Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-05-14

his Work in the West and Elsewhere.
Several of our citizens yesterday forenoon
had the privilege of meeting the famous
DR.. Do Lewis at the common council rooms
The meeting was entirely an impromptu affair."
but little notice having been given; twas APP
pointed in the very busiest part of the day,
and as it was simply for consultation, the at
tendance was quite small.
His Honor, Mayor North, acted as chair
man OF the meeting, which was quite inform
al
Dr. bio Lewis then proceeded to give an
account of the woman's movement in the West,
especially in Ohio. The movement had been
SO great and the success so wonderful, that
some of the most staid and deliberate clergy
men in the State had been forced to admit
that nothing like it had occurred on this plan
ct since the day Of Pentecost. When first in
troduced it took the form of street praying and
street singing, Which soon disappeared. The
plan is now this: On the part of the men,
ten committees are formed Of two each to visit
the dram drinkers These, as also the ladies,
visit the rumselers and their families, and
make their acquaintance. On the part Of
the ladies, ten committees are formed, of two
each, who after prayer in some church vestry,
go out to visit in their assigned districts the
families of dram sellers; subsequently with
the pledge of total abstinence, liquor dealers
pledge, proprietor of hotels pledge, doctors
pledge, druggists pledge, and lawyers pledge
the lawyer pledging never to defend rum
seller who is involved on accouneo of the prac-
,ice of rumselling,) the ladies go and knock
at the door of the rumseller's shop and politely
Ir,is g 4
at that time they come again, and still again
until they are admitted. These calls tell
The ladies never make nuisance Of them
selves, for the moment they do that, their
power has departed. They are never rude or
obtrusiye. On entering, they talk with the
proprietor Of the shop, and try to persuade
him to give up the traffic, using many kind
words and arguments in that direction. They
then go into a corner of the room, and with
faces turned to the wall, offer silent prayers.
The lady with lavender kid gloves and silk
dress need not fear soiling either in this work
Ii is done in quiet, womanly and most effec-
tual method. Many of the scenes OF religious
revivals are coarse and rude compared with
this awakening. And then the men come in
as workers, organizing on the old Washing
tonian principle, mingled with religious senti-
ment He had been through the whole his
tory of the crusade in Ohio, and would say
that the people in this section had a wrong
Impression Of the movement. The conversa
tons, the prayers and the personal efforts
have not been proclaimed in the newspapers !;
they were not subjects to be reported. But
when the women sang and prayed in the
streets, j! was a plum for the reporters; and
from the representations given, 1t was natural
that cultured people should be prejudiced
agains, it. But they stopped finding fault
| L. Al .I,Ol~ a., ., ta11 IT,,
towns the movement has been begun by only
in the capital city of Maine, should twenty
persons set to work in earnest, striking re.
suits would come within a week. DR..
Lewis then
ANSWERED. QUESTIONS
that were propounded by Mayor North, Mr..
David Cargill and Rev. Mr.. Peckham. The
Mayor thought that the pocket rumshops, that
| lodged from place to place, were the hardest
| to be suppressed. Men come to hotels to stop
and bring their bottles with them, all primed
| and charged. An erroneous opinion Of Il
Judge had given much aid and comfort to the
sellers OF certain liquor, under the name of
native wine. He questioned if the same in
| husnce would be as effectual here as at the
West. Mr.. Cargill thought it unfortunate
| that domestic wine and cider were not contra
| band.
DIR. Lewis said that the rumsellers in Ohio
were mostly low Germans, and were as hard
to reach by the influences mentioned as any
class. The womans movement comes hap
PLY In play in those cases where persons cam
not be convicted under the law, but where
every body knows they sell.
| The interesting conversation here broke
| up, as the Doctor took the noon train to Bos
ton, whittier he had been summoned by i'm
perative calls from two patients, in critical
| condtion-one from New Haven and one
from the West. Whatever the result of the
| flying visit of DR.. Lewis to this city, may be,
his small audience were pleased with the ap-
pearance of the man, and intere sted in the re-
cital of his story. The great object of
| DR.. LEWIS VISIT TO MAINE.
| is to remove the misconception relative to the
womans movement. He travels at his own ex-
pense, receiving no pay, and neglecting very
profitable professio practice at home ;em-
ploys the services oftwo gentlemen who accom-
pany him, one stenographer who conducts
his correspondence, which is immense, and
also to whom he dictates his editorials to the
'.To. Day." paper of large circulation, pub
li.hed in Philadelphia, of which DR.. Lewis is
the editor.
Ar PORTLAND,
| the character ana extent OF inc movement
are quite encouraging. We notice in the list
of committees, the names Of some of the first
business men in the city; and the ladies
committees represent some of the best women
of the place. The daily papers of the city
report great anxiety on the part of liquor deal
ers and great quiet in police circles.
Ar BANGOR,
inasmuch as the woman's crusade is already
organized, no new association will be formed.
The women there and at Oldtown are having
| good success.
| AT GARDINER.
On the occasion of DR.. Lewis visit Monday
evening, an association was formed and John
son Hall was packed to hear the doctor
The greatest of interest was manifested, ant
it is thought that the women will soon begir
work in earnest. committee of ten mer
was appointed to urge drinking men to re-
form; and an equal number of ladies to visi
the families of the liquor-sellers.
Ar HALLowELL,
DR.. Lewis had an immense audience on Tues