Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1895-06-11
THE JonSsoxs.
They Have Started Their Campaign in |
the Mighty East.

They Have Started Their Campaign in
the Mighty East.
SHuBuTA, MISS, June s. 1895.
EDITOR LEADER:-Owing to meet
ing previously announced at State
Line, The johnson Trio, of Chicago,
came here one week in advance of their
dates. They will go back to Buckatu-
ma and work up, making Waynesboro,
DeSoto and Quitman on this road, then
they go over on the N. o. & N. K.
Learning there was large congre-
CATION at the M. Il. church fcol), on
Sunday evening at o'clock / took
Sister johnson up there and she gave
them an address of forty five minutes
on Christian work. They appreciated
it very much. 1t was her first effort
before colored audience, but she was
equal to the occasion. Although there
was but little time for advertising the
meetings, on Monday night large
and appreciative audience was enter
tanned, instructed and edited for two
hours by the Trio; first concert con-
sisting of trios, duets and solos, inter
spersed with temperance recitations
by Miss Annie.
The words of the songs we're suited
to to subject, the music good. They
are excellent singers, their voices
blend beautifully and Miss Annie re-
cites well. For one hour and quar-
ter Mrs. johnson delighted the aud
fence with an. eloquent, we'll studied,
discourse, taking for her theme '"The
Home Against the Saloon" She ask
ed the question, What are you going to
do to protect your homes from the Ii
quor traffic? She answered the an
swers given her to that question.
First as to moral suasion. She showed
in spite of the work done by all the
temperance societies, churches, Wo-
mans Crusade and w. G. T. u. from
the very beginning of the landing of
the Pilgrim fathers on up to the pres
ent day including every branch of the
Christian work with mothers prayers
and pleadings the liquor traffic had in
creased right along. Then she took up
license, high and low, as prohlbitory
measure, which she showed was COM
plete failure and forms a monopoly
with the Federal government as part
ner and protector She showed the
Republican and Democratic parties
we're both in league with it. The whis-
ky barrel protected the Democratic
party and the Republican party pro-
tected the whisky barrel. The Peo-
Piles party, though reform party. had
not the moral courage to come out for
the protection of the Home against the
Saloon.
That the Prohibition party was the
only party that Christ could affiliate
with were He here on this earth; that
there was no neutral ground for a
Christian man to occupy if he expect
his prayers for the destruction of the
liquor traffic to be answered.
Last night, though raining, good
audience assembled at the Old Bap-
fist church to hear them again. After
an interesting concert of Prohibition
songs and recitations, Mrs. johnson
spoke for more than an hour, taking
for her theme "Are the Young Men
Safer" showing while we locally have
no saloons and our young men are to a
certain extent safe while they remain
at home, that as soon as they go out on
the highway of life to make homes for
themselves the traps of hell that
abound on every side ensnare them
and drag them down; that while we
had the trinity of God (the Father, Son
and Holy Spirit, we had trinity of
hell (the saloon, the brothel and the
gambling hell.
She gave statistics of each of the
latter in several large cities, and that
the very highest and best trained sons
and daughters are dragged down, and
you have daughters that will marry
men living in other States where the
temptations are set for them and their
offspring. She proved conclusively
that the church was responsible for
the perpetuation of the rum traffic
and the pulpit was not true to the
teachings of Christ when they failed
to ring out the anathemas of God
against the liquor traffic and the par
ties that foster it. The rum traffic was
responsible for nearly all the criminals
in the prisons and not even the pulpit
was secure from this Upas tree.
The traffic could not exist without
the slaughtering of our fathers, sons
and brothers, no more than a saw-mill
could run without logs.
She urged every man and woman to
do all in their power, especially the
men to vote a clean white ballot
against the traffic, that our young men
could have fair chance to make a
success in life. Make it easy to do
right and hard to do wrong.
Both lectures we're fine and unan-
swerable. Mrs. johnson is a conse-
Grated Christian worker, cultured, in
teligent, well informed, fine reasoner,
uses fine language, an eloquent and
fluent speaker. 1t is rare treat to
have the Trio visit any town. l wish
every community in our beloved State
could hear them.
w. H. PATTON.