Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-07-16
WOMANs' WORK.


wOMANs' WORK.
Mrs. Lathrop said this in q temperance
address at Howell Mich, lately, upon the
temperance work Of the women. The
dawn Of this work is recent, and though
we don't forget .he work that has been
done in the past yet this particular move
ment is the one Of which / would speak
The awful struggle IN which our victory
was born was one whose solemnity was ap-
parent in every woman's heart Our l.,
200 unions, our 10000 members, $4,000
pledged children, and the arousing Of po-
litical feeling Of late on this subject, shows
the extent of the great work and the in
terest that Is being aroused. Not all Of
Gods year is spring time like tonight;
some Of Gods year is winter, but all the
time God is taking care Of the forces,
though they may be buried in snow. And
though in this cause there have been si-
lent winters Of progressive thought, yet
the time was coming and God was fitting
women for the work, and the work Tor wO-
men, and that is the reason why we have
these temperance unions and the reason
why we are in Howell to-day.
Our women's work for temperance will
always be a wonder; oh yes, and we thank
God that IL is so. II wOman's work for
temperance is a wonder, the foe against
whom we work is a greater wonder. We
wonder when we look over the civilization
Of this country how this monster could
exist. God help us to wake up from this
indifference, for while your children and
mine are going down TO ruin, you sleep on.
You say it is fanatlcism to talk this, but
tell you the widest fanaticism is only So
Der common sense in the temperance cause
II bell could be tolled every time soul
goes down to hell from this curse Of rum,
every eight minutes would we listen to its
solemn pealing. And after all this 100
years Of civilization and progress this
monster still stares us in the face. And
yet he is asking for his prey and gets it.
In our legislative halls, in our ball rooms,
in our houses, in our caucusses and every
where. The first key note TO be struck in
woman's work should begin in the homes.
We must first educate the children, and
must teach them temperance. But the
children haYe their own way now days.
The speaker here gave her views on the
practice Of young people going out into
society at an early age, becoming Yitiated
in its modern consciousness, and made an
eloquent appeal to mothers TO train up
their children ia the old.fashioned way, so
when the hedges Of restraint are swept
away they would come out unscathed
through the temptations OF after life. She
continued:
| feel like exhorting the men tonight,
as believe that this country needs good
fathers and more than mothers.
Lager beer and cigarettes are taking
our boys away from our schools to leave
them mental and physical wrecks before
ppir - b -
to find our boys, those that are not in our
State prisons, you will find them in our
saloons. The girls now are following af.
ter the pure mothers, but the boys are
following after their fathers. What this
country needs is more good fathers, though
there Is none the less need for good, pure
mothers. And girls, II you put your arm
through that Of man who is getting
drunk when he is not calling on you, or
when you let him pull smoke In your face
unchecked, II you give yourself to such a
man he will wiring your hearts blood out
drop by drop. Girls, you are the home
makers Of tomorrow, and young men, you
are the home makers OF tomorrow. But
what right have you, young man, when
the time comes when you will love some
young girl, and you want to take her fol-
life, TO ask II she Is pure, and il she is not
"spotless white and lily fair" you would
cast her off, but what right have you,
young man, to ask for that2 believe the
time is coming in this country when men
viii be required to keep sober by law. We
have in all this country OF ours the prece-
dence Of prohibition. We have prohibi.
tion everywhere, in business for example,
for as soon as any business man, acting
on his individual rights, exceeds the de.
mRnds OF public comfort and safety, il is
prohibited, and when we discover that sa-
looms are injurious TO the public good and
welfare, then will they be closed. The
beer question was then handled without
gloves, and the speaker proceeded to the
constitutional amendment. 1t is said that
prohibition cannot be enforced, and though
Captain Bontecou spoke Of law being en-
forced by public opinion, yet ! say that
law is enforced by gritty executive off,
Ger, who stands firmly and does the duty
to which he was pledged TO perform. Pro-
hibition does not prohibit, and it can be
enforced the same as law against mur'
der or theft. And this great question
confronts every mother, every man, every
son, every daughter, and it will only bC
answered when the curse is removed from
our beautiful State and we live in the Light
OF total abstinence. May God help us in