The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1891-05-07
A General Summary of the Convention
Work.

| A General Summary of the Conventions
! Work.
For weeks, not to say months past,
Brookhavcn had been looking with
pleasurablc anticipations to the COM
ing of the annual Convention of the
Mississippi Woman's Christian Tenn
pcrance Union which convened here
last Saturday morning. With the cS-
Unable and ever faithful ladies of
our local Union especially it had been
the all engrossing theme.
Most of the delegates arrived dur
ing Friday afternoon, and at night
were rendered formal welcome at the
court house under the auspices of the
local sisters. The court room had
been tastefully set in order as only
woman's hands could do, and long
before the hour for the opening cXcr-
cises every seat and every foot of
standing room were occupied by the
expcctant audience. Mrs. j. ii. Gam.
brell, the faithful retiring President
of the local Union, was mistress OF
ceremonies, and occupied the rostrum
with Mrs. l.. 5. Mount of Greenville,
the State President, at her right, and
presided with dignity and grace
tb,t nx.itnl upi,-nrs.l admiration
Most of the delegates occupied seats
within the bar.
After opening prayer by Rev. DR..
W. B. Murrah, addresses of welcome
were delivered as follows: On be-
half of the local pastors, by Rev. W.
II. Huntley; on behalf of county Pro-
hibitionists, by Rev. j. II. Gambrell;
OH behalf of the city, by Mayor Lew
entlal, Jr,. and on behalf of the To-
cal W. c. I. t., by Mrs. Il. 7. Hobbs.
\ very pretty welcome was also cX-
tended by seven little girls, each re-
presenting letter, the whole reading
"Welcome." Excellent music was
furnished by the Wanderers Choral
Society and 10y a large class of little
boys and girls trained for the occa
sion by Mrs. E. II. Crutcher.
The numerous welcomes were
responded to on behalf of
the visiting delegates by Mrs. Seay of
Iuka, who, though called upon uncX-
pectedly and without time for prepar-
alton, acquitted herself in most
graceful and admirable manner.
There was not hitch in the pro-
gram anywhere, and all the partici
pants acquitted themselves so hand
somely there was no room for fault
finding by any one.
AS the LEADER can not give all of
the welcome addresses, which it would
gladly do if possible, we publish be-
low only those of Mayor Lewenthal
and Mrs Hobbs-the former express
ing, so happily, as it so does, the sen
timents of our people as Il whole, and
the latter the more tender sentiments
of the local sistcrhood.
ADDRESS OF MAYOR LEwENTHAL.
Ladies of the W. C. T. L. of Mississippi:
The purely formal but highly hon
ored task has been assigned me, as an
official of this city, to bid You welcome
i'll behalf of its entire people and each
and every class thereof. Purely for
nal do | deem my part, for, irrespec-
tive of the sex which cOmpOses your
organization, irrespective of the
usages of common Southern hOspitali-
ty, the cause to which you are conse
Grated and the consideration of which
hallows your gathering here, alone win
for You an open door to every heart
and every home. All may not sub
scribe to every tenet of your creed,
all may not advocate every principle
of your union, but their welcome is
nevertheless free and unrestrained.
Perfect harmony of thought, complete
unity of faith will not be realized up
on this earth until, perhaps,
THE suns grow old,
The stars are cold,
And the leaves of the judgment book unfold"
But those principles which underlie
every honest creed and those aspira-
tons which animate every honest be-
lief, Overleap the barriers which Opin-
donated and dOgmatic man has erected
between him and his fellow and
reveal to our unaccustomcd gaze n
universal humanhOOd wOrshipping
with wOndrous unanimity at the com
mon shrine of God, Home and Native
Land and we welcome you, ladies,
as the fit bearers of standard around
which entire humanity can unite and
to whose comprehensive inscription
every aspiring heart can pay devoted
homage.
Yours are the fit hands to bear such
standard, for, in all ages you have en-
riched charity with your tears and hu-
mainly with your sacrifices; in
all contests patriotism has found
you an answering ally and
religion constant friend. Paint
er's ideal conception of liberty,
Justice, mercy and hope has never
reached higher fight than to embody
these enrolling virtues in woman's fair
form and features and thus from
time immemorial you have been iden-
titled with the purest purposes and
have been the inspiration of the loft
lest sentiments that ever thrObbed
within the human heart.