Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-05-30
THE PRESIDENT-S SISTER ON TOTAL
ABSTINENCE.
Miss C1eveiand's ReIOinder to the Rev.
DIR. Howard Crosby.


husbands or sons have become sots. should advo
cate total abstinence for every one. We have
ger nearly off with a knife, wish that there were
nOknives in the world: and, II she could have hei
way. she would have them all destroyed forth
with. III Is natural, and wOIlans cry on such
an occasion eXciteS our tendercst sympathy
But who will Count that an argument?
The above paragraph from "a Calm View o.
DR.. Nelson by the Rev. Howard Crosby, d. D..
in the Evangelist of March, Il, has most peril
naciOusly haunted me ever since the perusaI Of
the article last evening. That this above any
other paragraph, should most impress Itself
upon the impossible mind of one emotional
woman in particular, or of woman emo
tional creature in general. viii surprise no man
1t is, as the doctor says, natural; and am Ger
tain that multitudeS of women besides mysel1
are to-day smarting under these calm words
against the imPutatiOn of which every fiber oi
the woman nature rises up in revolt.
The male animal is very fierce; the female OF
all genera i very, comparatively and in gen.
tells us this. tells US also that the mother,
among all beasts. in defense of her young, is
the tiercest of living creatures The loness,
under ordinary circumstances, is quite easy oil
conquest; but the loness robbed of her whelps,
no man or beast cares To encounter. Both these
phases of the female nature are undoubtedly
fnatural.' They belong as Bishop Butler
said of certain s0-cailed supernatural phenom-
ena. to the natural, of which there are Two
couTscs''-the ordinary. the other not
supernatural, still less superhunlan, but ex-
trlord!inaTy.
talk about is I" be put. 10y calm view of the
thing as it is into the same category with cut
about this Embossed beast because it may meet
your children ON their way 10 school and may
bite one or two of them, than You have to cry
out against the manufacture and sale of knives,
because Your boy cut himself once. The per-
fectly clear thing is-if you only had head
enough to see it-that the manufacture (by fer
rnentarion not distflIatIon1 of tine mad dog
(nOt very mad but only some mad ought to go
ON. and that enc mad dog tof this good kind
tected by law from the bullets OF hydrophobia
haters.
This calm view of "the evii' which-because
of some. in fact several cases of hydrophobia
anon. uS-has come To- be called by unthfnhing
people "a mad dog is proven by concurrent
testimony OF experience, science, scholarship.
sound philosophy, and, above all, rightly read
scripture, To be a good creature of God. The
calmly Christian thing for you to- do ION such
an occasion is not to go up and down '.cry-
Ing but to stay at home and teach your little
boys and big boys how a little mad dogs bite is
good for them, but big mad dogs bite is very
lad for them.
You ousht--if you would only do the thing
you ought. instead OF the thing you like-tO
mix up a little wine and water for your little
boys at dinner, that they may early learn
tho difference between true temperance and
this miserable parody on true temperance
called total abstinence" and may be prepared
TO make manly protest against drunkenness
when they shall be grown up 1t is simply
silly-yes. while we feel the tenderest sympathy
for your sorrow. we must say tit is silly for
you To refuse To see that knives and mad dogs
are equally dangerous Ii is ridiculous for
you To demand that all alcohol shall be BAN
l>het from the beverages of mankind, because
this fiery liquor is burning out the manhood
Tin more ways than by its consumption of the
world as ii would be for YOU To demand that
all the wells should be dried up because men
lose their lives by drowning, Alcohol and
water ara so exactly analogous, if you could but
See il, You foolish woman, Your cry is no argu-
ment; 1t We're better you should stop your cry
ing.
Or. Crosby. we cannot; try we never so hard,
We cannot defy or deny nature. God has made
M NJ a. I,.,xr.
knives and mad dogs are just alike: we cannot
understand why "a mad dog should not be
killed. We cannot help crying if only one to
every thousand human beings i let loose in our
streets. These things are TOO high for us: We
cannot find them out. 1t is not our blame, it is
our nature.
And we dare to say that through the pure
and unsoph>ticated nature of the human
mother God argument against any use of al
cuiIol, except as n medicine is given TO the
world to-day.
