Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1885-04-25
W0MENS' CHRISTIAN
Temperance Union Column,
EDITED By THE W. G. I. UNION.
NEWSPAPERS.

NEWSPAPERS.
Mrs Lisle Meriwether in Spirit OF Reform
We have no educator 20 potent as
the newspaper. That we are no more
than we are, and do no more than we
do, is largely owing to the fact that we
are too wilfullv ignorant. too stingy,
or too Indifferent to take the good the
(edltoriaD gods provide; and most
especially is this the case with our
women and iii regard to our temper
ance literature. Why are our Ten
nessee woman, in the nain, so weak to
will, so timid to dare, so slow to do?
Because they read nothing. and there
fore think and do nothing. How
many women in our State-who, if
questioned, would call themselves
good temperance women and think
they were such-even know anything
about the Crusade, the aloe that
doomed and fell, and sprung up
again in hundred thousand earnest
hearts, battling to-day '-for God and
home and native land p How many
of them would know the meaning OF
w. Q. L. U. on IL white ribbon Why
is this? Because they take and read
nothing on the subject. And even in
the ranks of the white ribbon army
how many provide themselves prop
erly with the most efficient imple-
ments of warfare, the temperance
newspapers? | have sent the Union
Signal, the Good Templar, the Ameri-
can Reformer, the Morning and Lay
OF Reform, and many more to many
and many "A woman, and she has
written and tcld me how such poem
inspired, how such an argument Glove
to the very bone and marrow of
sophistry, how such and such story OF
faith and. courage strengthened, and
how records of work accomplished,
built and fortified the walls of her
flith-and yet know beyond all per-
adventure that a0011Hn don't tGke one Of
these papers to-day nor any other tent
perance paper, Tor that matter.
Temperance women, w. e. T, IT,,
women OF TENNESSEE what woulh
you think of a sect or body of Chris
tians who never owned ii Bible or had |
one read in their churches, who know |
nothing of that book save when an
occasional stranger in passing by, |
threw them leahet or tract contain-
ing fragments from Holy Writ? What
could they know OF the birth, growth,
lie, doctrines, the thoughts, words, |
and deeds of the Teacher and Master |
whom they protested to follow? BY |
lOhat should they shape their belief
From WhODs should they draw their
example OF life? By aoltOse precept or !
example could they become poor in |
spirit, meek, .merciful, peace-nakers, |
pure in heart? They might profess
Christianity from the cradle to the
grave, but hO1o without this great text
book could they ever learn to be Chris
tians in deed and in truth That is
exactly what you are doing in the |
temperance gospel, containing the !
creed we profess, the work we do, the
examples of self-sacrifce, of courage,
of faith, of heroism, thIt tighten and |
brighted its pages like halo? Why |
does not each member take good |
temperance paper and read it, and
mark articles suited to her own case
or that of her neighbor, and post her
self on work done in other places, and |
how it was done, and take her paper
to her Union meeting and read it to |
her sisters? You go feebly to meet
ings in "few and far between" FASH
ion, you sing little, and read little,
and pray little, and sigh great deal
and then you go home, and write
to your President that you are sorry
to have nothing encouraging to report;
you have done all you could, but there
is no interest taken, few ever attend
the meetings, there Is no department
filled, no business done-in fact you
don't see any particular use in trying
to have meetings at all, and such like
cheerful conversation. Now, why |
don't they attend meetings, and why is
not interest taken i'll them? For the
best of all reasons-because YOU do |
not make them interesting. You
meet, two or three of you and you
talk awhile about the weather, and
who is rich and who is well, and then
one of you read few verses with no
special reference to the subject in
hand, and perhaps you don't; and
then one puts petition or two; and
then somebody asks, "Is there any
thing to be done ," and somebody else
says, mo, they believe not-they don't
know of anything that seems do able;
and then you adjourn.
Now, do you think there is anything
lively or entertaining about that, that
people should want to go again? If
you would take the papers, you would
find abundant matter of interest in
them, records of what woman has
done to inspire your faith in what
woman may do, hints and helps of
every kind to instruct and strengthen
you. Take these papers toyour meet
Ingsread them to each other, and draw
both entertainment and help from
hem. If you will try this, you will
ind that you can read, sing, and pray
Ill the better for it, and you will find
he Union meeting an event to which j
you will look with pleasurable expecta-
ion instead of the dOleful thing it is
low: and from the hints, helps, and /
Examples you meet in your reading
'ou will soon find ways and means for
charging your circle, and increasing
our treasury, and adding to your
answers of work; and in thus doing .
L, - 1