The Portland daily press., 1888-06-13
GOOD rEMpLARs.
ThIrtieth Anniversary Of the order in
Maine.
interesting Exercises In City HALL
Last Evening.

Coiobidbiou Vi the lntIOuuCtiOu VI tuclf Ut
der into Maine by most interesting pro-
gramme OF speeches and music at City Hall,
last evening. The evening previous. Arcana
Lodge. No. l, had enjoyed season of con-
CALCULATIONS, as that was the first lodge insti-
tuted, but this gathering was intended to
embrace the State. Owing, no doubt, to the
fact that the State Convention had been in
progress all day, many delegates to that body
who would otherwise have been present on
this occasion as members of the order, felt
unable to remain over, and others were pre-
vented from attending by various other rea-
sons, so that the audience was not very large.
Among those present on the platform were
Rev. @. Fl. Shinn, d. t.; S. s, knights, g.
c.; Gen. Neal Dow, S. d.; George E. Brack-
EFT, G. s.; j. H. Orne, p. r. G. w. t.; H.
III. Burbank. p. G. T.; Sidney Perham, P.
g. c. t.; I. r. Simonton, P. G. c. T.. Rev.
ID. B. Randall, S. D.; NJ. ]. Dow, P. G. c. T.. (;
Rev. Marion Crosley. G. c.; j. III. Hamilton,
G. C. t.; Mrs. ]. R. Pollard. G. v. t.; Mrs.
E. E. Cain, G. S. J. T.; Mrs. E. E. Knight,
p. G. V. T., and others.
After lively selection by Chambers band
Grand Counsellor S. S. Knight called the
meeting TO order, and introduced Rev. @. II.
Shinn, who offered prayer.
Gen. Neal Dow then delivered the follow
ing address of welcome:
Gentlemen and Ladies' of the Order of Good
Temptdrs of Mdine:
The pleasant duty has been assigned TO me
to welcome you to Portland, which do most
cordially and heartily. / wish you were
here to take up permanent residence among
us. The more We have of such people as
you are. the purer and sweeter will be the
moral atmosphere of our little city by the
sea. Why should we not make more siren
uous effort to increase the number of our
lodges and to greatly multiply their men,
bers.
Our order, it seems to me, affords an OBJ
portunity for good people to help the temper
ance cause, who wish to do little in that
way to satisfy tender conscience without
antagonizing any body mol anything except
the drink. No one can belong to our order
without renouncing forever alcoholic drinks /;
he must also be good citizen, of good repu-
tation, but beyond that nothing will be re-
| quired of him. This order is non-partisan,
aud non-sectarian, but it does not object to
the prosecution of violators of the Maine
law, though it takes small part in that i'm
| portant work.
wish to avail myself of this opportunity
to lay cut clearly before those who are as
| sembled here, and through them to the entire
| community, the imperative need Of the tenn
perance cause throughout the English-speak-
ing world !; that is, the extirpation Of the
remnant of the liquor traffic yet lingering in
our larger towns and cities. The grog shops
| more or less secret, selling on a small scale
| In this State, and the great obstacle to the
rapid progress Of the policy of prohibition
throughout the Union. No right thinking
man says the liquor traffic is good thing
everybody admits that it is bad thing
| but great many respectable people object
to prohibition for the reason. they say, that
| 1t does not prohibit. Look at Maine, they
say, where for more than thirty-ive years
They take no note of the fact that In more
than three-fourths Of the State containing
more. than three-fourths Of ourpopulation, the
liquor traffic is practically unknown. They
| ignore the fact that there is not no n and has
not been for many years. distillery or a
brewery in the State, where there were many
| in the old rum time. Perhaps they do not
know that in that old time immense quanti-
ties OF West India rum werebropght into the
| State by the cargo, and scattered all over it
by every highway running into the most
| remote interior. reaching every town and
hamlet however insignificant All this in
addition to immense quantities of New Eng
land rum from our numerous distilleries.
| There Is not now, and has not been for many
! years even one puncheon of rum brought
| into the State. The people who say ssprohi-
bition does not prohibit" take no note of
| the fact that the volume of the LIQUOR traffic
in Maine has not one-twentieth of its former
proportions !.
