Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1893-11-28
Unjust Aspersion on the W. &. T. u.

Unjust Aspersion on the W. e.. T. U.
As there arc many members of the
Methodist church South who also be-
long to the Woman's Christian Tenn
perance Union, it is but natural to
suppose that the majority of them have
seen and read the Nashville Christian
Advocate of Nov. 2nd. 1t is sore
grief to loyal temperance women, and
more especially to those belonging to
the Methodist church, to see that the
honorable editor of that paper is will
ing to publish such an article as the
one that is presented on the first page
under the heading, "A New Depart
ure"
If he has so little sympathy with the
grandest work that any organization
of women ever undertook for the dear
Master as to try to lock the wheels of
progress for them by bringing up little
dirty reports that are not fit to appear
on the pages of Christian paper, he
ought. at least, to inform himself first
whether or not such reports are cor
rect and not spread such disgusting
and disgraceful things out before the
gaze of the people, thus grieving and
Notifying temperance women, many
of whom have helped his paper, ever
since he had it, by their subscriptions
and their influence, and who feel as
much in the service of the Master
while trying to protect their homes
and their loved ones from the awful
curse of intemperance as they could in
singing His praise or reading his Holy
word. or even editing church paper.
Besides this, there are many who read
the Advocate, but who are not ac-
quainted with the work and methods
of the w. c. L. U. What are they to
think of such things? Who is to blame
if in reading such vile misrepresenta-
tions they condemn the w. c. T. u?
Such injustice, coming from such a
source, is not easy to outlive. Our
Christian brother must remember that
a word spoken can never be recalled;
he may apologize, as am glad to say
he did do in the Advocate of Nov. 10th,
but the harm was done before that
correction was made. The w. c. L. U.
must suffer wherever that report was
circulated, and oh! how false and un-
christism was that report! No words
can measure the injury it is capable OF
doing.
As chairman of the Committe on
Church Literature in the church to
which belong, am glad to say it has
been my business and my pleasure to
do all in my power to increase the cir
culation of the Nashville Advocate in
our community: and while l can not
and do not condemn that paper now
because of the slanderous report men
toned. still I can but feel that if such
a course is kept up in its columns it
will certainly fall far below the stand
ard of excellence it has so long sus-
tanned. 1t is perfectly right to con
denim lawlessness and evil-doing,
wherever it is found, and the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union can bear
as close criticism as any Association
ever did, neither does it feel aggrieved
at any just criticism. On the other
hand, it would profit by it; but to have
the whole Temperance Union brought
before the public in such an unjust
light when it did not even countenance
the horrible thing mentioned in the
dispatches is equally or nearly as bad
as condcmning the church of God be-
cause of some report that made it seem
that an individual supposed to be &
church member had committed some
awful crime. 1t does not set we'll with
Christian women to be accused OF
turning themselves into a mob" for
any purpose, and such announcements
certainly will not do much towards
making Christian paper more useful
or interesting; neither will it swell the
subscription list very rapidly.
The w. G. Il. U. is first of all Chris
tian organization and next to the great
church of God it is the grandest and
most useful body of Christian people
known to the world to-day. Some may
be ready to say the Foreign Missiona-
ry Society, and others, the Home
Missionary Society are doing more
good; but to those acquainted with the
workings of the three societies it is no
difficult matter to see that the Wo-
mans Christian Temperance Union
takes in both Home and Foreign mis-
sions. Its chief leaders are women
chosen of the Lord for the most diff
cult and delicate work that human
hearts can accomplishment of going
out in the darkened places OF earth to
help the unfortunate. the fallen, the
listresea, the bereavea. tire poverty
strlckan. t.ie criminals in onr prisons.
AMI ail 49, ~ 1naitions II 0aR