The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-10-29
WASTEFUL SCATTERING OF FORCES.

The Womans Christian Temperance
Union has finished it's labors in national
convention at Chicago. and the proceed
ings show that 1t is endeavoring to cover
very much more ground than was orig
inaly intended. It's name is no longer fully
descriptive of it's purpose or it's work. 1t
has widened it's field of reform until the
teaching of temperance ideas is but one
branch of it's labors 1t has taken up vari-
Gus labor problems for consideration and
settlement and instead of waging war
upon the single vice of whisky drinking, as
at the beginning of it's history, it has under
taken to cure every social evil. Miss Will
lard said in her address read at the con-
vention: There are three sets of slaves
that we women are working to emanci-
pate. They are white slaves. that is, de-
graded women; wage slaves, that is the
working classes. and whisky slaves. that
is the product furnished by brewers and
distillers." No one can deny that each of
these aims is worthy of praise. Such labors
Citations. and perhaps the women engaged
primarily in the promotion of temperance
in drink are as we'll fitted for pushing the
other reforms as any. Nevertheless, doubt
will arise in the minds of observers as to
whether as much good can be accomplished
by this division Of effort and diversity of
purpose. When the w. c. T. u. was first
organized it's efforts were all in one direc-
ton. The women engaged in the work were
earnest enthusiastic, even fanatical; but by
this very desperate earnestness they, left a
moral impress upon the community that
has not yet been lost. Their methods were
sometimes i'll judged and too impulsive and
emotional to be fully effective, but even
that part of the public opposed to the
form they sought was forced to the con-
viction that something more than mere i'm
pulse was behind the movement but that
it was the expression of strong principle
and widespread sentiment
In the earlier years of the temperance
union, when its forces were organized and
enthusiasm still remained there is no doubt
that it's reform and educational influence
was great. More recently the results of its
work are less easily discernible. It is now
one vast machine, moving with little jar or
friction, but, like all machines. it seems to
lack the animating spirit which gives to in
dividual labor it's special value. Enthusiasm
may still exist among the workers, butJit
finds utterance only in formal reports and
has little or no effect upon the public. Nov
ing in grooves, as the parts of the ma
chine do the labor is inevitably perfume
tory to a greater or less degree, and in re-
form work where human beings to be
acted on labor Of this character is wasted.
When the machine is diverted from it's
original purpose and made to spread over
more ground than it can cultivate well,
the results are even less satisfactory
The Woman's Christian Temperance Union
perance. to lift up degraded women, to
teach social purity, to so adjust the rela-
tions Of capital and labor and supply and
demand that wages will be equalized-in
short, to bring the millennium nearer by q
general roundup, but, If so. 1t will go con-
trary to the rule that all great work is
done by concentration and not by a scat
terng of forces. The union was in a way
to accomplish a wonderful temperance re-
FORM Would it not have been better to go
on with this work until no more could be
done than to undertake the wholesale re-
generation of the earth? If not would 1t
not be well to change it's name?