For all that, 1t is o scandal and a burning
shame, not to say a griev0us crime, that the
grog-shops are permitted TO exist here in
violation OF the constitution and the law,
mnicting an infinite mischief upon our peo-
pie. and blocking the way of this
great reform through the English
speaking world. when their speedy
extermination would be so easy. How
Is this to be done? Liquor is sold in viola
ton Of law for the profit of it and not for the
fun. The only thing needed is so to amend
the law as to make the drink-trade unprofit-
able and uncomfortable to those who persist
| in It. That Is the whole of it, only that.
For more than twenty-five years. we have
ture. praying in vain for legislation to do
this. Why have we failed to obtain this
much needed amendment 10 the law?e l do
not ask for information. know well why
we fail, but cannot say it here because our
organization Is not partisan, but elsewhere
we can and will proclaim to all our people
why it Is that the remnant of the liquor
trade yet lingering among us here is not per.
mitted 70 be wiped out. so that we can pre-
Sens :. sn me world ,H great community like
OF the grog shops, which are now INJECTING
upon our people more mischief and misery
than comes to us from all other sources Of
evil combined. think it impossible that
our people Will continue indefinitely to suf-
fer this great wrong, whatever interests are
promoted by its continuance.
The band followed with a charming num-
Der, after which Grand Secretary Bracket
delivered the historical address as follows:
HISTORICAL ADDRESS.
In the year 1852, in country village in the
State OF New York, originated temperance
society called the Independent Order of
GOOD Templars, the introduction of which
into Maine, six years later, we are celebrat-
ing here today. 1t found the times ripe for
its coming and proved to be plant Of rap
Id and permanent growth, for from that
seed dropped in waiting, fruitful soil, has
grown the largest, the most widely EXTEND
cd and powerful temperance Organization
the world has eyer known. Il spread rapid
ly throughout the States and this continent,
crossed the Atlantic and found home in
foreign lends, until now its bonds and bands
OF Drotnerly love embrace continents and
comprise within its fraternaI grasp the
jewellers from Maine and Canada to Califor-
MIA, from the British Isles to New South
Wales, and from Scandinavia to Australia
STA.
The Order of Good Templars today has
ceased to be national. it is cosmopolitan, for
globe, there it is established, until il num-
bers its Grand Lodges by the score, its sub
ordinate Lodges by the thousands, and its
mem bership almost by the millions.
lne sun never sets upon the lodges of our
Order, for they are located in countries that
belt the earth. and Good Templar work and
teachings never cease. Brothers and sisters.
the same password which admits US to our
lodges In Maine will open the doors and en-
sure us fraternal welcome to lodges of 0ur
order In all parts of the civilized world
Our ritualistic work is printed and used in
IL different languages, so that our r. w. q
Lodge Is virtually congress of the nations
In the scope and character of its Representa-
ton. Our platform is so wide, and deem. and
liberal. that there is room upon it for ali who
are opposed to the curse of alcoholism. We
know neither race, sex, nor creed-color.
party nor religion; our motto Is faith. hone
and charity; our platform Is total abstinence
for the individual and prohibition for the
nations; our mission to save the fallen and
prevent others from falling through the curse
OF intemperance and the use of Intoxicating
liquors; and our watchword and rallying cry
emDlazoned on our banners is-for God, and
home, and every land
Thirty years ago this evening the first
Lodge of the Order in Maine or New Eng
land was organized in this city, and named
Arcana No. /. 1t Is still alive and at the
head of the Maine column, and though but
two OF its charter members are with us, vet
scores of the citizens of Portland and yicin-
ity have passed through its doors, taken its
obligations, and through its teachings and
influence have been temperance workers for
lifetime.
Two years later, in 1860 August %. the
Grand Lodge Of Maine was organized with
only eight subordinate lodges but the score