St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-05-04
GOOD TEMPLARYs
1t is Explained by the Grand Temp
lar of the Order.

lar OF the order.
Gen. John B. Finch of Lincoln, Neb.,
delivered an address on Temperance in
Market hall yesterday afternoon to a good
sized audience. Mr.. Finch is the Right
Worthy Grand Templar of the Grand
Templars of the world, and is now deliver
ing a series of six lectures in the state OF
Minnesota under the auspices of that order.
He is comparatively young man OF smooth
appearance, smiling cOuntenance and unas-
Stunning manner, but a fOrcible, logical and
pleasing speaker He was introduced by
George w. Penniman of Minneapolis, state
lecturer for the Good Templars, who occu-
pied the chair.
In opening his address Mr.. Finch said
that as the conjunction of certain chemicals
produced wonderful reactions, so the pres
ence of certain things, opposite in charac-
ter, produced wonderful results in the social
world. 1t was the presence of slavery in
Great Britain which developed the reaction
resulting in the abolition of that evil. And
what was true of Great Britain was also
true of this country. On the one
hand were happy homes, Christianity, ETC.,
on the other were slavery and its attendant
wrongs and evils, which, in time, generated
their own antidote. What was true of
slavery was true of temperance. With
Christian homes and happiness on one
hand and drinking dens, gambling houses
and unhappiness ON the other, the reaction
is bound to produce the desired antidOte.
THE TEMPERANCE REFORM MOVEMENT
dates back to the year 1908. 1t was about
that time that DR.. Beecher, little realizing
the reform he was about to bring about,
preached six sermons on the subject. He
was convinced of the ACCESSIBILITY of doing
something, and went to work to do the best
he could. Like the early machinery, they
were rough attempts but the beginning Of
the good work. The first pledge known
to have been used was one signed by six
men in the state of Connecticut and bear
ing date of 1916. They pledged themselves
to abstain from ardent liquor on all days ex-
cept legal holidays. In 1922 a pledge was
introduced into Maine and signed bya num-
Der of persons, the penalty for breaking
which was to treat the entire number whose
names were on the paper. In this way the
movement started. Men began to realize
there was an evil existing in society
and to take steps to eradicate it.
They didn't want to use extreme measures,
and the temperance workers of to-day do
not seek recourse to such means. The
pledge was invented to do practical work
and it had succeeded. From 1908 to 1882
the work went slowly forward
A gentleman had once remarked to the
speaker that the temperance people were
fanatics. He did not think that, but be-
lieved they were the most conservative
body in the world. They had never taken
a step in advance until they were kicked
into it by the boot of experience.
The speaker then dwelt at some length
on the cause of the evil, and then turned to
consider the mission of the Good TemplaI
order, which, he said, was to reclaim the
drunkard 1t was their duty to pick him
up as brother; to treat his sick soul as
they would treat other sick sick souls; to
treat his sick body as they would treat
other sick bodies In 1916 this conclusion
was reached, when they believed it their
duty to pick up and hold up all who had
fallen. Experience further taught them
that, having picked up a man, it was
right to
PLUG UP THE HOLE
into which he had fallen. This they were
trying to do by utter and complete prohibi-
ton.
The order was willing to help man who
has fallen, but was not willing to allow
him to fall back again. On this line they
had been fighting since 1855. The great
aim of the order was to consolidate the
forces of temperance so that when the bat
tie came the enemy could be met with the
combined moral forces of the world. The
Good Templars had rendered assistance
when the temperance people were fighting
their battles inKansas, Iowa, Maine and other
states, and would do so again when needed.
They had now entered the lists, and would
never sheath the sword or furl the banner
while there remained battle to be fought
or until the streets of any city were as safe
for boys to travel on as the aisles of a
church. He concluded with wish that
the state of Minnesota would be among the
first to procure prohibition.
Mr.. Finch concluded amid hearty ap-
plause, which also broke out several times
during the. course of his address. The lat
ter, which occupied exactly an hour, was
interspersed with some highly interesting
anecdotes and incidents of the speakers
personal experience.
In the evening he lectured ON high
lioauca