The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-04-18
MADISON GOOD TEMPLARS.
A Flourishing 0rganisasion-Methods for
Training the Young to Lives Of Tenn
perance and Usefulness

The Good Templar's lodge organized
here last December by Grand Chief
Templar p. b. McClenon, now numbers
seventy.tive members. Az everyone
knows, the object Of this organization is
to reclaim those who have fallen under
the power OF the demon Of strong drink
and to save others from falling, and
though it is a noble work to rescue
those who have sunk low in the depths
Of degradation, and to restore them to
lives Of usefulness, it is a still more no.
BILE work to save others from ever falling
into the snares Of the tempter. The
latter is the work in which Madison
lodge expects to accomplish most. This
lodge contains more than fifty young
people still In their teens, and they are
now receiving such a training AS will
cause them later in life to give active
support to the great cause Of temper
ance, not only as total abstainers them
selves, but also by using their influence
to decrease the liquor traffic.
1t is a fact. though perhaps not gener-
ally known, that three-fourths Of the
members Of the convention that framed
the constitution of our state and gave us
%proh,bitory law, were Good Temp
lars. 1t Is safe to say that the majority
Of our late legislature we're not good
tsmplars or they would have been less
ready to comply with the wishes OF the
friends Of the saloon. Had the legisla-
tors, however, been members. OF a Good
Templars lodge in their youth, it is
more than probable that all efforts to-
ward legallzing the sale OF Intoxicating
drinks in our state would have failed.
The older members of our lodge agree
in thinking that Madison now contains
an unusually good class OF young people.
1t would be hard to find III any city of
our state, or Of any state for that matter,
a better behaved or more intelligent
company Of young people than those
that attend our lodge every Monday
evening. Their bright and happy faces
seem to indicate that they can enjoy an
evening without dancing or playing
cards. Every evening after the new
members have been received and the
necessary business attended to a short
literary and musical program is render
ed, a committee Of one being appointed
to arrange each program. At a recent
meeting each member read either a
short temperance item or made a brief
speech in reference to temperance work.
One OF the girls said that the political
platform of all good templars should.
like that Of Sam Jones, be against every
thing that is for the saloon, and for
everything that is against the saloon.
Though we aim never to lose sight OF
the Importance Of the temperance work
and the object for which We are banded
together, the programs are by no mea
always on this subject. Debates are
frequent. One evening the subject was,
Resolved, that chewing gum is worse
than using slang, and it is a pity that
every gum-chewer> and user of slang
could not zeal and profit by the sound
arguments that were that evening ad.
vanced against the use Of either slang or
gum. Impromptu speaking is frequent,
and thus the young people are learning
to think while facing an audience-a
training that may be of great value to
them hereafter.
An organization that is dong what
the Good Templars lodge is accom-:
plishlng in training up the young to
lives of temperance and usefulness,
should have the hearty sympathy and
cooperation of oil who are interested in
the welfare OF the young.
Coon TENpIAR.