Ten Nights in a Bar Room

by T. S. (Timothy Shay) Arthur

"Ten Nights in a Bar Room" by T. S. Arthur is a temperance novel published in 1854. Through an unnamed narrator's annual visits to the fictional town of Cedarville, the story traces the devastating effects of alcohol on multiple lives, centered around the Sickle and Sheaf tavern. From the tragic fate of Joe Morgan and his pleading daughter to the ultimate downfall of tavern owner Simon Slade, Arthur's tale builds a powerful case for prohibition and the protection of domestic morality.