West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1885-08-26
the channel of ! her convictions.

:, s,t ~ ~ A. -
the channel of her convictions.
Woman is, therefore, irrepressible.
She must think in one direction.
She must speak Of the eyer-present
subject Of her thoughts. Il She must
strive to lift the world to her mount
OF vision, and to the realization of
her conceptions. Men may taunt
her with narrowness; they may de-
ride her as impracticable; they
may scorn her efforts as weak and
impolitic; but, amid it all, she
presses on to the goal. You might
as soon hope to change the laws of
gravitation by word, or to hold
back Niagara with a spiders web,
as to restrain the efforts of woman
when her heart is stirred by some
glazing and atrocious wrong. Take,
as an illustration, the w. G. T. U.
What has created this freemasonry
among women, and, in every section
of our land, formed them into sociez
ties? There can be but one an
swer. 1t is the tyranny and the
intolerance of rum; the fact that
it is everywhere dominant; that it
controls conventions, shapes legis-
lation, and seeks to dictate, in its
interests, congressional action. 1t
stalks the earth Goliath before
which the very armies Of God
trembe. Like David, this organi-
cation arose to confront the mon
ster. Like him, it went forth be-
cause it must. The monster con-
temred it as of old. The par..isans,
like Dayid's brethren, smiled upon
it. in pity. Its implements Of
prayer and petition were so print
tive and so imperative in such a
combat. But,now that the missiles
are sinking into the forehead of
the giant, we are greeted with a
cry of alarm instead Of a shout Of
victory. This monster is necessary
to the success Of their party. Be.
ware firing into your friends. You
are endangering the prospects Of
3your only allies Stay your hand
\ ere the party defeat is overwhelm
ing and it's decentralization COM
plete. What is the response of wo
man to the alarm of these political
factions Let ohio answer. A
few weeks ago the Republicans o.
that State Ga party dear to most o
us because of the grandeur Of it,
past achievements), met in State
Convention. They were asked t.
express their willingness to resub
NIT the question of a prohibitory
amendment to the Constitution tt
the people. The memorial was 81
lently ignored. The democratic
party was denounced for the de
structionof the Scott law, and tn
most ultra sentiments sin favor O
!, license were incorporated in tn
platform. The very next day, tn
w. G. T!:U. assembled in Kenton
with 165 delegates, and by vot
of 81 to48, declared for the Prohibi
ton party. They repudiated tn
, platform O. the Springfield Conven
ton and pledged themselves to op
, pose all candidates who failed t.
endorse Prohibition. Of course
this will be regarded, in certain
quarters, as very unwom anly. Mer
who believe that the only bushes
of woman in this life is to MARI,
and care for the children, will b.
shocked at such procedure. Pol
iticians, the success of whose part,
is endangered by these efforts an'
utterancesJmay become lachrymos'
over woman's degeneracy; but thu
flag that waves "For God and Hom'
and Native Land" will,foat over NJ
compromises and will droop at nc
defeats. Woman is in politics t.
stay until the millennium-unti
man shall be true enough an(
4 broad enough to subordinate party
4 to principle and success to right
! That prohibition banner is yet DIES
4 tined to become historic. We may
sing of it as Longfellow sang of hi
ship:
t4t)ur hearts, our3hopes are all with thee
Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers our tears
Our faith triumphant DER our fears,
| Perchance some Francis Key may
a,, h ~ M ~ II, i'm mortal unrGa II