Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-05-28
Temperance Discussion.
Letter to Archbishop Purcell:

DB. HOLLAND DEFENDS TOTAL ABSTr
NEHCE on SCRIPTURE GROUNDS.
Terv Rercrend SIR The friends Of
TEMPERANCE. all over the Union. have re,
ceived and read your recent circular with
profound regret. 1our high character,
your influential position in the great
church which you represent, and vour
confident aud ingenious appeal to di-
vine authority as the basis OF, aid war
rant for, your views AMI opinions; give
your manifesto great significance, and
rear a formidable obstacle before the
feet of those who labor to bring the
nation to sobriety, and destroy a traffic
in which vice, immnra(ity, disease; mis-
cry and death fnd their must redund-
ant fountain. | do not question for a
moment your sincerity, or the purity
of your motives, bat | believe you have
made great mistake "a mistake sur
charged with danger to your own peo-
pie, to the country and the world.
bea YOU not to deem distant stranger
impertinent if he regards you as a rep
sentative Of large class of the clergy,
not only OF your own but OF other de-
nominations, and undertakes to show
wherein that mistake lies.
OF the women's temperance move
ment in the West, | know nothing but
what | find reported in the daily East
ern press. | notice that it has been
instrumental in closing dram shops, in
pledging multitudes to a life Of total
abstinence, in largely diminishing the
sale of Intoxicating liquors at the man
ufacturing centers, ana that these re-
suits are accompanied by decided re-
viyal Of religious feeling and the exhi-
bition of great deal of Christian he
roiom. [ notice. too, even here at the
East, where we only catch tie echoes
of the great commotion. that a strong
moral influence is felt, and that the
public conscience has been quickened
NIGHTLY with regard to the evil of III
temperance. So much seems plain,
AMI so much, | am sure, onght to be a
cause Of rejoicing TO you and to all who
love men and their Master.
Besides. would II not be we'll for us
to remember that the women who en-
gage IN this crusade are working in the
only way that Providence has left open
to them Who are they? They are
the mothers. wives, sisters, and daugh-
ters of men whom they have seen,
year after year, dropping into the
graves Of drunkards. They have suf-
fered worse thar death that the rum
seller might live. They have seen
their loved ones become sots, idiots,
madmen. They have seen their for
tures squandered. they have found
themselves disgraced, they have been
cursed, beaten, bruised, they have seen
their peaceful and happy homes turned
into places OF fear and torment. Boys
that were nnrsed on the bosoms Of
some Of them have been transformed
by drink into iends. Men whose kiss
Of love and loyalty honored tnem with
wifehood, have degenerated into beasts.
For these thronoh weary. suffering
wears. thew have prayed. Nav they
have knelt with thcm, and held up
;heir weak and imbecile hands while
thew nrov-d for themselves Dav after
dav they have dome this and men hay.
nona ~ +bo;r business throuah teont.-
+;ans tba+ boso+ tbo;r nat6 at atarv
aarror and havo roco;ved +ban a.
n;,,ht onIy :, nover tham with shame
anI sink hack ;n-o fheir old. desnair
Tbo so-roy tbro,,,,b which these women
llNo ,ro1.-.d bavn hno, ;,,,moacpr.bIa
NJ, NJ, -oni, H. ,f ,a;,,o am doscr;Lo Than, d.
~ worJs Of anv man can exaouerate
tho,,
% ,nI :,
lhey nave loo"9o 70 ''ie ieSoe'9 oi
the Cnuroh lof helP' nave we! ii"'
II IheY nave looNe" 20 Poll tlc'ahs l: >
lUr ~, hI'P - ~ .Ioy l1lIo -L;.L .o
iney nave a'heu -, lc"', ""i0T WY
easily maGe 70 1g sao.s'S '''V1t Th o,aho. h :
nave 'ney 'oo't '.o Iot:sot, 4lar':.,,, nov :
IeeH PGio io Gnu 'io',','c hnn e % >
11 mas 'll0'' 80. 15, 80, a:st " al T ~ 'I'
lhey nave pie"oen Hi'h III al ~ 1"G ~ CIV
Pugnce o. Iovo s w'tn t .h ci,osi E ~no ',". ro :
o,UNen ti ''o'. go fnsl ~ o4I,,sn re-; & i,a p," pa
teos 'ns' '-9 - o,tl, on,.,. 49,. - ,onl ,l"e' ;"a
t n't0 ICY, let,-'s .t t' '3I2 ~ .. tUt,'JeS G1.,
1 noO "o'o u " 80 - ~" ". a. ~ - "oo
Jo"' ~ b 4''; ;+ ~bat tbo, -. 'Ii G,'e :,
III,