Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1883-12-20

With u Brief Sketch of Mrs. Eliza Trimble
Thompson, the Leader.-December 23d,
1898
From Woman and Temperance.
The date is memorable. Some day its
anniversaries will be ranked among our
national festivals. True. in Fredonia,
New York, the protest of women against
the snares men leRalize under the name
of saloons" and "sample rooms" had
begun. under the leadership of Mrs.
Judge Barker. eight days before. True,
IN Washington Court House, Ohio, on
the oath, noble Mrs. Carpenter led q
heroic baud to far grander victory.
But the first eddy of that whirlwind of
the Lord. which in q few weeks bad
swept over the great state of Ohio, and
grown to the huge proportions of the
Woman's Temperance Crusade, began In
Hillsboro, Ohio, December q, 1873. By
common consent of her sisters in the
united churches of the village where
almost her whole life had been spent, Ers.
Eliza j. Thompson was chosen to lead
the first band on its first visit to saloon.
Never did character and circumstance
conspire to form central figure better
suited to the significant occasion. "The
Crusader" gentle hammered lady OF
sixty years, had been from her early
days member of Christ's church aud
always prominent in charitable work,
thus endearing herself to the class whose
antagonism her new departure would
naturally arouse. She is wife, mother
and grandmother, loving and beloved;
with marks upon her face of the griel
which renders sacred, which disarme
criticism, aud in this instance, has sig.
ni6cance too deep for tears. She is the
only daughter of Governor Trimble, than
whom ONO never had chief magistrate
more true.
Nearly forty years before she had &C
companied that noble father when hs
went as delegate to the earliest nation
al temperance convention, which was &c
small that Its opening meeting was helt
in the dining.room of Saratoga hote
of that period. Going With him to til,
door of this dignitied assembly where til,
white cravats Of the clergy were featur,
of prominence, the timid OHIO girl whis
pered. 20, papa. I'm afraid t,
euter, those gentlemen may think i
an intrusion. should be th
only lady, don't you see?" Upon thi
the governor replied, My daughte
should never be afraid. even if she i
alone in good cause" and taking he
by the arm, he drew her into the conven
tion. What prophecy was the frs
entrance of woman-and this woman
upon temperance convention made vi
OF men! Read its ful6llment in he
now happy home, her lawyer husband
leadership of the home protection move
ment in Ohio, and in the procession G
white.ribbon workers that belts III
world today.
1t ls worth while to preserve in he
; own language the account of that strang
"call" which came to Mrs. Thompson i
1873. She wrote it out to near frien
in the following words:
"On the evening of Dec. o. 1878. Di
! Lewis, Boston physician and lyceul
lecturer, delivered in Music Hall, Hill
boro. Ohio. q lecture on Our Girls
He had been engaged by the lectul
association some months before to Il
{ one place in the winter course of lectnr,
merely for tho entertainment of Il
people, But finding that he could r
man another evening aud still reach b
3 next appointment Washington G. Il
, he consented to give another lecture (
, the evening of the 23d. At the eugge
tion of Judge Albert Matthews, an ol
: line temperance man aud democrat,
: free lecture on temperance became Il
. order of the evening.
II did not hear Dio Lewis lecture {,
though he was our guest. because
: homo cares that required my present
y but my son, youth of sixteen, y
e there. and he came to me upon his retu
homo and in a most excited mann
related the thrilling incidents of Il
evening--how DR.. Lewis told of
d own mother aud several Of b
n good christian friends unitir
!. in prayer With and for the liquor eeile
Of his native town until they gave
. their loai-destWying business. aud th
. sa,d-.Ladies you might do the saI