The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-01-18
w. c. T. U.
Discuss the Temperance Question at
the First Baptist Church.

lne meetings OF the w OHldn CuIlSlidu
Temperance Union at the First Baptist
Church yesterday were largely attended.
The meetings commenced at 10 o'clock in the
morning and continued until 4 O'Clock in
the afternoon, with special topics assigned
for each hours discussion.
The exercises were interspersed with
music, and prayer from time to time was
offered for the better enforcement of prohib-
itory laws in this city and elsewhere. Mrs.
George S. Hunt opened the irst topic. "Phil-
anthropic Work Among the Degraded"
Mrs. Hunt spoke of the needy and degraded,
and referred especially to the work among
the unfortunate women at the police station
and the jail The speaker thought reform
atory prison for women is very much
needed, and spoke of the efforts made by
the women of the w. G. L. U. to have such
an institution erected.
Mrs. FL. NJ. Humphrey said that the num-
Der of arrests among the women have been
far in excess of the number that were ar
rested formerly. Our president wrote the
Mayor a very kind letter concerning the
dram shops, to which he never replied. We
saw that there was no aid in this direction
and so we decided to appeal to the Christian
people of the CITY,"
After brief remarks by the Rev. A. K. P
Small concerning the women In the jail,
Mrs Hunt said 1--WE have nearly 200 women
arrested in this city for drunkenness. Of
course they are not all in Jail at the same
time. In Massachusetts they have an insti-
tuition such as we have been trying for here,
where women are kept at least two years
and the effect is remarkable"
Rev. Mr.. Dunn said that philanthropic
work that has has no Christ in it is either a
lnIar A rod ff,c
called philanthropc work because he thinks
it his duty and expects some time to be
rewarded for it will find that he is very much
mistaken. True philanthropy IS Christian
far as we work with Christ. 1t is personal,
individual contact with those who are down
that Is needed
The next topic Better cooperation among
the churches in efforts to suppress vice,
especially that of intemperance and better
observance of the Sabbath" was opened
by Miss Scales. Miss Scales made brief re-
marks and was followed by Rev. Mr..
Daniels who said: 1T belongs to these later
days for women to do this work. We do not
when women did not care for such things
The sick, the suffering were not especially
to be cared for then. Christ came to seek
and to save what was lost. How can we do
this? You Christian women find yourselves
by the side of the degraded what can you
do to raise them? cooperation. There can
be no cooperation until we have the heart of
Christ A terrible social evil is in our city;
the slyest of the sly the most guarded Of all
evils. 1t is hard to speak of these things
with modesty, but we can think and think
Rev. j. G. Wilson spoke of the need of
work in our city in the uplifting of humanity
and the saving of men after which Mr. Glib
son Of Stockport, England, told of ms sur
prise at finding such open sale OF liquor in
this city which is under probibitory law.
"Our rulers and all who are in authority;
better enforcement of the law in our city,"
was the next topic discussed and it was
opened by Mrs. A. +. Cox who said: ''For
MANY long weary years in the past we work
ed, and hoped, and prayed for prohibitory
law, and at last we succeeded in getting all
the law we wanted. Now we have all the
law we want and now we pray for an en-.
forcement of it. We would not sit still if
we saw criminals going around openly muir
dering and thieving and surely we should
not sit quietly while men continue to break
the liquor law. There are many little ways
in which we can further our object but of
course our city officers have the power to
suppress the traffic and it belongs to them to
do it. What our society prays is that We
may have for officers, just men, who will do
what Is right in the eyes Of the law, and the
eyes of God"
Mrs. Cox called on the Rev. l.. H. Hal
lock, who said II am in sympathy with
this work. 1t lies just as close alongside the
work of Christian as any work we can en-
gage in. Faith and work, prayer and SER
vice go together. have heard some say
that we ought to have license law, and that
that would be enforced. 1t would never be
enforced The power to close the saloons,
as Mr.. Bayley says, is in the hands Of the
people. If we insist upon it, the officers will
enforce the law. Go to the Mayor; perhaps
you have been once, but go again and insist
upon having the law enforced. Success,
Christian women, lies in your hands and
mine"
Mrs. II. NJ. Humphrey briefly stated the
object of calling the meeting and said The
City Marshal said, Where is your Woman's
Christian Temperance Union? More women
are brought in today for drunkenness than
ever before He turned upon us in this
way. We sent to the Mayor concerning the
dram shops, and each time he professed ig-
norance of their existence. We sent to him
time and time again, and at last we said to
ourselves, what shall we do? We cannot
reach the Mayor; we cannot reach the Mar
shal, although he pledged himself time and
the law, he said, 'or I'll resign The Mayor
said that he could not enforce the law. that
the police under him would not enforce the
law. The Mayor has never been to the po-
lice to tell them to enforce the law. He has
never called them together and given them
instructions to that effect. SO we have
called the people together to pray. Our
| Mayor is a Christian man, and we believe
| his heart can be touched. We don't want to
| turn against him. The women are taking
hold of politics because they are discouraged
| of working any other way"
MIR. Gibson and Mrs. L. NJ N. Stevens
made brief remarks, after which Rev. Mr.
| Hallock said: Il wish the officials could
hear the appeal of Mrs. Humphrey as we
| have heard It from her lips"
Mrs. j. G. Woodman spoke of the non-en-
| forcement of the law and said that she had
| long hoped that it might be enforced.
The next topic Elevation Of public NOR
ais especially in regard to temperance and
kindred virtues" was opened by Mrs. Mar
garet L. w. Merrill.
Rev. Mr.. Hayden spoke of the "intoxicat-
ing cup" as the great impedinlent in the va
rious reforms. "There is special reason why
we should consider our present position. In
Portland originated the prohibisory law.
What is going on here is known all over the
country. So work done here tells all over
the country, and therefore, we have a ten
fold responsibility. You say you have been
to the Mayor once or twice, but don't give
up, you may succeed the next time"
After remarks by Mrs. George S. Hunt,
Rev. III. c. Dunham spoke, expressing hope
that the law would be enforced. Remarks