The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1886-09-03
The Women Answer j. Squier.

The Women Answer j. Squier.
A letter upon the subject Of scientific
Temperance Instruction in the schools
of our St,te paper, has been brought
to my notice with the request thai l
should, as far az 1 am able, state the
truth with regard to the law passed by
our last Legislature on this subject |
very gladly comply with the request
as no doubt many of your readers be-
side the writer of the letter have mis-
understood the matter. The WOmans'
Chistain Temperance Union Of Mary
land requested the Legislature to pass a
law requiring that the nature OF alco-
holic drinks and narcotics. with spe-
cial reference to their effects on tn e hu-
man system, be taught to all pupils in
all schools, supported in whole or in
par thy money from the st ,te. This re-
quest was endorsed by the Temperance e
Alliance, the Temperance League, and
other temperance societies whose COM
mittees rendered most effective service.
Petitions were sent in to both Houses
from almost if not quite every county
in the State, aggregating, [ venture to
say, more names than have ever before
been presented on a petition to the
Legislature of Maryland. Our Bill
was championed by Mrs. Mary H.
Hunt, the Superintendent of Scientific
Temperance Instruction in the Nation
al Womans' Christian Temperance
Union. The noble woman who six
years ago formed the plan of introduc-
ing instruction on this subject into the
public schools of our country and who
has this year succeeded in getting law
passed the Congress of the United
States, with scarcely dissenting vote
in either House, covering the schools
in the District of Columbia and the
Territories, in the Indian schools and
the Naval schools and Academies of
the country.
Mrs. Hunt accompanied our commit
tee to Annapolis, and was granted
most respectful and courteous hear
ing in the Hall of the House of Repre-
sentatives at IL NJ. and at s P. NJ. the
same day. The Bill received the sup
port of some of the best men in both
iously opposed by others. To some of
clause in the law requiring that the
books used in the schools should
be published in Maryland. AS
far as my knowledge extends
no publisher in the city of Balti-
more had anything ,vhatever to do with the bill
until it had become law. The object
ionabie clause was no doubt added Uith
the hope of cHppfng the iaW and rend-
ering it inoperative, bu, ,this has not been
the result owing to the energetic act
ion of w. J. G. Dulaney & Co. These
publishers relieved us from the perplex.
ity 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 intermediate
Grades, which fully meet the require
menta of the law as they are published
printed and bound in Baltimore" The
books have been carefully examined
by Joint committee from several tenn
perance societies and we heartily rec
ommend them to the various School
Boards in Maryland. In doing so low
ever we have no desire to exclude any
other books equally good which can he
used under the limitations of the Legis-
lature. With this statement of the
case ! hope your correspondent will
pXonerate the advorates 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 ard will believe that we
have not been working in the interest
of anv publisher here or elsewhere, but
entirely in the interest of the children
of Maryland. The Legislature of Is
states and the United states Congress
have by the efforts of the Wcnlans'
Christian temperance Union, aided by
other temperance organizations pass
ed laws similar to the one in Maryland.
The object we have in view is to pro-
vide that the children all over the
United states in the public schools,
who are being instructed in many good
and useful things, shall be faithfully
taught the danger to body, brain and
character. which comes from using al
coho ic drinks and narcotics. We
thin k if they are forewarned they will
be foreArmed, and we rely upon the in
telligent and faithful teachers in our
schools throughout the country to pre-
sent the subject in live and convinc-
ing manner, now that the various
Legislatures have made it their duty to
do SO. hope that Cecil will not he
behind the other counties of Maryland |
in looking after the interests of her
children.
MARY w. THOMAS. Baltimore Md.
President of the w. Z. T. u, of Mary
Iand