The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1874-03-13

mwOmanly and altogether wrong" said
Mrs. Elliott warmly. THE idea of wo-
men marching in bands thro' the streets.
followed by a rabble of rude men and
bovs-the iiea Of refined ladies forcing
their way into some filthy bar-rOom, full
Of obscene guzzling, ill-omened looking
loafers. and kneeling on the tobacco
stained flor in audible prayer. These
Temperance movements always tend to
fanaticisn. but this is a little worse than
ANYTHING | have heard of yet. Must
woman nseX herself and brave the
most disgusting phase of publicity
Must the pearls of religious feeling, even
in the Dst sacred form of prayer, be
east befoe the swine that infest these
low dens"
The Sp,aker was young and very
pretty lazy, who had lived in our town
about n year. Indeed, she had not been
married much longer than that, having
come to Us as a bride. She was fine
type of he New England girl, quite
brilliant md ready in conversation, very
refined and high-cultured, a little Opin-
donated. but intense in her disgust at
the pronounced phase of wOman's
sphere" she was wont TO say, and
there she can be the power behind and
above tie throne" As we came TO
know he, well, we found that she pos
sessed a warm heart and Christian prin-
ciple. thmgh not very obtrusive in man
ifesting either Something of the cold
ness anC repression of New England
society tnctured her manner and made
her seem little formal at first in con
trast witt our free. hearty Western style.
Like too many of her sisters. instead
of gaining hardness from the bleak
hills and chill winds of her early home,
she app.ared frail blossom that would
eyer ned the shelter of the tenderest
love and care.
Her husband was a Western man, one
who had grown up in our young city.
He was well connected, of recognized
ability al a lawyer, and with a future
before lin of the fairest promise. 1t
had occasionally been whispered that he
drank rather freely, but no one had
ever seel him the worse for it. His
lovely young wife seemed to possess
boundlez influence over him, and for
the greater part of his first year of mar
ried life lie had been very domestic. But
of late le spent his evenings out more
frequently, excusing his absence by say
ing that there were parties that could
be seen IN the way of business better at
night than during the day.
had ny fears, but the wife suspected
nothing.
Two or three of us were sitting soci-
ally will our work in her pretty parlor
one afternoon, when some remark on
the strange temperance movement that
had Lately been developed led to Mrs.
EIIiott's decided expression of opinion
with which have commenced this brief
record o: an experience so different from
my usual qaiet life.
/ will merely say to the reader that |
am a mddle-aged widow lady, quite
alone in the world My home is next
door to that of Mrs. Elliott's, and from
some secret affinity We had become very
intimate Years before my natural heart
treasures had slipped from me, and |,
I'm my loneliness, found it very easy to
love my young neighbor as a daughter.
Through a side entrance We ran in and
out of each others homes with perfect
freedom, and often sat with our work
together
This afternoon Mrs. Judge Ashman,
another intimate friend, was also with
us. Her only immediate response to
Mrs. Elliott's words was deep sigh. At
last she said
The evil grows so desperate | can
scarcely wonder at any effort TO counter
act it. though / must say with you that
I can scarcely understand this one. |
do not see how a lady can go 10 such
places a you describe, | suppose, only
too truly. But the trouble is, the worst
mischief is not done at these 'dens
Many of our drinking saloons are elegant
i'm all their appointments, and are fire.
quented by gentlemen.
- No NATTER answered Mrs. Elliott.
almost hotly womanly delicacy for
bids that she should go to such places.
They are frequented by rOues and gam
blers. also. who differ from the ragged
loaferS only in being better dressed. Ia
each case she is liable to insult, and to
see and hear things which. TO pure,
refined woman. are worse than blows.
I'd rather meet the coarse brutality of
the denS' than the contemptuous leers
and mocking smiles of the gilded
saloons
What you say, my dear, seems
perfectly true, and have always felt so
myself. But oh what can we do 2
what can we do 2 It's dreadful TO sit
still with folded hands and see the havoc
these places are making
The pathOs and distress in Mrs. Ash
mans voice We're too deep to be caused
by merely general appreciation of the
evils of intemperance. | had read the
secret of the mothers trouble in the
flushed and blOated face of one of her
sons. Mrs. Elliott looked at her with
a little surprise. and said more quietly :
- agree with you, it is a very great
evil, perhaps the greatest in our age,
but ii is mans work TO cope with it
publicly. Women can help by making
home so attractive that husbands, faith
ers. and brothers will find nothing that
can tempt them abroad Thank God.
l have never had much personal expert
ence in this matter. Nv husband takes