The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-04-16
Origin Of the Temperance Crusade.

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i'm Ohio, is of more than ordinary
interest just now:
81 count it among the most salts
factory incidents of my wandering
through Ohio that came to Wash
ingtOn Court House. was anxious
to see the place which is famous fol
the origin of one of the most inter.
esting, popular movements of mod
ern times. 1t is seventy-five miles
from Cincinnati, and not very pleas.
ant town, If my impressions are cor.
rect; a rambling sort Of place, about
1900 strong in population, with dusty
roads, and an appearance Of general
untidiness. 1t does not differ in any
marked degree from other towns oil
its size and position as cOunty-seat.
This was the birthplace of the tenn
perance movement. And this is how
1t came about: DiO Lewis lectured
upon 'Our Girls at Washington, the
day before Christmas, to a small
audience. IF you meet me on Christ
mas morning, / will tell you how you
can control the sale of liquor I'm towns
of not exceeding 10000 inhabitants,
said Lewis. The next morning the
Presbyterian church was filed, and
Lewis addressed those who were
there. My father died drunkard,
he commenced, and one time / came
home drunk. Ny mother, and two
or three ladies who sympathized
with her, formed committee and
called upon the saloOn-keepers to
quit the sale Of liquor. BY perse-
verance and prayer, they succeeded
in closing the saloons of the Boston
suburb in which / lived. There has
been no liquor sold in that suburb for
many years. What / propose is, that
you ladies shall do as my mother did.
farm yourselves in the strength of
the Lord of Hosts; do battle with
intemperance; pray with saloon
keepers, and they will yield. Do
more! Circulate pledges among
them not to sell liquor; go to the
drug stores and saloons, and you will
win. / have started this movement
i'm FredOnia and jamestown, New
York, and 1t has succeeded. l will
deliver a lecture tonight; and set the
ball rolling. You keep up the i'm
petus.'
"The people to whom he spoke were
the leading citizens of Il country
town, i'm which there are many dis
sOlute characters. The saloons were
vile dOggeries, which dispensed
poisonous liquor; the drug stores
were the lOaflng and lettering places
of those who were above the common
rOwdy, and took the place of city
saloons. The young men of such a
town have no amusement, and social
headquarters are in some such places.
They are the necessary outgrOwth of
lack of cultivation and improving
amusement; their tendency is de-
basing and low; their existence as
deadly to the town rs the fungus on
a growing plant.
at is not wonder that the people
of Washington jumped at Lewis
suggestion, and crowded his lecture
hall with IN eager audience. On
Christmas afternoon the ladies of
Washington met and hurriedly organ
lied. Whateve rsuccesS the movement
has met with is attributed to single
act, the election as President of
their organization of Mrs. Carpenter,
wife of the Presbyterian clergyman
at Washington. To her, l think,
all that has been done is due. She Is
essentially a woman destined for a
clergyman's partner; ready to fight
intellectually all corners, and to
change front with dexterity and
grace; q woman whose capabilities
for good is enormous, and have been
exercised.
"She had Il theory of her own with
regard to handing refractory sinners !;
she appealed to them through their
individualities. / do not know where
she was reared. 1t could not have
been in those places where character
Is formed by square and compass.
She absolutely took the ground that
a salOon-keeper might have good
qualities, even while engaged i'm a
nefariOus trade. She had such hui
mility as to believe that while to
some her manner was persuasive and
convincing, to others she might be
Objectionable and to such she sent
her friends. / heard all this of Mrs.
Carpenter, and, when 1 saw her, /
would swear to every word of it.
What was the result There were a
few street professions, which were of
no use; few committees, which
talked kindly and reasonably to
saloOn-keepers, until not only did
most of these declare that they would
sell no liquors, but some even joined
the crusade. / think it was the
woman who conquered. Then the
drug-stores were assailed with pledges
binding them to sell only on medical
prescriptions. Ibelieve the druggists
signed these pledges. Many others,
who never sold, but only bought
liquors, signed pledges. Everybody
was signing something or other at
Washington, because everybody else
had signed. Now Washington was a
favorable place for this sort of thing.
The Bar OF Washington was in favor
of exercising the demon OF intemper-
ance; so was the Common Council |;
so was the Mayor; so was the public
sentiment. / firmly believe that, If
all the saloons in Chicago were of the
class which flourished in Washington
and every such town In Ohio, every
body but the Coroner would be in
favor of abOlishing them.
$50 rumor got abroad that the
ladies of Washington had prayed out
their saloons. The neighboring towns
were surprised, and commenced pray
ing.
washington ladies were i'm great
demand at Wilmington, Hillsboro,
Morrow, Circleville, and the whole
country roundabout. The rumors
spread from town to town. The
country-papers commenced upon the
movement. The metropolitan dailies
wanted all they could obtain in the
way of news from the seat of war.
The whole country was ablaze with
excitement. Dio Lewis came through
Ohio, preaching and praying, and
tanning the flames. Temperance Al
liances were formed in dozens OF
country-towns; praying and singing,
the ladies sailed out to clush the
deadly foe which had dragged their
loOved nes to ruin"
FIvE.children at "a birth This was