morning, noon
As was the case with all taverns in those days , so also with this , -- the bar-room was its most prominent feature . Mr. Blinge , the landlord , not only smoked , but was an inveterate lover of raw whiskey , which often caused him to perform strange antics . The fact that he loved whiskey was not strange , for in those days all drank . The aged drank his morning , noon and evening potations , because he had always done so ; the young , because his father did ; and the lisping one reached forth its hands , and in childish accents called for the `` thugar , '' and the mother , unwilling to deny it that which she believed could not harm it , gave . Those were the days when seed was being sown , and now the harvesting is in progress . Vain were it for us to attempt its description ; you will see it in ruined families , where are gathered blasted hopes , withered expectations , and pangs , deep pangs of untold sorrow . The child indulged has become a man , yet scarce worthy of the name ; for a habit has been formed that has sunken him below the brute , and he lives not a help , but a burden , not a blessing , but a curse , to his fellow-men .