The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1880-12-16

His watching, anxious Wl1e opened tne door, ana
he staggered in and sank in driveling heap at
her feet The triple escort skunk hastily back
into darkness before the glance of the woman
they had wounded were gone.
Arnold could not speak. He would not, if he
could Agnes did not utter a word. She breathed
no reproach against him she loved. There was
none in her heart. But the girlhoOd in her face
gave place to grandeur in one moment. The
heroic in her strong woman's nature came to the
front and there it has had the growth of seven
years of practice. Not a tear nor sigh escaped
her HencefOrth TO motherhood was added the
halo of conservation to a great public cause, to
the cure of a great public curse-intemperance
She seemed to have touched the hem of the gar
ment of Divinity. She continued Agnes, the
same loving wife and mother at home. She rose
to be also helper of humanity beyond home.
Within her home she administered love still with
familiar smiles. But away from home she set all
smiles of gayety aside ArnOlds calamity she
felt to be to her the hand of conservation; and
she went forth to work with sterner stuff
than smiles, to kill the cause of broken-hearted
hOmes-the temptation which turks in the sale of
liquor by authority OF law.
Arnod's boy lay asleep in his crib that night,
seeing not his fathers shame. The wife put the
husband to bed then spent in prayer what re-
mained of the night. She felt a call to plead
sober cause. For that work she sought gospel
help. She got it, Next day she went among the
Christian women of her acquaintance, and the re-
suit soon was a temperance prayer-meeting
ganized. Many people expressed surprise at the
effort, as though drunkenness and its authorship
were sins so large God would not hear prayer
against them, or could not cast them into the
ditch they digged for men.
This was in the fall Of '73 A few months later
across to prairies Of Illinois the example of
Ohio women. The inspiration of their "crusade"
for temperance went West took early root, and
has grown up with the country. Under that,
woman is not waiting for her seed to bruise the
serpent's head but is doing the brusing herself.
Agnes WimOth headed praying band, carry
ing prayer and sacred song into the saloons of her
village and some surrendered. she learned
where Arnold had taken liquor on that night,
and had the JOY Of seeing il soon converted into
tin-shOp
When the 'crusader crystaIlized into the pres
ent great chain Of WOman's Christian Temperance
Unions-NatiOnal, State and lOcal-Agnes be-
came the efficient President Of her village Union,
labOring to add law TO moral suasiOn as a power
for sObriety. All this time she passed not a word
with her husband on the cause of her new zeal for
temperance. He knew. She never upbraided him
with the woe of that night. But she persuaded him
to abandon political speaking; she persuaded him
to convert their little library into aw-Ofice, for
such work as he must give their evenings TO, so
that he might not appear in public places at hours
when the evil and its friends most potent.
If ever, after that night liquor passed Arnold's
lips, its worst effect did not last him all the way
/ home. But Agnes no certainty of safety
while temptation held the form of saloons. She
felt that eternal vigilance was the price of sober
husband.
One afternoon in the Winter of 1879, Arnold
came home to tea early. Said he; "Agnes, what
! is Home Protection - / see bills up for an adj
dress tonight at the Presbyterian Church by
Miss - on Home Protection Is that new
name for temperance p"
'"That's what temperance is,n said Agnes. at
is new movement, originated by Miss --,
now President of our State Union, to petition the
Legislature TO give us women a legal voice, a
joint vote with men, on the one question left to
the local option of each town, whether il will Ii
cense saloons and permit the sale of liquors, or
not. And, so far, we women seem to be almost
wholly on the not side. l and many other
women here have already signed the petition.
/ a. fed a
''Do men sign il 2n
"Plenty of them"
as tO-nights speaker worth hearing ?''
''She isn't worth missing. She is princess Of
the platform"
ANY admission fee?"
| mot a cent?
! 'Well, WELL you temperance women the
most public-spirited body ever knew! l think
/ I'll attend if can have your company"
Certainly; but you'll have to sit in a pew,
while preside at the meeting, being President of
the Union here"
''Ha ha, ha This is progress, surelyp' and
Arnold laughed again at thought of "the fast
times" and with good deal of secret pride in the
ability, well as the beauty, of his wife.
Arnold WilmOth learned a great deal that
night. He learned much of what women suffer
by what men drink. He learned a new and grand
respect for woman as philanthropist, as the
friend of man-as the heart of home, broken
when home is broken
He signed the Home Protection petition. His
was one of the 10000 names annexed to it within
the State, and which almost persuaded the Legis-
lature to enact its prayer into law But it did
not.
Again good women were at work. Agnes and
her colleagues still wanted law on their side they
went TO law and found it already. 1t made each
town an Independent little dukedOm in matters OF
temperance, to settle 10 for itself, and by such
method as the town board might prescribe.
What opportunity for local exertion Agnes
whisked her mental dust-brush about that old
statute till it was clear reading to her. Then she
submitted it to Arnold. He said:
My temperance treasure, you are right; foI
temperance that statute is a bonanza If the vii
lage trustees make women co-umpire with men
on the license issue, why don't see any help fol
itu
Then the local Christian Temperance Union, Of
which Agnes was President, united host of good
men and women in petition to the village trustees
to let the people say whether saloons should be