Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-04-02
An Address

Mrs. Louie NJ. Love- and published by a
unanimous request of the League:
MIR. PRESIDENT: In accepting the
courteous invitation of some of the
officers of the League, to address
you to-day, 1 realize that all 1 may
say will be as but drop in the
ocean of this grand and glorious
cause-a grain Of sand on the great
sea-shore of life. Still my heart
goes out to you in such faithful SYM
pathy and love, "tLat such as 1
have give unto YOU" My expe-
rience in the temperance cause IS
doubtless very like that of many of
my friends before Inc, but believing
as l do that the Great Hereafter is
but continuation of this life, and
that as we live here, SO must we take
up the thread of eternal life when
the silver chord is loosed and the
golden bowl is broken" 1 realize
more keenly perhaps than many, the
dangerous prccipice upon which our
young men who only take social
glass. are standing to-day. Oh!
would that had the tongue of in
spiration; then would I make every
mothers heart thrill with anxious
care; then would l touch chord in
the breast of every father here to-
day, arousing within him that God
given love for his offspring, so long
buried beneath a careless exterior;
then would I awaken within the
soul of every sister before me, that
tender sympathy and watchful care
which alone can save the dear erring
brother, who lacks the moral cour-
age that others possess to say No,
when the fatal glass is placed before
him; then would l tear from the
heart-sick wife that despairing
apathy which for years, perhaps,
has enveloped her, shutting out all
hope, and let the sunshine of re-
stored confidence radiate her sad
dened soul once more, as looking
into the face of her innocent child,
the offspring of love which budded
and bloomed in her heart ere the
Tempter came to WOO her hus-
band from her, she asks herself
what his future will be, and prays
that Le may not follow in his fathers
footsteps. Then would I plead
with each and all of you to deal
gently with the erring." Let your
voices be heard, your influence felt,
at home, abroad, on land, on sea,
all freighted with love, without
which your words would be cold and
meaningless.
0 mothers! think not that my
sympathies are not with you when l
say that much of the sin rests with
yourselves, if your sons fill drunk
ards graves. 1t is not enough that
you sign pledge; that you COM
mand your children not to "drink
of tho juice of the vine;" that your
side-bourd is noted for the absence
of wine. You would not think of
planting the seed of some beautiful
flower in cold, barren soil. Think
how tendelly you handle the little
earthern vase, how anxiously you
watch the tender leaves unfold, as
they burst forth from their darkened
homes, how the little howeret is
placed in the sunniest dew-kissed
spot upon the lawn, that its greatest
beauties may be developed. Then
think, dear mother, how much more
precious is the human soul, planted
in carth's cheerless soil; it needs all
the sunshine of your mother love to
bring it to that approximate perfec-
ton which alone can make your
motherhood a crown of glory. We
must not forget, when we see that in
our sons which we condemn, that
further back, far beyond our sight,
lie causes that tended to produce
these results; that possibly some In
herent appetite of our own is repro
duced in them and we should strive,
with all our energies to uproot the
poisonous weeds, but like the care
full gardener, leave no mar upon the
pure flower which grows by their
side. Then, mothers, let it be your