The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-03-13
GheGttelIiqsttter.
second Anniversary OF the W SG;
MANS Temperance MOEehpe"'
In This CITY.

Tho occasion Of the second anniversary,
Of the Womuns Temperance Union o,,, o,
Wheeling was celebrated IL the C lsc.urs
room Of The Fourth Street NJ n Chutch
s, OS afternoon. The exercises were
,,cncd by singing the Coronation LYNN
or "rSycr by Mrs. Ball, and the reading oil
= palm by Elder Ball. :, a.,
M I DE-. Kelley, the President Of the
I,aion. then announced that a review oil
the Temperance work, prepared y mos.
TornbrGok, Esq, would BIZ read by Misc
Meholin. The lady then. took the stand
and read as follows:
Ia Me Lqdie, Of the IEoHau'' Temperance
League Of Whecli"g'
Your request that ! should on TINS
,scond anniversary Of your organization
,s a temperance body give the history
thereof, leads the mind back to nc eAc ~
ING scenes then occurring in ono anu
"thcr sister States, along with Inc cru, cru
s,Ie movement. Thought rec'lrs l? tnosg
I I"%orS NJ your sex in other portions OIL
n l"Uo'T land nj where heroic deeds were
performed, amid the ,. SonI"V y
hose who were undermining society
hv traffic which We believe mas proved
y w 't !" he nm unmigitGted crIi, and after
isso, ,Ia :" this deduction follows:-lti it
tnG , ,mJ m evil, is it within the licensing
n Do S"- Of a Christian people? An army
p ro" IN motion far off as well MS around
"" "I' not as OF old, when Peter the Her
mil had reused the Christian world with
n cry OF deliverance for the Holy Land,
Lut we had nourished and strengthened
a yiper until it had bitten us and its
hangs had pierced nearly every house
hail. Nothing but desolation seemed to
await those who dared singlc.handed to
oppose il, while its siren song luIed to
r,'ernal as we'll rs temporal death all; even
our dearest, who smelled, slipped, tasted,
drank and died.
II is hardly necessary for ME to say
tha, | have long had the temperance cause
a, heart; been fired almost to the point of
evil speaking while watching its contain
mating influences upon this community.
frequently wondering how minister Of
the Gospel Of Christ could tolerate in his
ioll, or church, any one who was wiliul-
IL leading his brother into sin; and then
perhaps, concluding that their was only
a name, and that no genuine
Christian, since the light Of tenn
nerance broke upon our nation, thirty
or forty years ago, had continuously or
for onv length OF time, engaged in that
traffic. | had met your late worthy
President, Mrs. L. a: Hngans, on Main
street, The renowned lecturer, John D.
Cough, had been here. The Rev. }. L..
Thompson had been fired by contact
with tho blaze which the mothers, wives
and daughters Of Ohio had kindled.
Mrs. IIagans, and others here, had been
seeing, hearing Of, and reading about, the
cxertions Of the women crusaders in our
sister states; and thought that part OF the
Efforts of the Home Mission Society, over
which she presided, might be wisely di,
rcctcd in that way. The public mind all
over tho country was highly inllnmed
by the subject, and to show you with
what "argus-likc eyes" the local editors
watch for an item, quote the following
from the INTELLIGENcER oil March Sth,
1874. "IRe Prayer Ta:"-
"a rumor is current upon the streets,
that considerable sum OF money has
been pledged to assist the whiskcy crnsa-
ders, should that movement be inaugu-
rated here. The report cannot be traced
TO any authentic source however. We
are inclined to think the ladies Of this
city have no idea whatever OF engaging in
the moral revolution" But the offset to
the "local idea" was penned by him on
the second day after his "idea" was pub
Iishcd, and reads: "Pfeparing for Prayer"
"For some days past several prominent
ladies' in this city have been quietly at
work canyassing the subject OF organizing
a crusade, similar to that now agitating
various Ohio towns. The result was
evidently satisfactory to the ladies, as
quite large number OF them met in the
Grant House parlors yesterday Tor con-
sultation. What transpired at this meet
inr we arc not prepared 10 say, as no re:
porter was admitted; but we are informed
that the first prayer meeting will be held
in the English Lutheran Church, near the
PostoAicc, this afternoon at o'clock"
Now il the first quotation proved the per-
severance with which "Local" pursues
an item, the second demonstrates the abil.
i,y Of the ladies to keep their own
counsel, as the Local admits, for several
DAYS. The engineer had decided that the
route was practicable, the advance guard
was prepared to hold the first council, oil
war and like the Christian hero, they first
sought strength in prayer. The public
press said : "About one hundred and
hily persons, the majority OF whom were
ladies assembled in the English Luthe-
ran Church to inaugurate the meetings
proposed to DO held in this city. Rev:
Barnitz, on behalf Of the ladies, requested
Rev. Bris,ow to preside. The latter gen.
tIeman came forward, read the fifth chap
ter Of lst Thessalonians, and after the
singing of Coronation" offered prayer,
The Chairman then remarked that rs he
was a stranger TO most OF those present,
he would avoid any special invitation, by
extending n general one, and hence re-
0uested all present TO voluntarily engage
in exhortations and prayers. lie hoped
there would be no hesitation on the part
Of any one in the audience in giving
their views, as it was necessary that gen.
eral expression OF opinion shonld be OBJ.
tanned in ord,F that harmony and sue
cess might be sure.
After singing How Sweet the Name oil
Jesus Sounds" Rev. Barnitz led in
PRAYER and fervently asked that the
members Of our City Council might be
enabled to "stand up for Jesus" and
induced to resist the evils Of intempcrance.
Sweet Hour OF Prayer" was then sung,
and Rev. J. B. Clark, Of St. Johns Epis:
copal Church, petitioned the Throne OF
Grace. This was followed successfully by
other hymns and prayers, in which Kew.
WilIets and John Baltic, Esq, led. Rev.
Moflat said they must not adjourn with
ont an expression Of opinion. He
thought they were congregated as much
for consultation "A for prayer and singing.
lie was not prepared to say what was
hest TO be done. He had not given SUI.
Gcicnt thought to the matter to warrant
conclusion. lie thought the time was
a favorable one for arousing public senti'
nlent but was not sure that the crusade
plan would prove a success in TINS
city. There should be conference
among the friends OF temperance, and