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Excerpts from “Drinking Jack” (1881)

Excerpts from “Drinking Jack” (1881) Mary Dwinell Chellis The following excerpts are from one of the three stories in Drinking Jack and Other Stories, a dime novel from the Fife and Drum Series (No. 4) published by the National Temperance Society and Publication House in 1881.1 In typical fashion, this tale features a drunken father who abuses and neglects his large family. His violent behavior is contrasted with his brother-in-law's peaceful intervention to save his sister and her children. "Drinking Jack" was the name by which John Neal was known in the community, and this reveals his character. He could work, and did work, whenever it suited his pleasure or convenience. If a job requiring both strength and skill was to be done, Jack's services were in requisition, if he could be kept sober. Yet, a terrible man and a most brutalized sot, he was despised by all, while he was pitied by none. His wife and children received sympathy. But he! Who cared for him? Reform was not to be thought of in his case. His only redeeming quality lay in his ability to labor, and his death would have been counted a blessing. "Going home, Jack?" asked a rough-looking man, who http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Legacy: A Journal of American Women Writers University of Nebraska Press

Excerpts from “Drinking Jack” (1881)

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Publisher
University of Nebraska Press
Copyright
Copyright © 2008 The University of Nebraska Press.
ISSN
1534-0643
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Mary Dwinell Chellis The following excerpts are from one of the three stories in Drinking Jack and Other Stories, a dime novel from the Fife and Drum Series (No. 4) published by the National Temperance Society and Publication House in 1881.1 In typical fashion, this tale features a drunken father who abuses and neglects his large family. His violent behavior is contrasted with his brother-in-law's peaceful intervention to save his sister and her children. "Drinking Jack" was the name by which John Neal was known in the community, and this reveals his character. He could work, and did work, whenever it suited his pleasure or convenience. If a job requiring both strength and skill was to be done, Jack's services were in requisition, if he could be kept sober. Yet, a terrible man and a most brutalized sot, he was despised by all, while he was pitied by none. His wife and children received sympathy. But he! Who cared for him? Reform was not to be thought of in his case. His only redeeming quality lay in his ability to labor, and his death would have been counted a blessing. "Going home, Jack?" asked a rough-looking man, who

Journal

Legacy: A Journal of American Women WritersUniversity of Nebraska Press

Published: Jun 4, 2014

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