West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1881-05-25
WEST VIRGINIA FREEMAN
RELIGION AND TEMPERANCE.
Mrs. Reese With Us,

SAoNA, k'iCuSdLO anu
profitable experience with our good
people to meet, and greet, and have
again earnest words of warning,
encouragement and cheer from Mrs.
M. b. Reese, whose blessed influence
upon the great warm heart of this
community, first felt four years ago,
still widens and stirs with its leav
en- SO many Parkersburg homes,
that were revived, redeemed and
saved during the ever-memorable
Murphy movement.
1t was indeed good to be at the
M. E. Church Sunday afternoon,
when a well filled house attested
the lasting and growing interest of
the people in this flooding tide in
the Temperance cause.
THE MEETING
was opened by the large choir sing
ing 'Salvation's Free" and reading
of Scriptures and prayer by DR..
Loyal Young, followed by singing
again from the Song Euangel "The
Precious Name of Jesus"
Dave D. johnson, chairman of
the State Temperance Executive
Committee, in presenting Mrs.
Reese again to our people, briefly
reviewed the Temperance work in
Parkersburg from the time of her
first visit among us four years ago,
and congratulated society upon the
marked result. above all we are
thankful for the active spirit of
Christian sympathy for the unfortu-
nate victim of drink, that the Muir
ply movement aroused and that
still exists and characterizes every
step in temperance work. We re-
joice tolook back and note the many
drunkards that were then saved,
who have stood and are with us,
sober, noble christian men to-day
We rejoice that many we're induced
to drink less, and that we have
many still with US, who but for
these meetings would. have been in
drunkards graves long ere this
MRS REESE,
being introduced, without any waste
of words in preliminaries, proceeded
at once with her most entertaining
and instructive lesson from the par
able of the man that fell among
thieves, on the road from Jerusalem
to Jericho. She said, in time past
a great deal of pity and commisera-
ton had been shown the poor vic
tim that was robbed and wounded,
and left for dead, as well as much
worthy commentator bestowed on
the good Samaritan, while the Priest
and the Levlte had had their full
share of attention, but that little
thought or notice had been taken of
the thieves that wrought all the
neutrality-suspicious. people have
been long busy binding up the
wounds of the unfortunate victims
continually being robbed and bruis-
ed, and paying little attention to
the thief, the author of the mischief.
She proposed to pay her respects to
the great thief, the liquor-traffic.
We will not attempt to follow the
argument, or essay to reproduce the
speakers terrible arraignment of
this bold, dastardly and unconscion-
able thief and robber that stalks
abroad night and day, robbing in
dividuals, robbing homes, robbing
churches, robbing society of life,
liberty and the pursuit of happl-
ness, "robbing all the people socially,
spiritually and financially, and rob
bing the nation of health, wealth
and reputation.
She insisted that it was better
now to give our time and efforts,
not so much to getting men out OF
trouble as to killing the thief that
the trouble may cease.
She startled her hearers by de-
claring that Truth may become SO
true as to lose all power of truth,
that the truth of the immensely and
enormity of the curse of the liquor
traffic, has become SO common and
we'll known, as sometimes to lose
the power to startle and stir the
people to action,
The great shame and hlndrance