The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-05-09

CHA ore Slrceh Dtalef throws ND tine
sponge-Mass Meeting at Fluent Hall
The Visiting Committees mt Work.
The measures taken at the Die Lewis lecture
| Thursday night resulted in the Inauguration of
| the temperance crusade in this city yesterday
| At eight O clock yesterday morning knot of
| enthusiastic men gathered in the ante-rooms OF
| Fluent Hall and effected temporary organ
| ization by the choice of Albion Little Esq, as
| chairman, and Rev. j. M. Palmer as Secretary.
| The meeting was very earnest one, and the
| remarks made were thoroughly in accord with
| by Dio Lewis. Committees were chosen to
adopt name and plan of organization, to be
| submitted to the evening meeting.
AT ten o'clock in the morning about thilt y
women assembled in the ladies' reception room
of the same building for the purpose of organ
izing plan by which to begin temperance
crusade similar to that which has swept over
the West. Many estimable ladies were pres
ent, some undoubtedly drawn by curiosity but
the majority animated by desire to ascertain
the best ways of helping on the temperance
movement by voice and prayer and material
aid. Even those who came from curiosity
alone soon caught the spirit of the movement,
and grew as enthusiastic as the others.
After few Introductory remarks from DR.
Lewis, explanatory of the system of visiting
committees. the meeting organized by the
choice of Miss G. M. Scales as President and
Mrs. A. c. Dyer as Secretary. Miss Scales
offered fervent prayer, and the women joined
in singing the Western battle-hymn, Nearer
my God to Thee
DR.. Lewis then besought them to bear in mind
that they had something to do besides to meet
and talk over the situation. There was time
when temperance meetings were necessary to
educate the people. Now the fact that intern
perance is curse has been branded into the
very heart of the Nation. That is not a ques-
ton in dispute. That lesson has been learned
at bitter cost. 1t is now necessary to do
something more than to meet, to organize, to
resolve. In Troy the women held meetings
every day, for thirty-three days,and that was
all they did do
IT NEARLY KILLED THE MOVEMENT.
One of the women then offered the following
which was enthusiastically adopted:
Voted That we, the Christian women of
Portland, do here and now form ourselves in
to an organization for the doing away of in
temperance in this city.
Earnest remarks were then made in support
of the movement by the following named la
dies, Woodman, Spencer, Ellis, Staples, Nor
gan, Plaster, Roberts and Small, aud by Rev.
Mr.. Peckham of Hallowel The remarks
were characte rized by an enthusiastic sincerity
of purpose, and by charity in Judgment and
moderation in expression on which many a
male ranter and fierce denunciator of his neigh
boris opinions would do well to model his ut
terances. Indeed the speeches all breathed the
spirit of -,
PURE CHRISTIAN CHARITY.
One woman said that we should all bear in
mind that thirty years ago deacons were rum
sellers and clergymen tipplers, and that liquor
was to be found ON every sideboard in Christian
households Since that time Christians had
seen the error of their ways, but the matter
had not been brought home to the judgment
and conscience of the dram sellers. They still
believed their occupation to be legitimate, and
should not be condemned for adhering to their
convictions We should reason with and plead
with them.
Another woman said she knew a rum-seller
whom she had not the heart to condemn,
whom no one, perhaps, had the right to con-
denim. He and his brother went into the army
during the Rebellion and fought nobly. In
one of the early battles his brother was shot
dead at his side, and he himself wounded He
brought the dead body of his brother home.
Land it at his widowed mothers feet, and has
tened back to the front. AT the conclusion of
the war, he was left with little capital and
a widowed mother to support. He went INTO
the rum business. That man, were other
means of support opened to him, would no
doubt gladly abandon the traffic.
One woman rose and said she should be
afraid to visit rum sellers. should fear personal
violence. DR.. Lewis assured her that they
were the jolliest fellows in the world, and
would treat her with the greatest imaginable
courtesy. Another woman rose and substan-
tated the doctors statement. She said she
frequently had occasion to visit
NELSON LEIGHToN's SHOP,
to distribute tracts, and was always
used with marked civility. Still another
woman had pleaded with rum seller
on Fore street, and had induced him to quit the
business. This instance was received with
EXCLAMATlONsO OF DELIGHT
and the women sang another verse of their bat
tie hymn.
Six visiting committees, of two women each
were then formed to call at the dwelling houses
of liquor dealers and to plead with their fami-
lies and them. The following constitute the
committee: Miss G. NJ. Scales Mrs. A. c.
Dyer, Mrs.J. B. Coyle, Mrs. M. J. Woodman,
Mrs. j. S. Staples, Mrs. NJ. J. Simpson, Mrs. H
L. Warwick, Mrs. A. c. Morgan. Miss L. R.
Martin, Miss A. N. Ellis, Mrs. E. W. Graves
aud S. R. Wilbur.
The committee were instructed to enter upon
their work Immediately and to report progress
at an adjourned meeting to be held at three
o'clock Monday afternoon. The President and
Secretary were constituted committee to call
upon all the clergymen and ask them to
preach sermons tomorrow upon temperance.
THE NEXT MOVE
will be to call upon the physicians and drug
gists. The physicians will be asked to sign a
pledge not to prescribe alcoholic liquors except
in case of absolute necessity, and the drug
gists to sign one not to sell any liquors except
upon the prescription of reputable physicians.
Then the owners of tenements will be asked
W piCuSO tucuSclNtS uOJ W leI UeUeueulS W o.
occupied for the purpose of selling liquor. No
street parades will be INDUCED in, nor obstruc-
tons encouraged, and no aid will be asked
from the law. for the cause depends upon
moral suasion alone. 1t is certainly matter
of congratulation that no harsh words have
been used and no uncharitable feelings INDUCED
in in starting the
CHRISTIAN wOMENs MOVEMENT IN MAINE.
The movement will have one good effect at
least 1t will teach the women to rely upon
themselves, it will teach them the value of con-
certed action, it will teach them the necessity
aid the power of organization. Wher the
day comes that they shall be entrusted with
the ballot they can enter upon their trust edu
Gated in the management of public affairs
and the nodus operandi of public business
When they met in Fluent Hall at ten o'clock
yesterday morning they did not know how to
elect presiding officer. to put or second mo-
ton, to frame a resolution. AT the hour of adj