Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1885-05-09
MISS OLEVELAND's TEMPERANCE
OPINIONS.
From the Living Issue. |

The following appeal to girls was
written by Elizabeth Cleveland, the
present mistress of the White House,
and was published in the Youths Tenn
perance Banner Feb. 1S, 1882:
RESPONSIBILITY OF GIRLS IN TEMPERCACE
WORK.
J. G. Holland wrote in Mrs. Hayes
album these words: "Women only
can make wine drinking questionable
and heal the nation Of this curse "
What did DR.. Holland mean by wo-
men only? Is it true that only women
can make wine drinking questionable
and heal the nation of this curse! You
and need to know this first, because
if only we women can do this thing,
it is MI awful responsibility upon us,
each one of us. And if somebody else
can do it, We, like all the others, would
like to give that somebody else the job.
Five years ago, at Washington, Mrs.
iiayes became mistress of the White
House, and it was for her, and no one
else, to say what the social atmosphere
should be which surrounded her guests
and how they should be entertained AT
her house. Well. she did an unheard-
of thing. She banished wine from all
her entertainments. with just one ex-
ceptiOn. Secretary Evarts made fuss.
He was mortified. He could not ell
dure to have lord and lady English,
count and countess French, baron and
baroness German come to the White
House dinners and have nothing fit for
them to drink-not drop of poison!
1t was utterly queer! So Mrs. Hayes
made one exception in favor of those
great foreign highnesses, and allowed
wine upon her table in their presence.
But only tor once. Her conscience
high-souled woman that she is-smOte
her tor that one little COW ardly COM
promise with wrong. She could bet
ter endure to have Secretary Evarts
and the Smiths ashamed of her than to
be ashamed of herself. So she quietly
and forever after prohibited wine from
her table, and cheerfully endured the
lifted eyebrows and shrugged should
ers of the diplomatics, British, French,
Russian-all, and the little short lived
hiss of fashionable" society until that
hiss turned to a cheer, and fashionable
society turned around, like the spaniel
it is, and trotted on behind its mistress.
1t became questionable to serve wine
and to offer wine in fashionable society
while Mrs. Hayes was in the White
House.
What Mrs. Hayes did in the White
House every woman can do in her own
home it she will. If the girls who
read these words will each OF them, all
together, use their influence on the side
Of temperance, they can make temper
ance fashionable where they are. Will
you do it?
Gen. Grant does a manly thing in re-
.. fusing to drink wine everywhere and
in all society. 1t is only a strong man
who can keep his wine-glass upside
down-in this case right side up, toO,-
!. while all the grand people around him
! are slipping champagne and toastlng
each other in sparkling drinks. No
: one can tell how "far this little candle
I sheds its light" But no man can dc
for fashion in society what a woman
can. 1t is women only, as DIR. Hol.
land said.
l wish some strong, bright ange
stood before you just now, while yOr
read, girls, to fash before you, as M
e words of mine can, the power You pos
}, sess to help or to hinder the cause o
n temperance, to make you feel your re
e spOnsibility, because you are girls, II
d the matter; to shudder at its weight
)f and to never cease trying to fulfill it
II Doubtless you have heard great dea
IS about the value of your smiles; but d.
you know the value of your trOwns
[ wish could make you feel the yalu
le of your frowns, and the Importance o
g knowing just what to frOwn upon
N What man must do by blow wO
III man can do by frown. When tn
IL times comes that the young man VIII
now shares his time in your societ
IS and the saloon, who jokes about tenn
( perance i'll your presence, and take
e. a glass socially now and then, is mad
10 to feel that these things cannot be
le yeu are to be his companion at part!
e ride or church; that good society can
er not tolerate these things in its mem
a bers: in short, that this kind of ma
u is questionable and unpOpular-the
I'd alcohol will tremble OH its throne, an
re the liquor traffic will hide its cancerOu
e. face