of special inherent efficacy effica-cy and think that it gets in its good work irespective of effort upon the part of the individual. . . (j A priest who was recently conversing upon this subject narrates that not long ! ago a man living in his parish came to the priest's house to take the pledge, j The next day the clergyman, walking j down town, met his parishioner stag- gering woefully along the street; j "Why, Thomas, what does this j mean?" he exclaimed. "Weren't you' up at my house yesterday to take the ! pledge?"- , i "I was, your reverence." I And why are you today in this condition?" con-dition?" "I don't know, unless it be that -when you. gave me' the pledge you forgot to put the power in it." New York Sun. |