West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1883-07-11
Benwood, at the organ.

erOy, and we can assure our redd
ers it was a prayer well up to the
pure prohibition standard IN fer
vency, faith and exp.icitne1s.
After invokin. Divine blessin gs
on the faithful and devoted women
of the land and all temperance
workers, and after praying for our
unjust rulers, for the notorious
eleven" and fourteen" who
would not hear the peoples pray
ers, for the drunkard and for the
saloonist engaged in his work of
death, the Reverend petitioner at
Throne of Grace, at last came
down to that most pitiable Of all
classes in any community, and fer
vently prayed, "Lord, hare pity on
that portion of our fellow citizens
that profess to be Christians, and
yet uote to sustain the Ubiquitous
saloon in our midst.
After another temperance song,
Rev. Geo. E. Hite, of Wheeling,
who was the honored Officer of the
Day, for the forty-eight hours en-
gagement, in brief words of elo-
quent tribute, introduced the wo-
man lawyer-orator Of the nineteenth
century,
MRS. J. ELLEN FOSTER, OF IOWA.
AS Mrs. Fosters portly form
comes impulsively and confidently
to the very front of the platform,
there seems to flash out over the
audience, before she speaks, sort
of electric command:
"Be still and knoW that | dm--aro-
man."
We use this quotation not lrrev-
erently, for next to God himself, a
true, pure woman is most compe-
tent to say, "be STILL" whether the
injunction be softly whispered
through anxious tears, to the sick,
fretting infant on her breast, or
proclaimed through Faiths loud
trumpet against the noisy saloon
rabble that assails and besieges her
sacred home castle.
Now, there it is! Just see where
we're swinging to! The average
newspaper man, on first hearing
this wonderful woman, were no
more competent to report her than
is 16 year-old youth competent to
discourse on the charms of mis- first
sweetheart. The fact is, in either
case, one has by far too much bust
ness in hand for the cold drudgery
of taking notes. The world at such
time isn't half big enough for him
to do his listening and thinking
without trespassing on the limits
of other spheres.
To learn her power, Mrs. Foster
must be heard.
She certainly possesses in a rare
degree, even for a woman, that
keen, piercing insight and far
reaching stretch of comprehension
that can gather up as if by a wave
of the hand, whole epochs of great
affairs and dash them square in
your face, with the utmost direct
ness, force and conviction.
Mrs. Fosters first words on this
occasion, were expressive of JOY
and gladness. She said, II come
to you to-day with
AGREAT JOY IN MY HEART"
And every feature of her joy-lit
countenance and every impulsive
movement of her person put the
audience upon the rack of intense
and exquisite expectancy to learn
what that joy might be.
After dalIying with her listeners
awhile, reciting many things for
which she was thankful ard
Joyous, but which were not the
great joy referred to, with
a fervent toss Of eloquence,
she gave them as her chiefest earth
ly joy the fact that her Gown below
ed Iowa is standing firm for Prohi-
bition to-day" Upon this the dis
tinguished speaker launched forth
into a most eloquent and fervent
discourse on the great problem of
Temperance and Prohibition, and
how it was being worked out by its
friends and by its enemies as we'll
to "a sure and successful solution.
We shall not try to follow the
address that was heard by all with