The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-11-26
dtlnnta Constitution,

Sunday afternoon, 9Th inst,
atlanta Constitution.
DeGive's Opera House was packed from
pit to dome yesterday afternoon to hear
the lecture on temperance by Rev J. B,
Hawthorne.
Long before the appointed hour the
house was filled and fifteen hundred or
two thousand people we're turned away
unable to gain admission to the building.
1t is estimated that fully three thousand
people heard the address.
The house was called to order by Rev.
T. B. Kendall, who delivered short and
appropriate prayer. The great congrega'
tion then joined in singing, after which
some announcements were made. DR..
Hawthorne then arose and spoke as fol-
lows:
This grand gathering Of the friends of
virtue is under the auspices of Atlanta's
virtuous women. There is no safer,
brighter, happier place for man than
that in which the power of Christian
womanbood is supreme. Who doubts
that it is better to be here to-day in
council with these women whose hearts
throb in sympathy with all that is pure
and lovely and divine than in some club
room where the enemies of prohibition
have met to concoct their schemes to
perpetuate the dominion of the worst
enemy that truth ever had, that virtue
ever had, that man ever had?
I am not here to indulge in any idle
aattery of woman, the occasion is too
solemn and too momentous. 1t is an old
SANDER that to please woman, you have
only to make her pleased with herself.
That may be true of some giddy, silly,
empty headed, empty hearted, butterfly of
fashion, but it was never true of wo.
man. There are females who are not
women. Some one has said that women
are the poetry of the world, that is true,
but in deeper sense than be meant to
express they are the poetry of the world,
but in the same sense that the stars are
the poetry of Heaven. Clear, light
giving and harmonious, they are the
terrestrial planets that rule the destinies
of mankind.
I believe chat it was Lamertine's
remark, that there is woman at the
beginning of every great thing; she was
at The beginning of that kingdom which
brings peace on earth and good will to
men; she has been conspicuous in every
grand epoch of that Kingdoms progress;
she has been at the beginning of every
great social reform; she stood by the
cross uf Christ when every man, save
one, had forsaken it, and since then, with
martyrs faith and hero's courage she
has stood by everything that has blessed
and uplifted humanity. When the tenn
perance movement was in its cradle she
stood over it, smiled upon it, caressed
and nuraed it. For the possibilities of
this hour in the prohibition cause ne are
mostly indebted to woman; she has stood
BY it and supported it with her prayers
and tears and tolls when men were in
different and there was no morning star
to tell of coming day.
1t was base treason in George Elliott to
say "tbat woman's hopes are woven of
sunbeams, so that they are not annihilat-
ed by shadow" Of her own hopes it
may have been true, but the assertion is
a cruel libel upon the characters of the
thousands and millions Of brave women,
who have perseyered in the path of duty,
when men tainted and sank down in utter
despair. It is said to be peculiarly of
women that they poke the fire at the top,
but think these whisky rings are begin
ming to wake up to the fact, that the
women of this land have learned to poke
the prohibition fire at the bottom. If
they stir their husbands, brothers and
beaux as profoundly as they have stirred
me, we shall have moral conhagration,
in which the whole kingdom of whisky
shall pass away, and "like the baseless
fabric of vision, leave not a rack
behind"
1t is an old German proverb that zone
hair of woman's head draws like bell
rope," but tell you, that bell ropes and
even iron cables are but cobwebs in
comparison with the cords with which
the women of Atlanta will draw in this
conflict. If they don't drag their cow
ardly husbands and brothers down, who
are perched upon the fence, it will be
because there is not enough Of substance
in them to make fastening for a rope.
The Chinese say that "a woman's sword
is with her tongue" That is true and
in q cause like this in which we are
engaged 10 day she never lets it rust. 1t
was favorite saying of DR.. Adam Clark
that in every great moral contest one
good intelligent talking woman is match
for seven and half men, but before this
campaign is over the friends of the dog.
gerry will be willing to give us fifty of
such talking men as they have for one of
our brave, dauntess, God inspired wo.
men.
I am not prepared to 60 as far as the
French proverb and say that what a
woman Wills God Wills" but will say
that there is no community on earth in
which cause worthy of success has ever
failed to the support of which woman
brought an undivided mind and heart.
IF these wives, mothers and daughters
will be true to themselves, true to their
native instinct, true to those divine
convictions which lie in the great deep
of every virtuous woman's heart, as sure
as righteous God reigns in Heaven and
administers his government over the
world, the sun of November 25th will go
down upon Atlanta redeemed.
This is the Lords day, and feel sure
that we are gathered here in the interest
of the Lords work. The very founda-
ton of our blessed Christianity is moral
ity, and the question before US is great
moral question. 1t is one which touches
the very marrow Of right and wrong, and
any religion which ignores such ques-
tion is not worth having.
Any pulpit that is afraid to discuss it
is not worthy of the respect of brave and
honest men. Is it not marvellous how
Jealous these Christian men have become
all at once for the purity and sanctity of
the pulpit? They are not too pious to
buy votes. They are not too pious to
bribe poor negro to register three times
day. They are not too pious to keep
their backdoors open on Sunday and sell
liquor in violation of the laws of God
and man, but they are shocked, they are
horri6ed when minister of Christ stands
up in the pulpit on the holy Sabbath day
and urges the people in the name of
God and humanity to exterminate the
worst enemy that religion and the Sab.
bath ever had.
The liouor traffic imposes great bur-