Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-02-26
LANCASTER WISCONSIN, THURSDAY FEBRU AIRY 25 1874
The New Temperance Movement
What is said of It.

What is said of 1t.
we give up a good deal of space to
accounts of the movement inaugur-
ted by the women of Ohio for the
suppression of the whiskey traffic.
The action of these Jealous women,
however well meant, is not every
shere looked upon with favor, or
considered the most effective means
1f accomplishing the end they have
m view. The Springfield Republican
says of it:
"Blt when thou prayest, enter in
TO thy closet" not into somebody
discs rnm-shop, is the divine il june
LIon. We see that the women OF
'ome places in southern Ohio are
visiting the rum-shops with prayer
IN great numbers, and with consider
able apparent results. The closing of
these results, whenever they have
been closed, is due quite as much to
The natural respect for Iade as to
any Influence of prayer, and can only
% temporary. 1t is greatly to be re-
GREETED that the sacred privilege
should be thus vulgarized Many of
the Ium- 'elle's have legal objections
to being thus interfered with in
business, which, though not respec a.
ole, is certainly legal, after the con-
ditlons of the law have been complied
With. TO hold prayer-meetings in a
grog-shop is trespass on the rights
the proprietor, as great in the eye
of law and justice as it would be for
tbs rum-selers 10 hold a drinking
bout in the parlor of one of these
ladies. 1t is very du sense which
cannot see it so. We trust that re-
llgion and the sacred ordinance will
not be put to so sensational and llle-
gal use III Massachusetts,.
The New York Evening Post a.
Iudlng to The same sui .ject remarks:
1T is difficult to catalogue properly
the 'new Temperance movement, as
il is called. Those engaged in it do
not trust entirely to moral suasion.
because they force thcmsrlves upon
the liquor sellers and turn their places
of buslness into places If praye'. 1t
is not IN strict acc ,rdance wi b law,
because those engaged in it ar tres-
passers upon the private lights Of
hqu0r sellers. l. i. not purely hu-
man 1 # ,rt 10 rid The community of
pestiferOus evil. because in every it,
stahce The help of the ID vim b ing
is invoked neither is il "a purely
spiritual iaOOr, because the pray ers
are offered before the very counle
whose overthrow is desired. In
short, it appears to be nondescript
struggle against liquor selling, in
which every weapon known TO the
moral refor mer, except tho purely le-
gal one, is employed.
When the ", man Of a community
rise up IN arms against any peculiar
kind of business, it IL sate TO infer
that there is some monstrOus evil To
be removed Women, b we've rad
c ii in their opinons, are always COLI
oOi " ~ dOltDit1 AbO wv Wv NV
pray out of doors on the ice for any
trivial reason. For such revival OF
sound moral sentiment, however II
regular its manifestation, here can
be no o.her feeling than hat Of re-
81 ect. Bat sentiment and specially
moral sentiment, RAJ, |, fl IDS autborl-
ty in law to do whatever those under
it's il fluence wa ats TO do. A crowd
Of praying women have no more
right to enter u room against the
~I-h of the owner or the person VIII"
hires it than a crowd % burglars.
However Injurious or despica5e
mau's business may be, so long as ne
conducts it according to law be is en-
tlled to protection from the Violerc4
OF u mob, whatever may be the cbarac-
ter of the il dividrals composing the
mob. The intent of the visitors does
not max good. either in law or in
sound reason, the absence of consent
on the part of the person visited.
The women in O3iD, before begin
ming their meetings, have obtained
pretty gener, llg the consent of the
liquor d.; r.. Tns consent howev-
or, rarely has been given voluntarily
L. has been given by man brought
face to face with u crowd of womer.
We are not certain. therefore. of the
disposition of the liquor sellers.
There was one thrifty person VIII b.-
came 80 energetic convert hat the
women raised u purse of m ,ney for
tim. II s not best to sabsidiZe men
to cease doing evil
The main question is, what good
will the community get from this
movement W II The dreadful prac-
tice of dram trI king be brokt up
or dminisheo Will the moral judy
ment Of The people be strong enough
To oOerbear the pers' nal Interests OF
the liqnor sellers and their customers?
TnuS far the women have been sue-
tanned by popular opinion.
The strength Of The movement lies
in The disposition OF the public. III
women must be discreet or be cause
W II suffe' L is u question In any
case whetrer The & pod results Of this
sentim mt; | crusade can be retained
IN the daily practIceS OF the people.
| The destruction OF a few barrels OF
" hiskey is OF little account: 70 d.
mini-h permanently tho total number
of lion r shoIs in a cnmmuaity Is
result of great consequence "a resu |
which we hope these women, work
ing in their own way, will help to
secure