Smyrna times., 1874-02-25


to show its own fears for its party.
THE WoMAN's WAR Upon THE Dram
SHOPS. Nothing since the financial panic of
last September has SO interested the whole
country as the efforts now being put forth by
the women Of the West to wipe out the grog
shops by praying the grog sellers into re-
peatence. We do noS propose to moralize
upon the probable success Of the plan, or
critcise the action of the women, or anything
of that sort, bat merely to give short resume
of one of the most remarkable crusades ever
witnessed in any country. In view of the
absorbing INTEREST," the subject has created, some
th$Eg ei tkis kind seems necessary, because we
have het been able, and have not tried, to give
ttke of the information that has 6cuged the
daily papers for weeks, neither have our
readers, for the most part, been able to keep
pace with the events.
About the first week in January the crusade,
xSe 'mOral cyclone," as some call it, was
inaugurated when some women in Franklin,
Ohio, who had suffered from the evils of
drunkenness from no fault Of their own, after
praying for relief in their churches and pre-
senting the pledge 70 gentlemen friends on the
street, concluded upon a more active campaign
They formed in procession and took their
prayers and their songs and their pledges to
the very counter Of beer vender They read
a short, courteous address, written not in re-
bukeful. bus persuasive language, beseaching
the saloon keeper to desist from business from
which their sex reaped nothing but sadness
and heart rendings. "Woman's prayers and
woman ; tears brought the veUder to a capitu-
IatiOn. From this spark flame like prairie
fire has overspread the Northwest. At first
the movement was looked upon as the mere
HectIDg excitement of the hour, and the lauor
dealers contemplated it more in pity than in
anger" But two months have gone by, and
every week witnesses an augmentation of the
furore. 1t has passed through Ohio to
Indiana and Illinois. and now demonstrations
OF srmular character are being organized in
New York ami other Eastern cities
In the larger cities OF the West, such as
Cincinnati Columbus, Dayton, &C., the results
have not been of that successful character tha,
have characterized the smaller towns But
the women seem none the the less resoute for
that They go on with their work. They
enter the saloons in procession and with sing
ing. IF objection is urged by the saloon keeper
they retire to the street in front Of his door
and for whole day keep up their prayers and
their songs, even in rain, cold, mud and every
other obstacle, until the object of their prayers
is forced to surrender. All manner of engines
OF defense have been brought against them
without avail. At one place an unregeneratc
saloon keeper throws snuff into the midst OF
the praying band. At another an irats rufian
assaults them with poker. Vulgar pictures
are displayed in the shop windOws Coarse
jests are heard as the crusaders march through
the streets. The law is invoked by the dealers
TO prevent trespass upon private premises anC
interference with legal occupations Neverthe
less the crusade goes on, and the roll of victory
lengthens every day.
1t may be all spasmodic enthusiasm, to burr
out from its own intensity, but it ia having the
sweep for the time The crusaders saerifc,
home, comfort and money in the cause, 8,
powerful are their nerves strung up on tht
subject. We read one account in which it il
stated TIM 4 lady in Hillsboro, Ohio, ha
pIeiaei - to the cause, and many other
are as liberal as Shs according to their means
Committees Of gentlemen have been organized
TO assist them, in many instances, but thes
committees have kept prudenty 10 the back
ground. Thus violence has been prevented
for even the most boatcd and beery opponent
of the crusade would only at the rarcst interva
offer assault to the women, however mucl
they might geer and insult them.
The cause, it is safe to say, however mucl
it may enlist the sympathies of rum drsadn
people, will not work the overthrow OF the traffic
1t may. and has, aroused a greater interest i
the temperance cause, but beyond that we ma
not look. Some criticisms from the Ne,
York religious press are published in anothe
column.
Reported Escape OF the Rank Burg