, 1884-06-13
TEMPERANCE WORK.
h w. c. t. U. and Their Rally Last
Night.

There was a pretty fair audience
gathered at the Presbyterian church last
evening for the purpose of listening to
and participating in the interesting exer,
cises which were held at that church
under the auspices of the Womans' Chris,
tian Temperance Union. Mrs. DR..
Graham presided over the meeting which
was opened by prayer and singing. Mrs.
Graham then made a few remarks, after
which Rev. j. Y. Cowhick was intro
duced and proceeded to address the con-
gregation on the subject of temperance.
The speaker did not dwell at very great
length upon the evils of incompetence,
his purpose being as he expressed it, to
show what battles are being fought by the
friends of temperance all over the land.
One great battle which is being fought is
but little needed or even known
b the majority. This strife is one with
which our Senators and Representatives
in Congress have to do, and they are
sanding firm. The grain which is raised
IN this country, or a portion of it, is being
used by distilleries in the manufacture of
whisky, and one bushel of grain will make
quite a number of gallons, especially after
it has been diluted and has gone into the
hands of the retail dealers TO be peddled
out by the drink. The capacity of the
distilleries of the United States for the
distillation of whisky is such, that from
seventy to ninety-fve millions of gallons
are produced every year, which would be
more than a gallon and a half for every
man woman and child in the country.
There is a revenue of 81 per
gallon that has to be paid to
the government, and the whisky men
and distillers have discovered that if they
can get Congress to remove this tax they
can send almost free whisky all over the
land. They were now trying to get Con
gress to do this, but the speaker was graf
flied to know that our Representatives in
Congress were standing for the most part
manfully together in opposition to remov-
ing this tax. This Mr.. Cowhick consid-
cred as being one of the great battles that
is now being fought. The next great
battle is being fought in a more efficient
way, for it will have its effect not only on
the rising but the future generations, and
it is in the schools. He did not wish TO
be understood as referring to Sunday
schools, for there you can only have a
chance to instruct the child from half an
hour to an hour once in seven
days. What he referred to is
in the day schools, and the speaker pro-
ceeded to read from authorities, showing
that in New York, Rhode Island, Yer
mont, New Hampshire and Michigan laws
have been enacted requiring temperance
to be taught in the schools ofthose states,
and that, he said, is Just what is needed
here. Still another battle being fought is
by instituting prosecution against liquor
dealers who sell whisky 10 minors and
habitual drunkards. These prosecutions
are instituted by an organized move for
that purpose; it had worked well in
Kansas and Chicago, and he believed it
ought to be resorted to everywhere.
At the conclusion Of DR.. Cowhick's adj
dress Mrs. Graham made a few remarks
to the effect that it was almost an impos-
slbillty to reform the confirmed drunkard,
and the main thing to be donei is to keep the
evil from the rising generation. The pur-
port other idea seemed to be Let the dead
bury the dead, which is probably about
the correct one.
Miss Julia Lusk then sang very beau
titully, Nearer my God to Thee"
Mr.. Graham made a few remarks,
mainly upon matters of business connect
ed with the association.
Miss Titus gave n recitation entitled
''Whistling in Heaven" which was rem
dered very gracefully and with good effect.
Rev. Mr.. Eldridge and others then
made short speeches, which were inter
spersed with singing, after which prayer
was offered and the meeting adjourned.
A