The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1892-05-12
TEMPERANCE NOTES.
. TEMPERANCE At HOME.

LENT ENANCE. UlE0..
S TEMPERANCE At HOME.
Mothers who Care More for. order Than
They Do fur Their Boys' Welfare.
''Do you know that our boys are GO
Ing more and more to the saloons?
farmer friend said to me not long. since
Indeed did not II any spot on earth
could be considered safe from this aw-
full plague thought it was the farm
home. |"~s
''But they are," he continued. "A
days ago 1 sat in friends office, oppo-
site saloon, and counted thirteen
farmer boys among those who entered
that saloon during q little more than
an hour"
The statement set me thinking and
set me watching as we'll. I fear it is
too true. Our town is small aud has
perhaps few attractions, yet every Sat-
urday evening sees the streets filled
with young people from the country.
The saloons. are brilliant and busy.
Whose boys are there 1 cannot tell
God grant it may be neither yours nor
mine. Somebody's boy is there.
Dear friends, this question no longer
belongs to the city alone. The temper
ance question is yours. Unless you
take hold of it vigorously your own
households will be made desolate.
There are two ways of working for
temperance. One is to tear up and de.
stroy the evil traffic in i'.toxicants, the
other to spare no effort in cultivating
whatsoever things are true and pure
and lovely" The first named method
has, l think, received tie greater at
tention for many years. With what
success you all know. OF late, many
earnest workers have beo> seeking in
the second a more excellent way.''
A company of organized workers, not
long since, held their sessions in a
room where mechanic was making
some needed repairs. Manifesting a
strong interest in the affairs of the
meeting the workman was asked if he
had something he would like to say.
II thank you very much," was the
immediate response, ''for really have.
l have had work to do here during
your last three sessions, and have been
much interested and pleased by many
things l have heard. But, ladies,
pardon me. beg of you: the feeling is
constantly present that, while your
work here has a certain merit, it is
mostly valueless because you have COM
menced at the wrong end. The tenn
peranee pledge is a splendid safeguard
for the fellows who can summon sutfi-
Gent strength of character to keep it..
But to a young man without home, or
with a homo in name only, who wants
and must have friends, society and
amusement, pledge-keeping is some
times an utter impossibility.
'But if a young man has any sense of
right, any honor" the president inter-
ruptcd severely.
HE may have a great deal of honor,
honor that nothing could tarnish, given
the right conditions; but his environ
ment is too much for him. He is ex-
pected to live in prison. and he can
not do it."
There was moments pause, and
one of the ladies took advantage of it
to ask: ''Will you kindly tell what you
consider the right end of this matter?''
The home end" was the instant re-
Spouse, and the words were electrical.
There was not a woman, young or old,
who did not respond to this quick, close
touch of truth with every throb of her
heart and every nerve Of her body.
You see before you, ladies' the
speaker went on, "a man twenty-five
years old, who was practically home
less and motherless. do not say that
my mother did not love me, but | do
say that no human interest was ever
allowed to interfere with the cleanli-
ness and order of the house. This was
her first and last consideration. had
a love and, l believe, a talent for me-
chanics, and if l could have had the
tools needed and a place that could
have called my own, with full liberty
to whittle, plane and carve, I should
not at eighteen have spent all my even
ings outside with doubtful compan-
ions. AS long as there was no dust on
my bureau, no fnger-marks on the
door, no litter on the carpet, it made
small difference to my mother where l
was. The back yard even was too sa.
cred place to be desecrated with shay.
ings, and though l would have been
satisfied with a cellar for a workshop,
that was denied me. From morn.
ing till night I never heard anything
but exhortations not to spill, not to soil,
not to make litter, and to wipe my
feet and put things where found them.
Well, got into bad company
went into liquor saloons and drank
with the rest. l never went home in.
toxicated because I knew the conse.
quences of not being able to wipe my
feet would be very disagreeable. II
certainly never occurred to me that nv
mother would care about my condition,
outside of the trouble and disorder
l might cause and the disgrace of be.
ing seen by the neighbors. In this way
precious years were wasted, worse
than wasted, and long before this l
should have been utterly irreclaimable
If it had not been for a very lovely and
a very sensible old lady who won nv
confidence and who offered me home.
She found me a teacher, provided me
with tools. and in exchange for this
Kindness l promised to stop drinking
and to spend my evenings in the house.
l am now self-supporting and it will
not be long before shall occupy a bet
ter position than my present one. So,
ladies, l know that if the mothers OF
our boys do not take practical hold OF
the right end of this matter of temper.
ance, it might just rs we'll be left alone
entirely
Is not this a startling statement? Who
of us is blameless? If the saloons OF
your village are drawing your boys on
to destruction better make sure that nc
mother in your community is pushing
her boys on to destruction. The mother
who cares more for her tablecloths and
her carpets than for the moral and in
intellectual growth of her children may
be radical opposer of strong drink
may attend meetings and belong tc
Lodi Al.