Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1892-02-04
THE MISSISSIPPI W. c. T. L.
An Address From the President
to all State Unions.
Words Of encouragement and of
Duty to be Performed.

Of MisSlS>ippi
BELOVED SISTERS: In the beginning
of this New Year it has seemed to me
right that / should send you greeting
and message of cheer Perhaps some
of you think there is reason for dis
couragement, but to me there are more
signs of hope for the future than ever
before. Our great and abiding blessing
is that the cause is Gods cause, that
Christ is the leader of the temperance
hosts, and that the White Ribbon army
of the world is gaining recruits daily.
In our State work we have met a great
loss in the removal of Mrs. Kells to
Chicago. Miss Willard, however. writes
that we should rejoice in the trans
planting of our editor. that it is dis
tinctly promotion for the South to
have a Southern woman at the centre
of things" and that she has long want
ed one of our brightest and best on the
Union Signal. 1t is but right that you
should know that the supension of our
paper, which has seemed a consequence
of Mrs. Kclls' departure, was foreseen
by your Executive Committee and the
editor, for our dainty White Ribbon
was always too expensive for our re
sources and we would have been com
PEELED to call halt in any case. If
other Southern States had come to our
help as we hoped, with money for stock
and goodly lists of subscribers. we
could easily have gone forward and We
hope even yet to resume publication in
more humble way with common or
gan for several States.
The Unions were asked in the last
circular from your Executive Commit
tee to say what should be done about
the lot in Jackson. which was purchased
as site for State Headquarters. Thus
! far very few have responded and these
are not unanimous. In my judgment
we should keep the lot and carry out
our original plan. We can do it. The
property is rising in value and we can
borrow enough money on it to pay the
balance due our creditor. My plan
would be to divide this balance into
three annual payments with interest
and these smaller sums can be easily
raised each year. 1t does not seem
Just to those Unions and individuals
that have entered so heartily into this
plan to give it up now. At any rate
we should wait for the action of oul
State Convention in May.
1t should be a source of pride anC
qualification that three of our State
workers received National appoint
ments at the Convention in Boston
Our Mrs. Kells was made one of the
editorial staff of the Union Signal
the official organ of the Worlds anC
National w. c. T. U. Our State Evan
gelist, Mrs. Mary McGee Smell, wa:
made National Evangelist and oul
| Y. Superintendent, Miss Belle Kearney
was enrolled among the National Or
ganizers
Both these latter are constantly re
ceiving calls to work in other States
but their hearts are with Mississippi
and they have pledged me to stand by
the State Union at this time. Mrs
Smell has gone for a brief while to
Washington by invitation of the Dis
trict of Columbia w. c. t. u, because
so few of our local Unions have re-
sponded to my recent letter concern
ing her work She hopes on her return
to find favorable weather and list of
calls that will enable her to make a
| tour of the State with as little travel
and expense as possible. Dear sisters,
you do not realize what you lose in not
calling her to you. She is not only
eloquent and gifted, but the power of
God is with her and her heart is full of
burning zeal for the redemption of
Mississippi. Send in applications.
Any Union can pay her travelling ex-
penses from the last point, and if this
is all you can do, she will not complain.
She only asks place to labor, although
our neighboring States are offering her
great inducements.
Do not forget that our Superintend-
ent of Juvenile work and medal con-
tests, Miss Anna Simonton, is at the
service of any Union that desires her
assistance in preparing speakers for
Medal contests, only asking entertain
ment and travelling expenses.
In conclusion let me urge the mem
bers of our Unions to wear the white
ribbon, observe the noontide prayer
and contribute toward the State work
according to the plan recommended in
the circular from Executive Commit
tee. Yours faithfully,
LAvINIA S. MOUNT,
President Mississippi w. G. L. U.
Greenville, Miss.
Friendly papers will please copy,
Wy