St. Landry democrat., 1893-04-01
IN EXPLANATION.

IN EXPLANATION.
We again beg the indulgence of the
Clarion that we may make some neces
sary explanations. One year ago VIZ
asked for space in the town papers fol
the publication of w. G.. T. U. matter
There was nothing unusual in our re.
quest, for with few exceptions the pa.
pers not only give such space but arr
glad to get such contributions The ed.
itor however seems to have been labor.
ing under a mistaken idea of what the
W. G.. t. Z. is and what our request was
We did not ask for Temperance col.
umn but for W. c. T. U. column. The
Methodist Church is Christian, hui
Christianity is not Methodsm, so while
the w. G. t. Z. is Temperance Society
1t is not only Temperance Society bu,
more, a great deal more. There are DC
different departments of work, and so il
the range of our articles has been wide
and it may have seemed that we were
going outside of our legitimate work
we arere not Our plan of work is MOI
| the old fashioned one of working upot
the feelings of drunkards to such an ex.
tent rs to induce them to sign the pledge
and forego their toddies for the nonce
Our aim is at the laws which make
drunk enness possible by licensing The
liquor traffic. II in our efforts to change
the conditions which grind into the dus
the hearts of so mony woman, we dis
cover how absolutely helpless women
are against the iron hand of the law
and how many laws there are in regard
to women which are an absolute dis.
grace to the much boasted freedom oil
America; if thus We are led step by steI
to see that women can protect them
selves only by demanding power to be
vested in their own hands-the mighty
power OF the ballot; if then we attempt
in orr weak way to educate women ur
to the thinking point, we are still within
the bounds of w. c. T. L. work. So
much for the scope of orr articles.
AS to the Christmas misunderstanding
the W. c. T. Z. correspondent did not
apologize to any paper for what was said
but for the apparent injustice of omis-
sion. The reply read that 1.-The papers
condoned these offences either by silence
or jesting," and in brackets we said
"(and 1t we are not very much mistak-
en- was so written.)' The Clarion said
we rere mistaken, SO there the matter
dropped, because we didn't think it lnl-
portant enough to keep agitating. There
was no thought much less accusation of
distortion We thought the printer
had omitted three little words" either
by silence (which is DO unusual thing
and no heinous crime; the omission it
seems was our own something again
not unusual with persons who have to
write very rapidly. We are now dou-
bly, sorry that Our omission occurred,
and more than ever are we convinced
that the public moral sentiment of Opel
ousas not only does not care if such
things occur, but it doesn't uunt them
criticised, and we know that the county
newspaper ia from a " bread and butter"
consideration bound to pamper in a
greater or less degree to the public pal
ate. AS to the heading given our arti-
Gle last week, we have no more to IA,
the public can judge if that WAS ex-
actly fair. The Printer says thai
Is mothers must have 'tau2ht' and
prayed at Gloss purposes or the boys
would not act as they do. We heartily
endorse the sentiment, and We earnest,
pray for the day when they will second
heir prayers by wordsworth not at the
ireside neither. When women realize
hat the system in which the husband
virtually says to his wife: Do You keep
he morals Of the family and LII keep
lie pocket book do you attend to the
eligi"n of the family and I'll attend to
he politics; do you raise the children
md I'll do the voting" ia absurd, and on
ealizing its absurdity demand q divis-
on OF abOr in each and every depart
nent-then our children will not be so
apt to go astray. A mother can pray
Ter life away, but if the father goes to
'uch shows, CANDLES and drinks, the son
Will go to the show, gamble and drink,
90; tor early in life does he realize that
he majestic law of our land classes his
mother along with idiots and children,
while his father is free! The write,
goes on to ask "What were their mo-
hers doing that they (these girls) turn
I'd out to bo enticers of boys7" Nv
lear sir, don't like Adam of old lay every
hing on the defeDceless shoulders ot
Eve. Their mothers no doubt were
making crazy quilts or tides, sweeping
md sewing and pleasing their husbands.
The truth is that many of these poor un-
.ortunates must choose between starra-
ION and n life of shame. The work of
,he w. c. L. Z. among fallen women in
,ltles has been one of its greatest works. |
Many lost creature has been saved and
given the opportunity to reform, and
many have become quiet, hardworking,
we'll behaved women. But small mi
lority enter such a life through choice
t is the iron hand of necessity and hun
ger that has forced them there. Oh, mo- |
hers, train your daughters to indepen-
lence. 1t makes little difference whe-
her or not they can play q little, sing a |
title, paint little, and do little of |
most everything, but it does matter
whether or not they can earn an honest |
a
accomplishments into some trade or pro-
esslon; exact it of them that they mas
er the following of their choice and |
hen follow 1t. Every woman ought to
arm her 0mn tring-then the danger of
iris going astray would be vastly, i'm
neasureably lessened. Mothers, teach
our daughters to be independent, and
Ut the laws of our land compel fair paw
lcnt for honest labor; then none of the
tronger sex can-as the editor of the
larion justly does-say keep woman
ind straight.n Give womankiDd tIle
ppOrtunity and the vast majority will
eep straight of their own accord, but
J long as the laws and men make it al
ost impossible for poor woman TO I
,nestIy support herself, 50 long will
any poor soul choose shame instead
starvation. In Que of our States the
W makes it no crime for man to buy
Q virtue of a child one day past her
ghth birthday. A baby wig does not
It know the meaning Of the word "vir-
9 eau sell herself for loaf of bread
stick of candy. Her dress is her ia
er's, she can't sell it; but her one level
yond price--a pure and blameIess life
can be sold for banble and the BUYER
es tfcc-yea, though be he a man of
airs, experience and position, lo is
imeless, having fairly pitted himself