The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-04-10
REVIEW OF THE CRUSADE.


xvbo reside at a distance from Portland,
and TO whom the Eastern exchanges are
not accessible, will thank us for giving
them some idea of how the great Tenn
perance movement is being conducted.
IT does not matter whether we, or
whether they believe prayer to be the
surest way to Temperance reform; they
have a right to know the facts. and
those journals who do not present their
readers with so great a popular express
sion Of sentiment, fail to do their duty
as journalists.
Those who watch the movement and
its opposers in Portland must have two
very distinct ideas brought home to
them. The first is that women are capa-
bic still, in the 18th century of the same
exalted enthusiasm, and earnest reliance
upon God which actuated them in the
early days Of Christianity, when they
went cheerfully to the stake or the den
Of wild beasts, for conscience sake.
Women who can day after day calmly
face with prayer and song the brutal
lied mobs of Portland streets have in
them the stuff that martyrs are made of.
The other thought is, to what a great
extent real Christian belief is lost among
the masses of the people, even among
sO-called Christians themselves. For it
is only the liquor-dealers, the saloon
keepers, the drinkers, the politicians
who want TO buy votes at the June cleo
ton, and the men who have votes to
sell, that doubt the efficacy of prayer.
From these classes we expect nothing
better than doubt and scorn. But the
unbeliever must look with wondering
eyes upon the minister, the deacon, the
officers and members of churches who
do not join in, who practically disavow
their belief in the efficacy of Christian
ity's only weapon and defense-prayer.
In Portland the movement is sus-
tained by about one hundred persons,
meetings are held, and from ten to /
twenty-five ladies, as the case may be, 4
set out from the church 10 visit the /
liquor stores and drinking places gen.
orally, where they exhort, sing and
pray, in words of kindness and touching |
earnestness, which is not without effect /
upon their hearers. In most places these /
crusaders are treated with courtesy and /
attention, but in others are denied ad-
mission, and are compelled to hold their
exercises on the sidewalk. In one par
ticular instance every insult has been |
heaped upon them by the proprietor of
the place, as day after day they contin-
ued 10 visit him. If any one wished a
special instance of the brutalizing effects |
of liquor and the liquor traffic, this man
who has been, if he is not now, one Of
the city fathers, might be quoted as
pointed example.
On Saturday of last week while the
ladies were singing and praying at this
place, the proprietor not being able to
disperse them by his rude words, by
sounding gongs and such like means,
whereby large crowd was attracted to
the place, filling up the street, and OBJ
structing travel, he called upon the pO-
lice to interfere. Several Of the police
were mixed with the crowd, and one of
them, after one or two disappearances
inside of the saloon to fortify himself,
began ordering the ladies away, and not
only ordering them away, but pushing
them array lUith his fists. Several of the
ladies were very rudely handled; one
old lady, wearing mourning, was struck
three times in the back, and one other
lady pushed against lamp post so as to
infiiet slight bruise.
Not one of these women answered
back q word Of censure. In reply to the
officers order to move on, one of the Ia
dies passed her arm within his, saying:
'If 1 go, you must go too," and so
marched him with the ladies TO the
church, talking TO him kindly on the
way, the party followed by an immense
crowd.
1t might be asked, as these ladies did
not themselves obstruct the sidewalk,
taking care not TO do so, while the crowd
that followed to make disturbance did,
which party ought to be dispersed by
the police. And it might be asked, if
Portland police are paid to insult and to
push about on the street the wives and
mothers of some of her best citizens,
whose only offense is that they ear
nestly desire and publicly pray for the
highest good that could come to Port
land as a community.
It is not our intention to argue the
right, nor even the expediency Of their
movements. There are criseses in public
morals when existing laws and customs
are totally meaningless, when only the
Higher Law has any power or relevancy.
That crisis was reached in the days of
the Rebellion, when tie sin Of slavery
was wiped out forever-for such an
enormous sin could never return. Pos
sibly, could public sentiment be suffi-
ciently aroused, slavery's twin enor-
nifty, intemperance, might also be blot
{ ed out, never to re-appear as it has
been among US. 1t certainly is not for
any one to say that the women's Cru
sade is not the means by which
healthy public sentiment is to be ere
ated. 1t is no objection to it that 1t is
sensational. Are not all great and
strong feelings sensational Are not
,oNe, patriotism and every form Of
neroism .' sensational? And are we SO