The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-01-04


ton by Mrs. DIR. Kelley, OF
Wheeling. F-t.
Mn. PRESIDENT The relation OF wo-
man to The Temperance cause may be, in
part, ascertained by her relation to the
cause Of lntemperance. While she has
not suffered 80 DIRECTLY as man from
this curse, it has Seemed, as il in very re.
yenge for this fact, to have multiplied
and intensified its INDIRECT woes upon
her. Is she daughter5 She has often
seen her natural protector, her father,
turned into savage from whom she was
compelled to flee. Is she sister? she
has been compelled to witness the wreck
Of the playmate Of her youth. Is she II
wife? she has suffered the blight OF the
most brilliant creations, and budding
hopes Of her welded life. Is she Mothcr'
her children have been snatched from
her and sold for naught to merci less de.
stroyer, while his paid agents have been
deaf to her entreaties and made merry
over her grief and wretchedness. Is she II
social being, aiiSimpOrtant part OF our
common humanity? Her sensitive nature
has been agOnized by the woes against
which, she has protested over which she has
wept and prayed, but which she has been
unable to prevent. What then is her re-
lation to the Temperance causc2 The
least that can be said is, that she is
one OF its most needy 6enefcidrtes.
She is pleading with her drunken
sire, "Come home with me father, come
home with,me now" and she relies upon
the Temperance Reform ms powerful
AUXILIARY. She would rescue fallen
brother, and the Temperance Reform
opens its asylum to the returning prOdi-
gal. She il trying to win back to Sobrie-
" and love the husband OF her youth,
and this Reform bids her be Of good cheer,
as it says to him Courage brother, there
yet is hope" She is wooing her children
from the paths OF the destroyer" and
il conspires with her 10 break the. terri
bic enchantment. But she is not alone
n benefciarT she is a'tgOrEer. Her true re-
lation to society is that Of IAN hclp.mect
to man." and her true relation to moral
and social reforms must conform to this
divinely appointed rule. When he plans
for a campaign, she must not discourage
him, but bid him God speed. When he
flags in his purpose, she must insplrlt
him by her CHEEKY words. And when no
battles in the thickcst OF the fray she
must aid him by her prayers. Her mis-
sion as an "help.meet necessarily includes
her active participation in such organic
ed forms Of effort as may be deemed best
to the achievement OF greater success.
In the church, Christ's own institution,
she has always had her place; and those
reiormatory arrangements which are
more Immediately OF human origin, under
divine sanction, cannot well afford to ig-
more the divine order iii this. From the
inception Of the Temperance Reform To
the present, she has faithfully stood by
man in every effort for thegcnGral good,
as far as he has permitted her. II he has OPP
posed strong drink, she has done the
same. II he has assembled to the plane Of
total abstinence, she has been ready to cry
out from the summit, "Touch not, taste
not, handle not" II he has labored to &C.
cure absolute prohibition, her busy feet have
left the imprint Of her labors 70 destroy
all fellowship with the throne ofiniquity,
which frameth the mischief by law; and
even when some Of the secret forms OF
Temperance organization for time re-
fused her admission into their inner tenn
pies, she checrfuliy took her place on the
outside to direct tho footsteps OF the err
ing and the thoughtlcss to their courts
for safety, and when their rhitc coIlarei
hosts came forth to impress the public
mind, she met them with smiles rather
than reproachcs. II more recently she
seemed to step out from her subordinate
position and come to the front, II was be-
cause her masculine leaders seemed to have
grown weary in wcll.doing aud were let
ting the well earned fruits Of former vic.
tories ba trampled in the dust
by tho advancing hosts OF rum. On
ward they came with streaming banners,
commissioned by law to destroy her loved
ones and break her heart. And not until
she had urged the moral and religious OF
the sterner sex in vain to meet and repel
the enemy, did she rush to the front, and
on her Bonded knees pour the petitions OF
her almost bursting heart before God,
right in sight OF his and her enemy. For
this she has been treated to an occasional
taste OF the bitter.sweets OF Martyrdom.
She has been led TO prison as il guilty OF
crime, by rutlianly police in the liquor
interest, amid the hpotings OF rum in
spired mobs. Shchas been arraigned be-
fore Judges who had prejudged the case
against her and like her master has been
condemned to do his enemies q pleasure.
Nor has she ut all times, had that sym.
patty from his protested followers that
she had right to expect. This to her
has been the hardest part to bear. But
even this she has borne joyiully, that she
was counted worthy to suffer because OF
Him who had suffered for her.
Still the question recurs, has she i'll the
movements OF her recent crusade, trans.
cended her true relation TO the Temper
ance cause. She cannot forget that when
Barak the son OF Abinoam hcsitntcd TO-
20 up against Israel's enemies, tue Lord
caused him to share the laurelS which,
otherwise would have been his alone,
with Deborah the prophecies, TO whose
superior courage he was indebted for his
victory.
From this, our modern Barak's may
learn lesson. Fdlier not, and your De.
borah's will be your willing subordlnateS:
flag in the fight, and you will find that
they have TOO much at stake to stand back.
When Paul would not allow woman to
speak in his churches, remember, men lrsrcdy.
iagRkehroes for hetrtthj' and itthc men o. 10.
day ,rM stand up for Jesus as did those heroes
ofApostolie times they pili reliere their poncn
Of burdens which have been assumed in a
stress Of circumstance occasioned.by an
opposite state OF facts. Men Of God and
morality, do your duty in this great
cause, and woman will help you; but il
you become Indifferent, and leave the
front ranks, rest assured that rc lriH not go
to the rear with you. We feel that our
Master has called us to the front in this
great battle, and until He gives us our
discharge We dare not 90 back.
In conclusion, let me say that for
twenty-five months band OF women
have been earnestly fighting this battle
in this city, most Of the time with the
masses againstuS. regret to say that
even our churches have not stood by US
rs they should; but our motto has been,