Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-08-04
TEMPERANCE COLUMN.
Contributed pYr wcMEN's TINrER AScE UNION.
WOMAN ) INTERNATIONAL TEMPERANCE CONVEX
TON

Contributed wcMEN's TEMPERANCE UNION
WOMAN ) INTERNATIONAL TEMPERANCE CoSyEA
TON.
The very existence Of such meeting as
was held at the Academy of Music Philadel
phia, June 10Th. shows the wonderful pro
gress made in woman's Temperance work
Three years ago this movement was in il
infancy, derided by the foes of tempernce
mistrusted by its friends. But the flame
kindled in Ohio by the desparing effort of a
drunkard's wife, spread throughout the
nation, till last year National Woman 5
Temperance organization was formed, with
% auxiliary State organizations. Now not
only all the United States have joined hands
in this noble work, but the whole world is
wheeling into line Of battle. At the con-
ventiOn in Chicago one year ago, Mr.. and
Mrs. Parker, Of Dundee, Scotland, were
present, with other representatives. from the
British Isles They were 50 impressed with
the work here that they determined to
inaugurate similar work in Great Britain.
Mr. Parker persuaded Mother Stuart to come
over and help them. The record of their
work, throughout England, Ireland and
Scotland, read ike that Of Father Matthew.
The Isla7ds seem afame, thousands have
signed the pledge and kept it, so that even
in these few months the decrease in pauper-
ism traceable to into1ication is noticed by
municipal authorities A British Christian
Woman's Temperance Mon, similar to our
own has been established, Of which Mrs.
Margaret Parker is President.
The meeting Monday was organized BY
appointing Mrs. Parker temporary President
and Miss Francis Willard. OF Chicago, Mrs.
| Burt, of Brooklyn, and Mrs. Butler, of
! Canada, Secretaries. Mrs. Wittenmeyer
welcomed the delegates, in a most hearty
manner. Two continents here met, she said,
to clasp hands at the foot of the cross,
swearing eternal hostility to the rum power.
| We must tx a standard Of morality for man,
as high rs that for woman, and it viii soon
| empty saloons of all respectable men. She
| spoke OF the TariOus phases Of our work,
among women, for inebriaies and the fallen,
with tie children, with young ladies' One
great cause flr hope Is in the fact that in our
bands OF hope are three million boys now in
training, who eight or ten years hence Will
be voters, anu will vote for temperance.
Mrs. Parker Of Dundee responded. dwelling
on the good she felt the British Isles had
received from America, and especially on
the glorious results Of Mother Stuart's labors
across the water A noble letter from Mrs
). c. Hall. the well known writer was read
as were many letters from many distinguished
men and women, including Maria Mitchell,
Wendell Phillips. Madam Hyacinthe. j. q.
Whittier, Queen ictOria. W c. BRYANT, and
Others, expressing sympathy with the move
ment.
The pleasantness Of the meeting was great
ly increased by the singing Of Mrs Clark, Of
New York. She is quiet. unassuming wo-
man who stood before Us in simple fashion,
and, without any accompaniment on organ
or piano, sang in n voice so strong and clear
that the slightest word was heard throughout
the vast Academy. Fear Not, rs -
"Who Is on the Lord Side - The Ninety
and Nine, and many other pieces were 50
rendered as to electrify all hearts The
whole exercises were of absorbing interest
there were no set speeches or Iapers, but
each spoke as women DO speak in this
Quaker City, "as they are moved When
the speakers are such women aS Mrs. Liver
more, Mr.. Willing, Mrs.. Parker, Mrs. Fas-
ter, Mrs. Pruyn OF japan, Mrs. Well,tood Of
Edinburgh, Miss Willard Of Chicago, and
Mrs NIttenmeyer, You can imagine what
the overflow of their hearts would be. Mrs
Noumans, o. Canada, was one the most el-
foctlve speakers enthusiastic, witty, ready,
She kept Us vibrating between tears and
laughter. She received her first impulse in
this work al the convention at Cincinnati,
last year, went home determined to capture
Canada Tor temperance, and if the thing can
be done She will DO it. She described the
laws of her province, showing how, when
fully aroused, the women there discovered
that, in an ordinance passed in 1864, they
had key in their own hands to shut up the
liquor shops. The law had been a dead let
ter, but arorsing public sentiment they had
secured its enforcement, and as a result they
have now one of the best liquor laws in the
world. Women had discovered that they
were made for something better than to smile
swcetly when things lease them, or pout
when they DO not. They are made to plead
and to pray I'D rather have the power Of
a good, pure woman to-day, then to have
500 votes to cast. Get your spirit up to
the point it was when you poured the tea
into Boston harbor. and the rum will 90
One Of the English delegates remarked |
that they had come over the water to settle |
that little tea bill ; it had now been standing
on interest a hundred years, but if we would |
shut up all rum shops, they would give US
receipt in full.
The great work the convention was the |
organizing of an international Woman's |
Temperance Union, and the passing of reSO-
lutions. The organization was perfected by |
an able committee. and the election of Mrs. |
Margaret Z. Parker, Dundee, Scotland, |
President, with other officers from all parts |
of the world, Mrs. Wittenmeyer representing |
the United States Mrs. Youmans, Canada |
Mrs. Wellstood, Scotland Mrs. Jones, Wales |
Mrs. Eimondson, Ireland; Mrs Pruyn, |
Japan; Miss Harriet Brittian, India Mrs. |
Lucus, (sister of John Brght) England
Mrs. Frances Harper, Africa, and other
ladies with unpronounceble names, Italy.
France, China. Sandwich Islands, South
American States, &c.
The unity of feeling peryading the meet
ing was beautiful, not one note of discord
Jared. The resolutions were adopted unan-
imously, with the greatest enthusiasm, the
tenth, pledgng "our lives, our fortunes, and
our sacred honor to the suppression of in
temperance, which principle we will main
tain to our life's end and dying beaueath to
our daughters was adopted by rising
vote, and followed by prayer and thanks
giving. The whole meeting through its
three sessions was characterized by spirit
of earnest devotion to the cause and to
Christ as our great Helper. In the evening
grand mass meeting in the Academy Of
Music, addressed by Miss Frances E. vii
ard. Mrs. Wittenmeyer, Mrs. Pruyn. Mrs.
foumans, Mother Stuart and others, all good
speakers, but Of all Miss Frances Z. Willard
of Chicago is the hest. never heard any
thing equal her, and as listened | did not
wonder at remark made by n gentleman who
heard her in New York, that she was the
smartest woman in America, if not in the
world NJ. W1sr.
SAYS the Milwaukee Sentinel: "Mr. Til |
den has now been the nominee of his party |
for three weeks, and surely it has never oc-
CURED In the history of this country that a
Presidential candidate, in so short a time.
has been so eynosed str;npad of he f,lsa