The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1886-09-04
The peoplfs e olnmn
Temperance Instruction in Our Public
Schools.

A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE
W. c. T. L. OF MARYLAND.
Mr.. EDIToR:-In your issue of the IA. n
ultimo was a letter from j. Squier giving
his action and some of his reasons for
the decision of our school board on the
subject specially designated in the law
passed by our last legislature, to provide
for the teaching of Physiology and Hy-
giene with special reference to the effect
of stimulants and narcotics upon he hui
man system. in all schools or educational
institutions supported wholly or in part
by money from the state.
In his letter the examiner proposes
Ito give a true idea ct the whole affair"
Now your correspondent happened to be
a reader OF the official organ of the Wo
mems Christlln Temperance Union at
the time this bill was pending at Aunap
oils, and from that and some other
sources he had reason to know that the
bill, as signed by the governor of Md
was in many very important particulars
different from what the petitioners had
asked for; and that the charge that J.
Squier makes against the promoters of
the measure (''whnm he designates a com
mlttee OF ladies' non some tempera ICE
alliance was calculated to mislead
while it was aisu at variance with the
facts.
In order that the people of this county
may have both sides oi this sutj-ct, j.
Sauiers letter was mt to the Pres'i Of
the w. G. T. [. aud her reply Is Tor
warded with This. L. may he nnnecps,
sary t. add that there Was no U,iuu Or
gained Ill Cecil until quite recently. aud
this is why this statement WAS prepared
by one gu side their organic .ii,u.
A FRIEND OF THE WOMEN.
Editor IF the Wig:-A letter npnn the
scientific Ten p"rauce Instruction in the
schools Of oar State which was rec ,tlv
published i'll Your per, HIS been
brought to my notice with the request
that | should, DIS lar AS | ain abe, state
the truth vii regard To the IL. pass ii
by our last Legislature on tbs subject |
very gladly comply with liz .,uuust ;.s
no doubt many of your readers beside
the writer of the letter have miSunder-
stood the matter. The Women's Chris
tian Temperance Union OF Maryland re-
quesJed Lne Legislature to pass law re-
quirlng that the nature OF slcoholic
drinks and narcotics, with special refer
ence to their eff cts on the human svS.
tenn, be taught to all pupils in all schools
supp rted III whole or i'll part by
mouev from the State. This request was
endorsed by the Temperance Alliance,
the Temperance League, and other TEN
perance societies whose cnInmiit"es reu-
dered most effective service. Petitions
were sent in to both Houses from almost
If not qui every comfy IN the State,
aggregating. venture to say, more
names than have ever before been pre-
sented on petition to the Legislature of
Maryland. Our Bill Was championed by
Mrs. Mary Fl. Hunt, the Slper,n endent
of Scientific Temperance | ,Struction in
the National Women's Christian Temper
ance Union. The noble woman who six
years ago formed the plan of Introducing
instruction on this subj ct into the pub
schools of our country and who nas this
year succeeded N getting law passed
the Congress of the United States, with
scarcely dissenting vote in either
House, covering the schools IN the Dis.
trict OF Columbia and the Territories, in
the Indian schools and the Naval schools
and Academies of the country
Mrs Hunt accompanied our committee
to Annapolis. and was granted most re
spectful and courteous hearing in the
hall of the House of representatives AT
II IN and p. IN the same day. The
Bill received the support ot some of the
best men in both the Senate and the
House. although seriously opposed by
others. To some of these opposers we
no doubt owe the clause in the law re-
quiring that the books used in he schools
should be published i'll Maryland. As Tar
as Iny knowledge extends no publisher
in the city of Baltimore had anything
uhatecer to do rith the bill until 1t had be-
come a law. The objectionable clause was
no doubt added uih the hope of rJipplinq
the taU and rendering it inOperatice, but
this has not been the result owing to the
energetic action of w. J G. Dulaney &
Co. These publishers relieved us from
the perplexity into which we were thrown
by this most unwelcome addition to our
bill by bringing out two excellent books
on the subject of Higher and Intermedi-
ate Grades. which fully meet the require
ments of the law as they are published
printed and bound in Baltimore" The
books have been carefully examined by
joint committee from several temperance
societies and we heartily recommend
them to the various School Boards in
Maryland. In doing SO however, we have
no desire to exclude any other books
equally good which can be used under
the limitations of the Legislature. With
this statement of the case | hope your
will exonerate the advo
Gates of the new law from any intention
of forcing the School Boards to purchase }
their books in the State of MARYLAND, |
whether they will or not and will believe
that we have not been working in the in
terest OF any publisher here or elsewhere,
but entirely in the interest of the children |
of Maryland. The legislatures of Is states
and the United States Congress have by |