The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-06-02
WISE LEGISLATION NOT JOB
Berry,

Nuh. GDl1Oh."1 AdN0 UGSu LOI UAAO
last three weeks travelling in one of
our Western States, changing locality
nearly every day, and, therefore, re-
ceiving my mail somewhat spasmodic-
ally. Certain clippings from North
Carolina papers with personal illusions,
which should have reached me several
days ago, now come to hand some
what belated. In reply to these, l
would say that the statement concern
ing the North Carolina Temperance
Education law being a "piece of job
berry, emanating from the American
Book Co., is not true. The author of
this assertion is m~isinformed as to
facts and wrong as to conclusions. The
American Book Co. had nothing what
ever to do with my efforts for that
legislation, as far as I know, they had
no intimation that the law was pro-
posed until after it was enacted.
NOT A BOOK AGENT.
am not an agent Of the American
Book Co., nor In any n or in any
way in their employ, nor of any other
publishing house, nor of any n or of
anything in this matter, save my own
convictions and my desire to save my
country from the horrors of intemper-
ance, through teaching its future citi-
zens in the plastic period of childhood
in the schools to abhor strong drink,
l have no personal financial interest
in books on this topic issued by the
American Book Co. nor by any other
publishing house.
THE LEGISLATION OF THIRTY-FIvE STATES
AND THE NATIONAL CONGRESS NOT
PARTIES TO A BOOK JOB.
A great national and international
society of representative Christian wo-
men called the Women's Christian
Temperance Union, share my convic-
tions on this subject. AS the result of
our united effort, laws requiring the
study of scientific or physiological
temperance have been enacted in
thirty-fve States, including North
Carolina, and by the National Congress
for all the Territories, the District of
Columbia, and other schools under
national control. There is not a feature
of the North Carolina law that cannot
be found in similar statutes enacted by
the National Congress or by other
States. Therefore, if the North Caro-
lima law is a "piece of ~jobbery" then
all these other laws are also, for they
were secured by the same instrument
tality and for the same purpose.
The idea that the Women's Christian
Temperance Union or I, their repre-
sentative in this educational work,
have been able to inveigle the National
Congress and all these legislatures into
~enacting laws that they, the w. @. T.
u, or I might thereby make money on
the sale of books, is preposterous! AS
well claim that the religious journal, the
minister, missionary, or Sunday-school
teacher who urges the study of the
Bible, is actuated by a desire to make
money on the sale of Bibles.
THE MOTHERS OF NORTH CAROLINA, NOT
THE AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY, ASKED
FOB THE LAW.
The Women's Christian Temperance
Union of North Carolina, last year de-
cided to petition their legislature in
session last winter for this Temperance
Education law. They circulated
throughout the State petitions for the
same, which petitions they presented
tothe legislature bearing the signatures
of thousands of North Carolina citi-
zens asking for the law. They invited
me, their National Representative, to
come to Raleigh, and in their behalf to
present the argument for the law to
the Committee on Education. At much
personal inconvenience, I went, just as
/ have gone to other States before for
a like purpose.
FIVE DIFFERENT HOUSES PUBLISH BOOKS
WITH ONE-FOURTH THEIR SPACE GIVEN
TO TEMPERANCE MATTER
The facts concerning the nature of
alcoholic drinks and narcotics and
their effects on the human system can
not be stated in less than one-fourth
the space given to the relative physiol-
ogy and hygiene that is suitable to be
taught in primary or intermediate
grades or in less than twenty pages in
the high school book. Therefore, that
amount of temperance matter is speci-
fed in the laws in this topic of many
States, including North Carolina. The
fact that books of various grades com
plying with this specification are pub
lished by four different houses, not In
Guiding the American Book Co., or
Dulaney & Co., is positive proof that