When the young queen of Austria, pressed on
every side by the ruthless oppression of the
great Prussian king. fled trembling into Hun
gary, and, with her infant in her arms, her
royal crown upon her head, appealed for the
protection of her kingdom To her loyal subjects
there. those stalwaTt Hungarian mobiles rose in
a mas, and. laying their right hands upon the
swords at their sides. Swore, in Il shout whose
heroic ring echoes down the Years. ..Morianur
pro rege anstro. Maria Theresa And how they
did die all the world knows.
IL i not for rhetorical effect, still less for the
eXcItatiOn of the 'tenderest SYMPATHY that |
revert To this well-known historical incident.
III Is that may call attention To the argument
III the cry OF those mentor suppose u man 5
''ery may be counted an argument" /
wish to beg you To notice those words, reQe nos
f,o. That expression of those Hungarian no
bles, our KING. Maria Theresa, instead of our
9VeeH. Maria 1hereSa-has been interpreted to
represent an idea in their minds to suit tine
1aiad OF the Interpreter. "Woman's Rights
speakers have made them an acknowledgment
on the part OF those most masculine men, that
here was a woman who more man than
any one of them. or all together: L. e.. more able
10 command them by having ore than was
If.yfr. fharf
pro reyts3 arstra- Chivalrous EMBELLISHMENTS
q! our day make this expression to indicate the
most refined and splendid chivalry in those
Hungarian mobiles; as if they had said to this
threatened and trembling mother clasping the
future king III her arms. Never mind now.
ou shall be Just as much sovereign as if YOU
Were King yourself. We will die to make it SO:
pro Tege HBSfFO'''
Now. make this expression to mean neither
OF these things believe that these strong and
Straightforward warriors roared ont these words
a. the simplest usage To express their most i,.-
stunt and Impulsivc expression for all that men
a. patriots should die FOR. / believe that this
crowned mother stood to them a the represent
1d-lNe OF their nationality; their rights their
nonoI, summing zap IN her person, as dld the
ruling sovereign OF those DAYS, their country
anu lhtlF country cause Ihey formulated in
lISh tAPIes,.oh: feHe ltC"ffo- the sentiment
which Louis IN. taught in the wOrds-L etttt
cest MOI They proved this for they did fight,
and many Of them did die. and men do not de-
haerately die FOR "a beautiful. weeping woman
though they love to swear To that effect some
tiine>-unIesS there be- some worthier object 10
D. gained by their scII-devotion. But whether
my idea OF this he f;tncfQi or not whether il be
cam ana logical. whether il be good criticism
Care NOT affirm. Dr. Crosby VIII know. But
dare affirm that the American mother who
to-day being pressed on every side by the
aggression of Ming Alcohol. confronts American
men, tile infant in her arms her only sceptre
The motherhood on her brow her only crown.
and cries 10 them for protection of her Kingdom
TN home. carries il her cry argument And
dare afflrnl-IOr. thank God, il il a spectacle
all may wi;nes>-that stalwart warriors pull
ing from their scabi,,rCis t-ustv swords adIoit
that err To be an argument by their answering
shlsit, 'w" viii fight for our king
For We ali have Il kiu@-eVen doctors. There
u "A majesty Oi right, royalty of truth, which
IN manifold FORMS. claims allegiance and
ar.Ues It's claim. God secs in the fearful cry of
the bruised and baffCC. mother. sister wife his
O~ argument fCT the utter extinction OF intoxi-
Gazing beverages, The suppression. root and
branch. of the liquor traffic. And in that cry
He makes His argument To men
y tbance!!OrS philosophy. graSping in its
Pp'r women cannot even name. has as yet failed
10 apprehcnd that chemistry OF Heaven which
Gl>tIii> from Christian mothers tear the first
drop OF th1t mighty gathering storm. whose
fl!l and nnai outbreak shall sweep away for
e'"r All refugees of lies which, sincere insin-
ccre. bu!wark She liquor traffic
Ahd Inc children OF Israel sighed by reason
az bondage ami t!Ieir cry came up uil to God:
ana God heard their Sroaning. and God reruern.
befC0 hIs eos cGa.It: and God looked upon the
children OF Israel and had respect unto them u
EIIXABETI CLEVELAND.
a Low Valuation Of His Life.
FroEl the Philadelphia News
remember upon one occasion that Royton
was called upon by the frantic cries for help of a
who had b;.youd his 5ap,b n nd