Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1890-10-30
Address of Mrs. L. NJ. N. Stevens, President
Of the Maine W. G. T. U.
Ar The
Annual Convention of that organization mt
Portland, Oct. :, 1880.


B.lored Comrades
am glad to meet YOU here 10 night,
have been checred and strengthened to-
day a. ! have looked into Your earnest
faces. and read there the purpose OF pure
hearts. Some of the faces are old famil-
lar ones others there are who have lately
come into the ranks. and yet | see in all
the same holy desire, SAYING a. it were.
The Lord has not given me the spirit Of
| fear, but Of power and of love, and of a
| sound mind" During the last few days
| NY thoughts have been much with YOU.
| have thought OF you as you have been
adjusting the household affairs for the
comfort of the home in your absence.
Some OF you have had to plan for months
/ IN order IN be here. Some have made
sacrifices that they might come. Does
any one ask why after all you have come ?
II is because with eyes trained to see we
/ have looked out upon humanitys suffer
Ing, aud with ears trained to hear. we can
detect the tramp Of one million hopeless
helpless drunkards in this country. while
other millions Of tlpplers and moderate
drinkers are hurryiug to join their pro-
/ Ce>>Iun. We realize the poverty, misery,
/ degradation. shame and woe. growing out
/ OF the li4uor-tratilc, and We are here a. a
part OF great organized force to review
| what we have done. and to plan for what
We hope to DO toward blotting IL and its
attendant evils out OF existence.
] Let u. therefore. now take back look
and outlook but first OF all let us take
an up look 10 God, thanking Him for the
prosperity Of our society during the year
just closed. by far the best in Its history
spiritually, numerically aud financially.
Through wars and clouds and storms
Hc's gently cleared the way"-and let us
tonight rccou>ecrate ourselves apew to
work for Him, for home and for humanity
Looking back over the sixteen years Of
onr work we cannot estimate what our
unions have done in developing moral
and spiritual truths those things Will
never be known.
I niii the >un i cold, and the stars are old.
Ana the leaves Of the judgment book unfold.
Bot | viii refer 10 some OF the things
which may be seen as the outcome Of the
WORK Of the ". c. T. L. in Maine In re-
gard 70 influencing legislation | will first
speak of those things vs. hich make direct
ly for the benefit Of the young-for after
all that Is the central point of our inter
est. In response to our petition. Feb
ruary. 1859, a law was enacted requiring
supported by public money, and because
of our petitions and pleadiugs the age Of
protection for girls has been raised from
ten to fourteen wears. II j. not vet wha,
it -nu,,ld be- aud there is need of recon
>truciion Of all the laws bearing upon the
question of social purity and the move
nnent now making for 4 commission 10 be
appointed by the national Congress TO in
vcstigate this question is sure to result IN
good,
Will just here pause t" tell you some
thing OF the work OF the State Superinten-
dent Of this department-ln this city
and other cities and towns Of our State,
but for her sake / forbear. Her works
show blessed results growing out Of that
charity which sutieteth long and j.
kind"
1t was through our efforts that the law
wa, enacted last Legislature prohibiting
the sale of cigarettes to minors unuer
sixteen.
Ii is not all we asked for hut il is
step in the right direction, and the agita
ton Of the question caused an arrest Of
thought. which has resulted in often in
Nitlng, TIN ough our State Superintendent,
Mrs. Gleason, to our State to speak upon
the question which is our speciality. For
several wears We have been considering
the subject Of a reformatory prison for
women We do not so much wonder that
our Legislators make haste slowly" In
regard to it. 1t involves quite an outlay
[ OF money, il involves change IN the
prison and jail methods now IN operation
aud the average legislator, however kind
hearted he may he. is not supposed to be
specialist on prison reform. We have
not vet been asking a long as Ma>sa-
! oh, a k.4 an.
prison at Sherburn, which il an acknow-
ledgcd great success. our last Legislature
was naturally more favorable than any
preceding one The judiciary committee
were evenly divided for and against. aud
we have every reason to 90 on in our en-
deavor. counting upon the aid of such
I influential men as those who voted for ii
last year-a among them Joseph Manley,
/ Herbert Heath, Lewis Stearns and Judge
Wi-well.
Y What has been done along legislative
/ lines is small indeed compared with our
I other work-at the headquarters, at the
I temperance homes, the homes and nurs-
4 cries for children in various missionary
lines, and by individual effort of hun
dreds, yes thousands, who try to be true
20 the meaning of the white ribbon they
wear. A few weeks ago | clipped from
] one OI our IedulDS Slale JOuIUdls tHe lOl-
/ lowing:
Baby Jones of the w c. T. L. Home
and Nursery was the center of attraction
at the Union Station, Portland, Thursday
afternoon, as the President of the Lewis
ton W. c. T. u. turned him over to his
new found parents. In spite of the eff
forts of the father to remain inc0g. Port
land society had somehow learned his
| Official position and title, and several
persons were present who had heard the
story of his search for baby boy. The
little fellow received loving welcome
from the older children and servants,
while the mothers tears fell fast as she
clasped him to her bosom. Then there
was the signing of necessary papers, a
blessing on W. c. T. L. work and the
Lewiston Nursery in particular, and the
little one was borne away In the arms of
the glad father to catch the outgoing train
for their distant English home"
desire to emphasize the desirability of
removing from institutional life as early
as possible the little children who have
become inmates therein. In order to do
this we must have the cooperation of
friends who are willing or desirous of
taking the little ones into their own
hearts and homes. In the case alluded
to. our English sister (for sister indeed
she was, a member of the w. c. T. U. }
and her husband "a nobleman by birth
and disposition) sought little one to
put in the place made vacant by death
and it is pleasant and interesting fact
that the baby they found in the W. G. t.
U. nursery wore that day frock of the
same color and texture as theirs wore the
last day he played, and the day they took
the little waif for their own he was to q
day exactly as old as their own child was
on the day God took him away.
So, often in our work are we reminded
that truth is indeed stranger than fic
ton"
Will you bear with me while give an
, other instance showing the pathetic side
of our work. One day there came into
our headquarters a gentle, et-facec
woman She asked if we could assist hel
in finding a place for a young woman il
consumption, who might live for months
and for whom she wished to provide ev
cry kindly care and comfort. 1T is quit
a long story" she said. "A few years age
she was the wife of my son. Although
, what people called below him in the SO
cial circle. she was pretty and lovable. A
child came to unite and make happy thei
lives but soon we found she had the ap
/ petite for drink, and after the child die'