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Show Old Time Ring King jMI Again John L. Sullivan is fighting again. Ho has Joined with tho nntlsnloon forces, Is making speeches nnd using his Influence; agnlnst tho liquor traffic. traf-fic. 1 caught him while lie was in New York and got him to givo mo a full account of how ho fought tho great-est great-est bnttlo of Ills life, a ten year bout in which ho finally knocked out his former conqueror, John Barley-corn Barley-corn . For It hns been ton years since John L., onco nlmost as famous 7or "hitting the boozo" ns for punishing mu In tho ring, lias taken a rtrtn. of alcohol. John L., had been In lovo for twenty twen-ty yenrs with a Massachusetts school teacher, but because of his drinking habits sho had refused to become his wife. It was only when he had driven the wagon flvo years that sho accepted him. "On March C, 1905, I took my last drink of liquor.' 'ho told mo. "If I had kept on tho way I was going, somewhero a little tombstono marked John L. Sullivan." I am CC years old, strong, healthy parents gavo mo a strong healthy body and great resolution of spirit. I becamo champion of tho world. But old John Unrloycorn knocked mo out. Ho Is tho champion or all champions. No man has over conquered him In a fight to a finish. And I'm not ashamed asham-ed to say tho only way that I could lick John Barleycorn was by climbing climb-ing out of tho ring nnd running away. "Whiskey has knocked mo down mnny a tlmo. Hut I got up and went back, only to bo put out onco moro. I was champion fighter of tho world. They used to say that peoplo were afraid of me; but boozo Wasn't afraid of me. John Barleycorn was always challenging mo, nnd It was a long, long tlmo beforo I realized thero never can bo but ono finish to n bout with booze. "I sun talking nbout myself bo-causo bo-causo I want to bring homo a deadly parallel to young men. "Every young man is n potential John L. Sullivan not In tho ring, of course, but every young man has It In him to bo a champion in his lino b)' putting forth tho best that Is in him. I count every man a champion who surmounts obstacles, sticks to tho game, never loses courago and ono who makes good. "No man who Is a boozo fighter can mako good. "I know boozo leads to bad company com-pany nnd bad company leads to bad places. Had places leail to disease "Boozo weakens tho moral strength. "I novor licked John Barleycorn until un-til I ran away from him. I advlso every ev-ery young man who wants to bo n success to do the sarao." Nlxola Grooley Smith. |