The Opelousas courier., 1892-08-20
Temperance Column.
UNDER THE AUSPICES OF w. c. t. U. OF
OPELOUsAS.
The White Life For Two.
Union Signal.

Ter and what she has to say invariably
attracts the attention of all good peo-
pie. We, therefore, give to the read
ers of The Union Signal the advantage
Of her wise and earnest words IN a let
ter TO the Worlds W. G. T. U. meet
ing in st. James Hall, London, last
May.
DEAR FRIENDS IL have fought a
long battle in my day, which was,
as you probably know, against the
scandalous Endorsement by our legis-
lature of the idea of the necessity OF
vice involving the legal enslavement
of a portion of female society. This
conflict of the past is, | imagine, very
much forgotten at the present day,
and our younger workers may never
even have heard of it. 1t was on u
long night in March, 1883, in when a
discussion of our subject was going on
in the House of Commons. We had
arranged-we women-to hold a de
votional meeting during the whole OF
the time that Parliament sat, and to
continue it even through the night If
the debate continued so long. came
and went during the night from the
House of Commons to the room of our
meeting, which vas near. In that
room I observed women of all ranks,
from elegantly dressed women, some
few even of our aristocracy, to some
of the most ragged and miserable out
casts of the p~urlieus of Westminster,
L was glad to see them kneeling side
by side. There were earnest prayers,
born of that deep sorrow of heart
which all good women felt then ON ae-
count of the injustice and cruelty OF
which Parliament had been guilty to-
wards us. There were many tears
shed and prayers offered. Then 8
venerable American lady rose and
said "Our tears are good, u pray.
ers are better, but it would be better
still il behind every tear and every
prayer we had a vote at the ballot
box We all said amen to this
sentiment, Now this question of the
women's gvote is to the front again
and it is so much on my mind that j
is impossible for me not to refer te
it. Purity and temperance have been
promoted greatly by the efforts o
women, and will be so, | hope, more
and more. The results of these efforts
| are felt already to some extent in thu
home, the school, the university, thu
workshop, the drawing room, etc.
but what about Parliament wha
| about personal character of our legis
About the prevention of evi
laws, and the enactment of good law
for the furtherance of morality, socia
Justice and purity in society
We may pray and we may preacl
about these things, and we may rais'
our voices to some little extent daring
1.-THE excitement of a contested election
but that is not enough. My friends
we must have the suffrage. 1t is GU
right,-and it is cruel and a continue
Injustice to withhold it from as.
has lately been said that the wome
generally of the country have no
shown any desire for the suffrage
Some years ago | can assert that th
women of the country showed a yer
great desire for it. Men do not kno'
that at the bottom of that desire, un
derneath many other good motives
there lies a bitterness of woe Whic
is the most powerful stimulus toward
the desire for representation in til
legislature. / am sometimes afrai,
that one of these days some other tel
rible injustice may be enacted in Pal
lament through which women wi
again suffer as they did under tbos
laws / have alluded to. Perhaps
might not be an altogether bad thin
if it caused women to utter once MOI
the bitter cry to which none of OF
legislators could pretend to be dea
But have we not, as it is, suficieI
trouble and misery, and degradatio
among our own sex to make us nttt
even now the bitter cry-a cry how
ever at the same time Of hope. conrae
and confidence?
look upon the right of represents
tion as one of the most poWerfl
means towards the attainment of thf
purifying of the moral atmospher,
and that correction of evil tradition
among us at which we all aim. Thin
for a moment of the state of Londol
of New York, and other great citit
peopled by the Anglo-Saxon race .
Is it not a perpetual, enduring dii
grace to us that even at this day thor
! sands of women walk the sheets
London who are given up to a life
yice-to a cruel enslavement-ofte
induced by extreme poverty an
! friendlessness? Now | am not amin
at this moment at stimulating reset
work. That 10 a very needfnl and
] very Christlike work but I regard 1
far more important our influence npo
our fellow men. We should aim
prevention in the widest and highe
sense. We must prevent evil b
changing public opinion, by bringin
all the forces of heaven and earth
Ibear on this awful question of Il
great social vice, which has been trul
Icalled by the late M. dc Pressens
1.-THE typical crime Of the universe, ii
cludiDg in itself all other crimes
Ambulance work 10 no doubt good an
necessary ; but it would be far bette
Ito put a stop to war, than that v
should merely continue to bind up tI
shattered limbs of soldiers ruined b
war; and rescue work is ouly ambl
lance work in the moral world. "
must go more to the root of the matte
but until we women have a voice
citizens, our influence in the efforts [
change and purify public opinion wi
not be so powerful as 1t ought to b
MEN win not regard our words nor IN
derstaud q actions as they ought t
A am very sorry for those good me
who deny Is The vote; for in denyin
us our Just rights they are stumbling i