The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-07-27
w. c. T. u. COLUMN.
Prise Essays.

and most helpful ccount Of "What l
have done for temperance this summer"
the Union Signal will give the new game
published by the Woman's Temperance
Publishing association. The game is
entitled ILLUSTRATED Authors."
The essays must be written on only
one side Of the paper, and must be re-
csived as soo az Sept. l. The age Of
the writer should be stated.
The Union Signal Las also given
prizes to children for essays on the
Polyglot Petition. The following, pub.
lishefi in the Union Signal q few weeks
ago, was written by a little girl who
when very young q day told her
mother that the two women she most
wanted to see were Miss Willard and
Mother Goose.
what 1 Have Learned About the
Worlds Petition.
BY b. Viola Prouse.
The "Polygiot Petition" or the peti.
ton OF many languages, 10 the greatest
IN length that has ever been circulated.
"What" you say, "csn it be any great.
or than that of the Chartists for the re-
peal Of the Corn Laws"
Yes, it is oven greater than this, not
only in length but because the women OF
our country so feel the need Of better
laws that they start this around the
world, petitioning the different COVER
ments' to protect our homes by the total
prohibition of these curses, the drink
aud opium trades, throughout all the
territory over which their government
extends.
Mrs. Mary A. Woodbridge, who has
since died, did the work of sending out
the petitions for signatures.
They we're taken in by Miss Alice
Briggs and mounted by Mrs. Rebecca
Shuman. Mrs. Shuman began her work
in June, 1891. The signatures came in
fifty different languages and all sorts and
sizes Of paper, which had to be trimmed
and prepared for mounting on ,muslin,
one n8lI yarO IN Wl0tO. Y
One edge OF the muslin was trimmed
with red ribbon aud the other with blue,
a. rcd, white and blue are the Coh0rs OF
our couutry's flag and Of our great tenn
perance movement. :
The first woman's name on the list is
Miss Willard, the first mans name is
Neal Dow.
Mrs. Shuman has spent about two
years Of steady work mounting this p i.
tition, which has cost her many y prick
in her fingers, because it all had to be
done by hand.
You need not look SO surprised when
I tell you this, for it Is all true. Every
stitch OF this work, more than two miles
long, was done by one patient pair of
hands.
This petition was signed by seven mil
lion people and over one million of'which
were men. The oldest signer wal aged
ninety-three and the youngest 10y per.
mission) a little boy Of seven.
A delegation of the most prominent
white-ribboners, with Miss Willard and
Lady Henry Somerset at the front, met
President Cleveland at the White House
with a copy Of the petition. They were
cordially greeted, and the president gave
an encouraging talk. He did not sign
it, out we hope that out president will
he the first great government official to
give it legal standing.
And now this petition is ready.for it's
journey around the world. 1t is upheld
by more than seven million prayers, Tor
we children vino couldn't sign it., are
lifting our hearts to Godin prayer that
1t may have wondrous success.
Do you understand why We are 90 in
terested in it? II net, come with me in
to the home Of one Of my schoolmates,
whose heart 10 broken because Of the
drink, then you will . clearly why We
want Q land free from this drink curse.
And now, God sreed the day
When our great "POly Pet"
Shall sweep saloons away,
And pay the Nations debt
For wronging humankind,
Oyer land and sea:
And our reward we'll and
In the eternity.