The Portland daily press., 1895-09-27
THE W. c. 7. U.
The Twenty.First Annual Convention
at HOultOn.
AROOSTOOK HOSPITALITY is
FREELY BESTOWED.
White Ribboners are Enthusiastic and
Full of Energy-President stevens
Address-EIaborare Decorations.

White Ribboners are Enthusiastic and
Full of EnergY-President Stevens
Acknowledgement Decorations.
Houlton, September 26-One hundred
and fifty delegates arrived on last eve
ning's train to attend the 2lst annu al
convention of the Women's Christian
Temperance Union. Fifty arrived this
morning from the northern part OF the
county. The delegates are comfortably
quartered in the homes of hosp1table
people of Houltop. Sessions are held in
the First Baptist church which is appro-
priately trimmed for the occasion with
notices on the walls; orange, red and
white bunting being festooned between
the pillars. At 10 O'clock this morning
the house was filled with delegates, seat
ed by counties. The programme OF the
forenoon was carried out as fully as time
would permit. Mrs. L. M. N. Stevens,
state president, presided. The coDven-
ton listened with marked attention to
MRS. STEW EMS ADDRESS.
Mrs Stevens prefaced her address by
saying that..she should not undertake to
present the work accomplished by the
thirty State superintendents under the
heads Of preventive, education, evangelis.
tic, reformatory and legal endeavor. since
the superintendent will be given oppor-
tunity to make reports and also to speak
in the evening.
She spoke in part as follows:
- Hlouo1and fnhsn
there was observed the 21st anniversary of
the National Woman's Christian Tenn
perauce Union. There was carefully re-
viewed the work Of that mighty crusade
movement and its majority was LIBERATED
with manifestations of enthusiasm and
gratitude. Today we come together in
the Dist annual meeting OF the Maine
Woman's Christian Temperance Union
Closely following the organization of the
National society Maine fell in with the
line of States and has kept steady pace
with the great onward movement which
has now belted the world. Its foundation
is prayer, its watchword is love, that love
which s'Seeketh not her own, but reach
es out to the poor and down-trodden, the
tempted and tried, the weak and sinful,
even to those who sit in prison darkness.
am very happy to have seen through
the past year indications everywhere that
the preventive and educational phases OF
our work are receiving an Increased
amount of attention and that parents
and teachers are more readily cooperating
in our plans and methods
We are sometimes Etold THAT notwith-
standing all that is being done there is
more social drinking than eyer The re-
suit Of my observation, inquiry and study
does not bear out this assertion. I Believe
the mum Der of total abstainers among re-
fined, thoughtful men and Women is con-
tinnally increasing and the number of
people who offer Intoxicating beverages
to their friends is constantly lessening,
and just in proportion as they grow fewer
do we hear more about those who still
adhere to the dangerous custom.
Twenty one years ago the age OF pro-
lection for girls In the different States
averaged ten years. At present the aver
age is sixteen and this advance has been
secured largely through the efforts Of
our society. The Indignation called forth
by the sentence Of death of Maria Barberi
Ii another proof of the advancing thought
concerning difficult problem. This case
has excited great interest all over the
country and among those who ask for the
pardon or the communication of her SEN
tence are Bishop Potter, Mary Livermore,
Susan B. Anthony and many other
prominent men and women. I think
that the crime of murder should, under
no circumstances, be lightly passed over.
but twenty five years ago murder OF
this kind would have been treated differ
emily from what it is today. These
tragedies will continue to occur until
there is even fuller and broader recog-
milton of the equal standard of purity re-
CARELESS Of sex and that the highest. So
long as women are in an inferior position
under the laws of the State SO long will
certain class Of men be encouraged in the
belief that they can treat these women
with disrespect and insult.
telleot has almost disappeared. 40, 600
women are now attending college in
America, and it is only 25 years sincesthe
first college was opened to women. Ii
there was in the old days, any lack Of in
tellectual development 1t may have been
only for lack of opportunity: Some be-
lieve that there Is sex in religion, and in
the ages past women have not as rule,
been permitted and can not today take
part in the highest ecclesiastical delibera-
lions while 1t is well known that two
thirds of the church members are women.
We have been taught that there is sex in
courage, but the mother and wife who
stood By the stuff at home during
those dark days of the civil war. to1ling
amid loneliness and hardship often mani
tested as much courage as he who went to
the front. If woman has seemed to lack
courage it may be because she has not
had the chance to display it where cit
would receive recognition.
BY and by the world will more fully
understand what the Divine Teacher
meant when he said: ''Let him that is
without sin, cast the first stone, neith-
er do I condemn thee, go and sin no
more" Then 1t will appear as it now
does not that there is no sex in certain
kinds nf Grim ina]itV.
Those connected with institutions for
our unfortunate girls and women, and
white-ribboners have founded many such,
realize the inequality of punishment and
suffering which the girl has to bear while
in so many cases the partner in her shame
fully escapes.
In the beginning we had no franchise
department. The early crusaders never
thought of it and little dreamed where
their steps would lead. The first presi
dent opposed it, In the summer Of 1876,
while Miss Willard was at the home of a
veteran crusader in Ohio it was borne in
upon her mind that she must speak for
WoInan's ballot as weapon of protection
to her home and her tempted loved ones,
from the tyranny of drink and kindred
evils That autumn at the national
at Newark, she made her
famous home protection speech.