River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1895-10-24
Temperance Goluwn.
CONDUCTED BY THE W. C.T.U.
Why Should a Church Member Belong
to the w. C. Il. u?
BY Mrs. SARAH ID. LAFETRA.

y
work sufficiently include work for
temperance? Why should busy
churchmem Der belong to the Woman's
| Christian Temperance Union? We
answer, we belong.
/. Because we believe that the saloon
and its allies are the greatest obsta-
Gales which lie in thewayof tue triumph
of Christ and His church in the world.
| The open saloon is blockading the
highways along which must come the
| King in his beauty, and His triumphal
| reign cannot be uShered i'm until the
dramshOp is cleared away and insti-
buttons for mans elevation are sub
stituted. The affairs of our church
are pitiably devoid of young men, and
| the pitfalls of vice in our large cities
| are crowded with them. Thus they
are drawn farther away from purity.
! the influence of mothers prayers
| and the restraining and helpful ordi-
| nances of the church.
,. We belong because there is stul-
| tifying lethargy on the part of the
average church mem Der regarding the
evils of the saloon, and a disposition
| TO evade responsibility. Consequent
| ly, the aroused and cOnsecrated work
| er for souls must organize, agitate
and cry aloud in behalf of 1.-The slain
of the daughters of my people, 1t is
not enough that we offer a PRAYER oc-
casionally for the downfall of the
drink traffic: not enough that we have
quarterly temperance Sunday-school
lessons, and once or twice a year a
good temperance sermon: not enough
that the church periodically pass
strong resolutions against the sale Of
intoxicating liquors. All these are
hsrf Is 1,
cal remedies, and the rank and file of
our churches are conservative and
ow 20 adopt any such measures.
3. We belong, because, while the
evil of the saloon is almost universal
ly acknowledged by the churches, yet
there are weapons which must be
welded against the saloon before il is
abolished which now cannot be freely
advocated under the auspices of the
church without diSsensiOn. which
would be deplOrable to many, even of
our own white-ribboners. The church
has not washed its hands from COM
plicity with the saloon, and while de-
claring THAT the liquor traffic cannot
be legaliZed without SIM" a majority
of the voting mem berShip sanction its
perpetuation 10y their ballots, thereby
insuring TO the traffic the protection
epiStle we read: "He that biddeth
him godspeed is partaker of his evil
deeds" Does not government license |
bid godspeed to the saloons? 1t is |
clear to us that the liquor traffic must |
be outlawed by the vote OF the church. |
but these subjects cannot be freely dis
cussed under her auspices without |
pitiful cutlery of political preaching, |
restriction of mans personal liberty, |
etc.
4. We belong because the w. G. I. |
U. wipes out demon national lines in |
Christian work against this common
foe to all, and realizes the Savior's |
prayer that they all may be one"
This blending of women at the mercy
seat has brought to them such a |
revelation of the Holy Spirits power, |
such depths of love and peace and joy, |
that they are conscious that His favor |
crowns their work and that "He will |
finally subdue all enemies under His |
feet"
5. We belong because the missionary |
work of allour churches is handicap |
ped in foreign countries by the rum
sent out from this and other so-called
Christian lands, to the natives whom |
our missionaries are making every
sacrifice to reach and save. Contracts
are made with citizens of this country
to send thousands of gallons of rum
per day to the Free States of the Con-
60, that gain may come into the I'M
sanctifled Golfers Of the rum trade. |
Mrs. Mary Clement Leavitt, our first
round-the-world missionary, found
whole villages drunk with rum sent
from Christian England and the Unit |
ed States, when she arrived with her
Of ~ n laxTn
God have pity, for the blood of these
natives is yet upon our garments.
6. We belong because the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union stands
for the ecclesiastical emancipation of
woman. go quickly and tell his
disciples that he is risen from the |
dead" said the angel to the women. |
They are preaching the risen Christ |
as acceptably and as effectively as any
on whom holy hands have been laid in
ordination by the church. Who that |
ever heard our sainted Mary L. Lath-
rup can doubt that she was called of
God to preach the gospel? And yet.
the church she loved and honOred re-
fused TO recognize officially that call
because she was woman! l fully be-
lieve that thousands Of souls who are
now untouched, would be reached
anu SdNtu dUuudlAg IL buI CIuICi6S
would but acknowledge and officially
recognize Gods call to women to
preach the gospel. Such convictions
of duty have never come to me per-
sonally, so | am speaking more freely
in behalf of others. Our women, by
their loyalty and devotion to the
church (and women form two-thirds
Of its membership, their faithfulness
under this system Of injustice, are
surely bringing nearer the glad day
when there shall be no sex distinction
in service for the King Of Kings.
In the limited space at my COM
mand / have only been able to hint at
few of the good reasons why Chris
tian women should belong to the W.
CT. q Oh, women, heed Gods call
to you! Join our ranks and in addi-
tion TO your church work, work for
Him along the lines Of Prohibition
and woman's emancipation. This
ought We to do, and not to leave the
other undone."
Washington, ID. c.