The Press., 1894-09-13
W.C.T. U. DEPARTMENT. . The National Catholic Total Abstinence
 Union.

I
 The National Catholic Total Abstinence
 Union.
 In another year the Catholic Total Ab- stinence Union of America will have pass- ed the quarter-century mark. It has just been holding its twenty fourth annual con- vention in the city of St. Paul. The to- tai abstinence movement among the Cath ollie population of the country, as repre- sented in this union, began in the city of Washington in 1870 The growth in in- terest has been steady, and the net re- suits as to membership have been excel lent, while the benefit to the members and their families have been beyond estimate. The city in which the convention was held this year is one of the Catholic strongholds of the United States, so that as 8 matter of course, 8 most cordial re- ception was accorded the delegates. While the general financial depression might be expected to have had it's influence on the | attendance, but slight mroads upon the number expected were made as result
 
 two thousand delegates present. While the influence of the church is all ways present to stimulate endeavor, it re- quired something more than this to make this movement the power it has become. In the twenty-four years of it's life it has gained membership of nearly sixty thou sand. While many of these-the major ity, in fact-are men, yet the women and membership is as follows: Men, 29,765 ; women, 5,329; boys, ii ,992; girls, 2,0O2. Philadelphia has the largest number of societies, 162, with total membership of over 16,O9O.
 l One thing which has been of special noteworthiness in these sessions of the national society has been the marked en- thusiasm aroused by reference to the re- cent letter of Monsignor Satolli on the saloon question as it relates to the mem- bers of the Catholic church, or, to be more precise, the saloon-keeper question as the Catholic church is related to it. The sec retary of the body, Rev. A. P. Doyle, of New York City, struck the keynote of the convention when, in his annual ad- dress, he said:
 "The strong and determined position taken by MonsignOr SatOlli against the liquor traffic as carried on in the United States will give new zest to our efforts. The no uncertain tone of his magnificent letter has sent it ringing through the press of the country, and it will do more than twenty appeals to set the Catholic church | alright with the American public on the momentous question of the saloon. Ii has been veritabe declaration of inde pendence."
 On the first day of the convention the members attended the cathedral in body : where pontifical high mass was eelebrat- ed and a sermon delivered by Archbishop
 Ireland, who has been known the country over as one of the foremost advocates o temperance in the land. The archbishop took occasion to refer to the attitude o the papal delegate. He maintained thai if no honor was given the Catholic saloor keepers in any respect, they must soor pass into the minority. America, so th' archbishop believed, had set her fac' against the saloon, "the den of corrup politics." and any church which would not come out for temperance was an odiou! excrescence on the soil. He was heart, in his approval of the stand taken by Monsignor Satolli.
 There was the customary pleasuring
 interlarded in the sessions, and on on
 evening there was public platform meet
 ing in which Protestants as well as Cath
 olics were invited to participate. At thi
 meeting a message was read from th' pope granting his blessing to the conven , tion, and another from Monsignor Satolli
 in which he said:
 ) "The Total Abstinence Society is the guardian of the homes of America" } An incident of interest was the present
 ation to the convention, by a delegation of ladies, of greeting from the Womans . Christian Temperance Union of America } It was appropriately received. Joine' } with it was an invitation to the conven t tion to send fraternal delegates to tn national meeting of the Woman's Chris ) tian Temperance Union.
 The series of resolutions adopted em l phasized all that had been said at the ses l sions of the convention on the saloo l tion. On the immediate question as out l lined by Satolli the resolution read: ''It is believed that this action vii = crystalline the influence of the churc against the saloon, and will stamp his let t ter indelibly on the irreconcilable enem 3 of the church. The decision of the papa . delegate cannot fail to give additional au thority to the recommendation of tn : council of Baltimore, that all Catholic sa
 loon keepers abandon as soon as they cal 3 the dangerous traffic, and embrace nor becoming way of making living" l It was also voted to give no support t t Catholic papers which allow liquor deal
 CTS to advertise in their columns. v It was decided to hold the next nationa convention in the city of New York.--..W .. ". s. H0rqoood in Harper's Weekly, Aug l 18M.
 The Relation of Citizenship to Temperance
 What is citizenship? The dictionary de , fines it as "The state of being vested wit the rights and privileges of citizen. l What are those rights and privileges f The immortal Declaration of Independ 7 ence defines them as ''life, liberty and tn 5 pursuit of happiness.
 } In other words, the congregating of me- ; together in civic life ought to guarante : to each one certain essential conditions There should be safety of life and of prop erty; liberty to pursue one's individua 8 bent. provided it in no way endangers tn