Weekly Trinity journal., 1874-03-21
OUR AGENTS /:
SATURDAY. MARCH FL. 1874.
THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT.

Within short, comparatively short,
time the public mind is being awakened
to an extraordinary degree upon the evils
Of fintcmperanee. This awakening is not
confined to $ay particular locality, it is
general throughout the Esste,n States.
and extends TO nearly every town and
hamlet Of The Pacific Slo,.e. What the
ultimate result of this awakening will be
remains to be seen, bat with this, as with
every other movement which has for its
basis the elevation and ennoblipg of hu-
manlty, good, and not evil must accrue.
In tho East, the efforts to check intem-
perance is mainly among the women.
Bands of women, the wives, the sisters
and the daughters Of respectable men, do
mt hesitate to visit places where liquor is
sold at retail, and plead with the propri-
tors to quit the traffic. Prayer meetings
are held and hymns are sung in places
where before the song of the bschanaiiap
or the curses Of drunken men were sounds
that were heard. When refused admi.-
sion to saloon they are not deferred, but
organize their meeting and offer up their
prayers in front of the. doors. In some
cases the ladies are successful in their ef-
forts-in others they are not. In our
opinion, much depends upon who the
women are by whom the prayers and in
terccssions are made. If they are the
wives, the sisters, or the daughters of
men whose life has been made q curse to
them by drink, they will carry with them
in the desolation of the own homes, an
argument which human nature, unless
of the lowest grade, will be powerless TO
resist.
In this State the women of some of the
cities are making movement which
may be of character similar to that in
augursted by their sisters in the East.
The influence Of the temperance awaken
ing, however, is being felt in quarter
where its results will be sanctioned with
the approval Of law. The Legislature of
this State has passed several laws in aid
of the cause Of temperance, the most i'm
portant of which, the Local Option
Law" is now in the hands of the Gov
ernor. BY its provisions each eommu-
nifty will regulate the question of liquor
traffic in accordance with the will of its
voters. If the law viii stand the test of
the Courts, it will be adopted in many
localities ana ultimately, we think, be-
come almost general.
One phase of the temperance question
is developed itself in San Franci co,
which, while not strictly Temperance
movement, is one of its most efficient al
lies, The "individual drink" associa-
tion is composed of men who pledge
themselves to neither drink liquor which
is bought by others, nor to buy for others
use. Each mem Der is at liberty to drink
as much as he pleases, but lie must pay
or it him eff, and not ask any one to
join him. A bill to the same effect is
pending before tho Legi, lature, Much
of the dissipation in California arises,
not from the love al drink, but from the
convivial nature Of the manner in which
drinking is usually carried on. Men who
care nothing for liquor for itself, often
join crowd when invited, and after par
taking with the others, feel in duty bound
10 invite the others to take social glass.
In this way crowd OF friend, mono Of
whom, perhaps, are drinking men from
inclination, get on run" and scenes
Of intoxieation follow which would be
avoided if each man were pledged to
dri K on y that tor which he pays.
Another bill forbids the sale of liquors
to minors, and another prohibits minors
from playing at games of chance in a
place whore liquor is sold. If these
measures become laws, the Temperance
reaction will produce benefits which may
be counted as lasting.