The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-11-25
Temperance Reading.
CONVENTION OF THE W. n. c. T. U.


brighter than when it welcomed the
ninth annual meeting of the WOman's
National Christian Temperance Union,
held at Louisville, Ky, October %, 26,
q and %. Twenty-four States and
Territories sent Representatives, and one
hundred and fifty officers, members and
delegates assembled for the first time
upon Southern soil to tell the story of
the year work and to plan fresh cam
paigns against the Nation great enemy
the Ii luor traffic and its results
There were two sessions every day from
nine to twelve and from two to five,
the evening being devoted to mass
meetings and addresses of a general
character.
The first "Christian' church in which
the meetings were held was well filled
during the day, and at night not only
this large building, but several other
churches and the great hall of the Ma
sonic Temple were packed to SUI loca-
| ton. Flags and flowers decorated all
the buildings; indeed, the latter seemed
to prolong their bloom into the late au-
tumn, especially to give q Southern
greeting to the Temperance women
from the far West and cold North.
The most noticeable feature of the
whole convention, that which distin-
| guished it from the eight which have
| preceded it, has been the cordial good
! feeling exhibited between the North and
South, the recognized sisterhood of the
| blue and the gray in one common work
for the reclamation and elevation of a
common humanity. Every address of
welcome - of which there were three,
delivered by Rev. j. c. Norris, in behalf
of the churches and Christians of Louis
vile, Colonel George w. Balm, in be-
half of the local Women's Temperance
Unions, and Mrs. S. c. Chaplin, of South
Carolina, who spoke for Southern wom-
en-teemed with the thought and good
natured rivalry in claiming ownership
in men and women born in one section,
but doing their life work in another,
showed how completely we of this great
Nation are bound together in the bun
die of life, one and inseparable now and
forever. The general tone of feeling
among these Temperance workers is
that the South and North are once more
to be cemented, and that the woman's
work is greatly contributing to this re-
suit.
The work of the association has dur
| ing the past year been divided into
thirty-four departments (there will be
but thirty conducted in future), and
each was reported by superintendent
to whose special charge its work was
! committed. These reports were printed
beforehand and placed in the hands of
the audience, the superintendent being
each allowed ten minutes in which to
| speak of her work and throw out sug-
| gestions for its further prosecution.
! The following are some of the branches
of work: Juvenile and Sunday School;
Literature and Scientific instruction;
Legislation and Franchise; Evangelstic
and Religious Prison and Police; Work
among Indians, colored people, Scandi-
navian, Germans; Hygiene and Heredi-
ty; Fraternal Relations, and Relative
| Statistics.
Among the topics discussed from
time to time was the question of st.
Paurs prohibition of woman's public
! speaking. Two ministers, Revs. Mr..
Norris and DR.. Hobbs, giving the expla-
nation that, according to a well-known
legal maxim, 1.-The need for law hav-
ing ceased, the law ceases also" st.
Paurs admonition is no longer in force,
sharing thus the fate of another precept
which commands Christ ans to 'greet
one another with holy kiss"
Temperance work among young
men and women, and even more among
children both in Sunday and secular
schools, was made very prominent, and
in this connection the wide distribution
| of Temperance literature, especially
that which treats of the scientific, by
| gienic and medical aspect Of the liquor
question. was strongly emphasized.
The W. c. I. IT,, though or 'ginally
only contemplating cvangelistic refor-
matory work, has been forced, by the
stern logic of facts constantly pressed
upon its attention, to contemplate and
embrace the gislatiye side of Temper
ance, and Prohibition. by Constitutions
al Amendment, was adopted, as, in
deed, it was last year, leading plank
in the plat orm of this convention. In
this connection, of course, there was
great graduation and much thanksgiv-
ing for the recent Temperance triumphs
in Iowa.
Every day at noon strangers of note,
dist nguished visitors and ministers of
Louisville and elsewhere, were intro
duced to the convention; one such in
PRODUCTION including group of five
delegates from the German Minis erial
Conference, and bearing the sympathy
of that body with the women and their
work.
At another time, and this was the
most thrilling moment of the whole
convention, Colonel HIGHLAND, who has
devoted himself to the care of the city
newsboys and bootblacks, introduced a
score of the little fellows, who presented
a basket OF flowers to the convention
with brief address read by one of their
number. Some of them were not over
six years old, and the fearful eyes all
through the house told their own story
of interest and sympathy. Another
point of interest was the presentation
of Young Ladies' Temperance Work,
by Mrs. Fannie Barnes, OF New York.
Her report was very ingenously ar
ranged, few flowers being made to
represent the work in each State, and
the impression given that great deal
had been accomplished in this import
ant direction.
The ministers of Louisville gave their
counsel and support to the Temperance
women, and many hospitabe Southern
homes opened wide to receive them;