The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1891-04-08
TEMPERANCE NEWS AND NOTES.

NEWS AND NOTES.
The fifth district of Illinois has eleven new
W. c. I. Unions, the harvesting of a paid
organizer.
Now North Carolina comes to the fore
with one of the best scientific temperance
laws yet passed.
A w. c. T. Union has been formed in
Egypt at Cairo, with a membership of seven
American missionaries.
The Scottish Union Of British Women's
Temperance Association has forty-tour
societies and a membership of about 1000.
The beer crop OF Illinois thrives under the
high license reign. Internal revenue re-
ports showing IN minus increase Of 1900
barrels.
The Loyal Temperance Legion of North
Attleboro, Mass, has a membership of 4O2.
Thirty-eight of ~thisnumber have been pres
ent at every meeting during the past year.
It lisa significant fact the y. w. c. 7.
Unions everywhere are occupied with physi-
cal culture. The girls are not getting up
muscle for nothing. Let all whom II may con-
Germ take notice.
Ohio W. c. T. U. this year has six hun
dred local unions, including one hundred
new ones, and ten thousand paying members.
The convention which met recently was one
of the best ever held.
Even the parrots nave caught the tenn
perance fever. A polly in Atlanta, Ga, heard
the crowds of children drilled in singing for
the Atlanta national convention, aud since
then it sits aloft and sings: SALOONS, sa-
looms, saloons must goE'
The Sanitary Board of Vienna, Austria,
has declared against the establishment of
asylums for i~nebriates, and in favor of all
drunkards being, as public dangers, sem
fenced to periods Of hard labor.
The order of Rechabites a large tenn
perance society of England, ~rejoices in the
o&,,,,, -fxv,y - So Late oN,n,.a1 n,nfaran,a
showing an increase of 10,610 members dur
ing the year 1890. This is all the more en-
couraging as it is a benefit club, as well as a
total abstinence society.
THE ADVANTAGES OF TOTAL ABSTINENCE.
For the last fifty years the great question
that has occupied the minds of Christian
men, has been the liquor question. This is
to be my subject this evening, not forgetting,
friends, however, that it has been a subject
that has been thought upon and talked upon
by the most prominent men of the day, but
seemingly without avail, such a strong hold
has it upon the nation. Nevertheless, the
fight still goes on, and l hope some day that
we shall see temperance triumphant. There
is not a drunkard in the world who will not
say, and say with a sigh, Il wish l never
knew what drink wasr' Now the great ques-
ton is, what is the best thing to do, under
the present circumstances. II we go back q
number of years and look over the record of
the penal institutions of this country or Eng
land, we shall find that according to the sta
tistics no less than e~ighty-nine per cent. of
the crimes that have been committed can be
traced to strong drink. Now, gen
tlemen, l don't think the majority of
people really understand this shocking state
of things. Let me give you an example.
There are, in round numbers, 700 men in this
Institution. Now, according to statistics, if
temperance ruled the way, there would only
be seventy-seven men here! Is this not truly
n condition Of thinns that ayary man and
woman should think deeply upon? Why do
men drink l have heard that asked, but |
never knew al habitual drinker who could
give a sensible answer. A sister, mother, or
perhaps a wife, will ask, John, why do you
drink so, and make such a fool of yourselfY'
The answer will be four times out of five, II
don't know" and another will be, 'Oh, be
cause all the other fellows drink, and they
would think it queer if l didn't" or driven
to 1t by tronble of some description The
last answer, and that only, is what you may
call an excuse, and that is nothing but weak
ness, and the man who tries TO drown his sor-
rows and trouble in drink, might easily have
been saved II if he had a friend to say a word
of encouragement TO him. l am afraid We
don't all of us know the value of
an encouraging word. 1t is surpris-
ing how it will help a man when he is going
dow hill. remember a young man who,
when about to leave here, was asked by a
friend, who, l am glad TO say, is a member
OF TINS society, II ne was going 70 drink Wnen
he got out. II guess So" said he; ~ don't
think l could resist it," well" said his
friend, ''do you like ity' After thinking a
moment he said, mo- Then he asked il he
needed it physically, and if he was not better
in health while here without it? He then
said, Prank, l never thought of that before.
am going out tomorrow or next day, and
Isay now that / shall not touch a DROP and
as far as l know he has kept his promise. So
you see, gentlemen, that a little argument
and a few words of reason are not always
lost.
So it seems TO me the great thing is, ito
get att the young men and tell them the
curse that liquor has brought upon men, and
get them TO seek the company of temperate
men, and spend their leisure hours music
or in the company of ladies; and /
am sure if they do they will be better en-,
tertained than in a bar-room.-P. II. Con-
HOTS.