Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-04-19
Mr.. Foster and the Good Templars.
INDEPENDENCE. April Is. 1873.

INDEIENDENCE 1ApIIl 10, 1910.
EDITOR BULLETIN:-The writer here
Of attended the temperance meeting in
the Opera House in this city, on Mon
day evening, April ID, and was much
pleased with the general tone of earn
estness and frmness which characterize
ed all the remarks. The large audience
attested their sympathy with the speak
ers by the closest attention and by fire.
quent applause, which could not fail to
impress an observer with the thought
that the people were becoming interest
ed in the success of temperance work,
and were anxious to hasten the day
when our fair land should be freed from
the terrible curse of intemperance. So
large an audience must Of necessity con-
tain persons of all shades of belief and
practice as to the methods Of conduct
ing this work, and for a speaker to n
nounce views influenced by prejudice or
narrowed by bigotry, would be rashness,
indeed, and could but provoke a re-
spouse from some one whose position
had been attacked. To the remarks in
general, as made by Messrs. Foster,
Jennings and Holman, no exceptions
could be taken, but one assertion made
by Mr.. Foster, must dispute. Coming
from the source it did, l was much sur
prised. Mr.. F. seemed to have forgot
ten that he had earned a reputation for
logical reasoning and for liberal chris
tian views, and that persons would very
naturally expect his remarks to show
the same features in speaking of tenn
perance. | refer to the remarks made
about the organization of Good Tenn
plars, which descended into a charge of
uselessness against the members of that
organization everywhere, and pointed
by insinuations to the lodge in this city.
He accuses them of meeting, going
through a lot of senseless mummery,
having a good time, but neuerdoiing any
thing for the aus Of temperance. A
modest statement, isn't it? Carefully
considered before made, no doubt.
Now, it is just as true Of the Good
Templars as Of any other society, that
their success in advancing the princi-
pies OF the order depends upon the indi-
vidual members. If men Of energy, ac-
tive temperance men, Qike the Rev. MI.
Foster, for i~nstance) stand aloof and
leave the work to be done by weaker
hands, the result, which all would ex-
pect, would be poor success or perhaps
failure. He charges them with meeting
and having a pleasant time. Dreadful
sin! Some of the members have been
drinking men, and we try to make it
pleasant for them, and them
to do better. They have been shut out
from respectable society, and we try to
make them feel that we think they are
worthy our efforts to help them. Per-
haps this could be done without trying
to make our lodge hall attractive and
the meetings enjoyable. The sin of en-
joying life should not be committed
when it can be avoided. Let Mr.. Fos-
ter tell us how to do this. That moth
ing is done for the cause which each
member has promised to support, let
the lodge in this city answer. What
society has been the prime mover in
nine-tenths of all the efforts to advance
the cause of temperance in this city for
years? The Good Templars. What
society procured the lecturers and paid
their expenses? The Good Templars.
What society instituted a move in No
vember last to enforce the prohibitory
liquor law, whereby sever saloons were
driven from our midst? The Good Tenn
plars. The very entertainment, "Ten
Nights in a Bar Room" to which the
speaker referred in such contemptuous
terms, was gotten up to defray some OF
the expenses incurred in doing some
thing for temperance. Condemning any
man unheard, or criticising a measure
without investigation is surely no indi-
cation of a liberal or logical mind.
So far from doing nothing for the
cause, the Good Templars in this city
have done almost everything that has
been done for years, assisted, Of course,
by some of the Christian and all temper
ance people. The fact that some of
the members drink, used as an argument
against the organization, is so weak as
to need no comment. l give Mr.. Eos
ter credit for being an earnest temper
ance man, but must charge him with
being injudicious and unfair in this par
ticular instance. Coop TEMPLAR.