The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-11-06
N. w. C. T. U.
Some Account of the Tenth Annual Con
ventiOn at Detroit, Michigan.

To the Editor Of the Press:
The tenth annual convention Of the Nation
al Woman's Christian Temperance Union,
which has just closed four days session at
Detroit, Mich, has been ia some respects the
most successful meeting ever held by that or
ganlzation. Especially is this the case in the
extent OF territory represented by its officers
and delegates. Maine and Washington Terri
tory met together. Louisiana and Canada ex-
changed friendly greetings with each other.
Representatives of these, also OF most of the
States and Territories within these boundariesi
sat in counsel to consider the al-important sab
ject, intemperance, and its cure.
Representatives of homes from every part of
our beloved land, with sectional strifes and an
imosities buried, sectional prejudices laid
aside, came with one heart and one mind to do
what they were able to help wipe out this blot
from our nations history, and who shall say
that 10000 (number Of active members in this
society wives mothers and sisters Of this land,
banded together in Christian union; accepting
the Most High as their leader; looking to Him
for strength, which he will supply, can not do
something toward bapishing this terrible evil
from our midst.
Maine was represented in the convention by
It's State president, Mrs. L. NJ. N. Stevens,
Stroudwater; State recording secretary, Miss.
s. @. Lord, Kennebunk; delegates, Mrs. f. A.
1tohpg OAt0ud5 dLu V1Id. II. ITobCOll3 Noitu
Berwick.
From the annual address of the president
Miss Frances e. Willard of Illinois, giving a
comprehensive review Of work done, and max
ing wise suggestions with regard to future
work, We give the following extract:
In less than three weeks CNovember 1s) We shall
have completed nine years since eur national union
WAS organized at Cleveland Then the light of the
gospel temperance movement was nebulous; now It
shines In the steady blaze Of stars and constellA-
tions. Then thousands Of our noble sisters stood
upon the pedestal Of "woman's sphere" cold ~
Pygmalion's statue toward the worlds awful heart
ache but now, smitten into newness of life BY the
divine spark of Christls love- they have struck out
into the common world about them. to act q moth
er.s part toward thousands worse than motherless.
Then the sky OF hope lay low above us; now its
arch Is boundless. Then we were raw recruits
now we are soldiers drilled and disciplined Thoa
we thought only Of cure, now we are occupied with
prevention; then we wept; we rejoice. Then
we said, God be pitifnl, now we say, "God be
praisedl' Then We called ourselves a national un-
ton now we are national in very deed.
Recognizing the fact that prevention is bet
ter than cure, the establishment OF free kinder
garten schools is recommended. The president
says: Next to heredity and hygiene believe
this system to be the base of our temperance
pyramid" Such school has been established
in Chicago. Seventeen hundred little children
from beclouded homes have here had nature
to conform the good and fight the evil of
nature at the earliest moment practicable. The
result in the little ones and its blessed reflex in
their homes has been wonderful to see. Forty
teachers have also been under training.
This year has witnessed the establishment Of
Womans Christian Temperance home at 44O Rast
9th street, New York, the last sacred enterprise
of our noble and now promoted friend William T..
Dodge 30 that we have nowi In the Eastern metropo-
lis place where wealthy women who victims Of
strong drink can have the chemical cures applied
to their diseased bodies and the Gospel cure 10 their
diseased souls. The Martha Washington Home in
Chicago supplies this need for the West while our
'Rehob 1th" in the same city is doing magic work
for friendless women. Similar institutions should
be multiplied under the of our societies in al
the leading cities.
The time during the convention was given
mostly to reports of superintendents Of de-
partments, among the most important Of which
were heredity, hygiene, juvenile work, scienti-
fc instruction, temperance literature, training
schools, evsngelstic work, prison, Jail and po-
lice station work, flower missions, and legisla-
tion and petitions. A special feature of the
association is the work among the colored peo-
pie OF the South, and among the. Germans and
Scandinavians.
OF this gathering the Detroit Free Press
says:
1t is seldom that so fine body of women is seen
together, the grandam the daughter, and the grand
daughter being literally represented by ladies,
whose faces attire and carriage show that they are
thoroughly in earnest in their work. determined to
exercise to the best Of their power their right TO
protect their husbands, fathers and brothers from
the curse OF intemperance. 2.