National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-02-09
TEMPERANCE.
The Mass Meeting at Lincoln Hall.

Inc Mass Meeting at Llncoln nall
Although snowy weather is usually regarded
as the best assurance against a good audience, IL
seemed to exert but little power over the temper
ance folks Sunday afternoon. The meeting
brought out the very Influence" which the
ladies desired to touch and enlist, and among tne
audience might have been seen some OF our Dess
citizens. We noticed Gen. BiEney, our
The stage was occupied by large NUMBER OF
ladies Identified with the movement, such as
Mrs SsldmOre, Mrs. Church, Miss hee, &c. Az
the organ: Mrs. W. II. Pope presided, and with
the Misses Stokes Messrs. Parsons. Calvert and
CEshman made up the choir, which tornished e4-
The meeting was opened by singing, reading
from the Scriptures by Mrs. Linville and prayer
BY the Rev. J. Hervey Appleton, ID. D., followed
by cheerful sacred music which seemed to enliTen
the meeting.
Mrs. Mary E. johnson, president Temperance
Union Of Christian Women Of Brooklyn, was hrse
introduced. She is 9 lady Of ine appearance and
dignified bearing, has an excellent voice and de-
livery. She deserves particular credit for her
continued and efectual labOrs, coming as she
does disinterestedly, spending time and money,
and yet never having felt the evils she seeks TO
subVert. She spoke as follows:
1t was not wholly the sagacity Of the Peruvian
general that conquered the city Of Babylon.
Twas not 60 much his sagacity as It was owing to
the feast and reVelry. The drunken scene was
not among those Of the lower rank Of society; the
lords Of the land were there-those in official au-
thoEity, those who handled the immediate inter
ests Of the kingdom. BelehaIIsr, the king,
made q great feast to q thousand OF
his lords, and drank wine before them. The
golden vessels were brought from the temple
One feature Of this sin Of intemperRnce is that 1t
always leads into one Of deeper nature. His
princes, his wives, kept him company in drinking
from the sacred vessels. The same sin in our
land has brought our nation into peril. Our God
has let the evil until the nation has felt the
need Of him TO deliver 1t. No human power could
break the chain. And when q heart-rending wall
came from palace and howell then God answered,
al have seen the atfiictiOn Of my people; have
heard their grooming, and am come down to de-
women of our country, ~ will send thee into
Egypt" But, we ask, what can women do with
q Latienal evil of SO great magnitude. Gods
word and religious history tell us many instances
where woman was called into action for the saving
Of the people. 1t was not only Moses and Aaron,
but Miriam assisted in the leadership OF people
100000 strong. when Israel did evil they cried
unto the Lord, and Deborah, inspired with faith
in God, awoke and gave command to her armies.
Her leading general would not go to the battle
without her. "lf thou wilt 90 with me then will
60" said Barak; but if thou wilt not go with me
then will not CO." Israel was scared aud the
opposing forces were overcome.
Queen Esther demonstrated the power of
WOmen's prayer and deliYeranee came to her
nstiOn. For three days and nights she and
her maidens parted and petitioned the God Of
nations, and he heard and answered.
And go might go en- in history. But what have
We to do with to-day? An enemy, msrsbaled by
powers Of darkness, shadOWing homes and blight
ing almost every household, is stealthily coming
upon US. The Church Of Christ has been asleep.
while men slept he has come in and brought
".
Saloons and places under every name are its
lurking places-restauraDts, oyster houses club
houses, billiard halls, AID under the respectable
names Of druggist and grocer. From the last
named channel 1t is reaching into families OF
every grade Of society, and o nation Of children
ale being trained into an appetite that will make
them drunkRTds. The infant is receiving 1t as an
inheritance not only from the father but the
mother. u, women of God arise! We bear re-
spsnsibility in this matter. Faith looks mp and
so do our hearts. We know God will put an end
to these evils, and He will do it through US if we
will only let Him.
Mrs. UnderhilI made a very impressive appeal
for the cause, setting forth the necessity Of money
to carry on the work. when a ready response was
given in small contributions from almost every one
present amid singing.
Mrs. Wittenmyer, president Of the United Wo-
mems Temperance Union, was then introduced,
and was recognized by the audience, who had
heard her admirable address last Sunday or read
1t in The kEPUBLICAN. She said that she had
great faith in the wOmeD's movement, because she
had great faith in women and IN God. Some had
Asserted that no child lives who will see the end
of intemperance. They have not had tine vision.
They told her father the same Of slavery, but he
lived to see 1t overthrow. All Christians
were to clasp hands and forget denominations.
They had God and truth on their side, but they
wanted the men. There must be united effort
1t was their business to make good laws, and not
say that the liquor tratic shall be laWless. She
suggested that, while the laws were being
changed, now would be a good time to incorporate
something upon that traffic into them, and she
ferred facetioGsly, but delicately, to the uncer-
house in laughter. lntemperance took three to
five hundred thousand from the producing pow
Of this country annually; nineteen-tWentieths of
the divorce cases came from the same causes We
were supporting one half the paupers on account
Of it, and three fOurths Of all the cases that go to
the police station grow out Of IT. and nine teuths
of all the persons the United Women's Temper
ance Union assist were from this. Then she sug-
gested that patronage be given to establishments
where liquor formed no part Of the stock in trade,
and she spoke Of terms with grOcers, and referred
Obscurely to political transactions, which kept
the house applauding until they were requested
to desist. She then said they meant to have a
more thorough organization than the ablest poll
tician could effect, and predicted the time when
intemper8nce would not enter the Capitol.
Mrs. LinVille said she felt like Sister johnson,
and wanted to go somewhere TO pray. She in
Tited others TO go with her and join in devotion
every Thursday afternoon, from to 2 at the lee
ture-room Of the Y. NJ. q. A.
DR.. Chickering added a word Of testimony as to
the movement, especially as he had seen It in
Brooklyn, and heard Mrs. johnson describe 1t at
ehusetts Union. He offered the following minute,
which, he said, was similar, in substance, to one
lately passed by the Massachusetts Temperance
Society, remarkable for conservatism formed
in 1913:
This assembly would express its deepest in
terest in the addresses we have heard, aud the
existence and work OF the WOmen's Temperance
Union here and elsewhere, and we trust that such
a movement, inauRurated in such q spirit, will
tend powerfully and benefcially toward forming
a correct public sentiment on this important sub
ject.
The motion was carried by a unanimous rising
vote.
Rev Mason Noble, D. D., then pronounced the
benedictiOn.