Shaking Out The Reef

On tbc wide ocean, between us and India, the winds blow for weeks in ono direction, Tben the hip moves on, dny and night, safely, rapidly and pleasantly. A sea captain has been heard to say that he has sailed his ship six weeks without nltering a sail. These are called ''Trade Wiuds." " I will teil you a faet about drinking." said a noble oíd sea captain. " And I t;ll you, buys, that when people say, ' It don't hurt anybody, if they don't drink too much,' they don't know what they are talking about. Thero is no Puch thing as drinking spirits without drinking too much. Whon I used to sail to India, and got into the trado winds, I would put all tho sail on my ship whieh she could possibly bear. But I notiecd a curious faet. Every morning about eleven o'cloek, I used to go down into my cabin and tako a good hom of brandy. Before going down I would cast my eye over the ship, sce that every sail was full, and every ropo taut, She was under all sail sha could safely carry. On coming up out of the cabin, having taken the brandy, it alwaya seemcd as if the ship was sailiníf too bIow, and the winds had fallen. Tben I would cry, 'Up there, lads, and shake out that reef!' For about thirty minutes, my poor ship would stagger uuder tho new press of Sftlf. By thut time, when the brandy began to subside, 1 found she was under too heavy pressuro, the winds seemed to blow harder, and again I would shout, ' Up there, lads, and clcw up that reef.' So I found it.dy aftor dny. I was utterly unable to account for the iull in the wind just about ihat hour. But one day I was unwell, and crnitted my brandy, and over-heard my cook, black Caesar, say, 1 Captain drink no brandy to day - guess no shake out reef !' Then I understood it nll ! From thtt time I dropped iny brandy, and there was no chango in the sails of' my ship. I drank moderately, and yet it was too much, and it would not have been strange if I had lost my ship in consequenco. I teil you, boys, thero is no such thing as drinkiug without drinking too much !" It is even so. We know but littlo about it. Many a shipmaster has feit cold or hot, tired or sleepy, vexed and troubled, and has gone to the bottle, gained courage to be rash, " shaken out the reef," till his ship was dashed on the rocks, or swamped in tho seas. Many a physician has beenworn down by labors and auxieties, his nerves weak and bis mind wavering, and has gone to the bottle, and thus ho " sbakes out the reef " - ig rash in deaiing his powerful mediceiues,and lie loses bis patients, loses self-reliance, and the confidence of the community, and he loses practiee and clraraoter, and is ruined. Many a merchant drinks a little, feels more confidenco, makes bargains whon thus stiuiulated, " shakes out his reef," and is ruined. Many a mechanic takes a contract which he exiiminod alter drinking ;i little, forgot the number of hard blows it would cost to complete it, and thus he " shakes out his reef," and is ruiued. Msny a young man falla iuto jovial company, feels that it would not be man!y to re'fuse to drink with them, and he -"shakes out the reef," and acquires a taste that will prove his destruction. And many a bright boy, the hopes of his father and the pride of his tnother, early learns to drink a little, and thus he "' shakes out the reef" - disappoints the hopes of his friends, lives a poor creature, dies a drunkard, and reads over the gate of Heaven, " No drunkard shall inherit eternal life,"