The herald., 1895-09-01
duty before them that is well nigh an.

duty before them that is well nigh ap.
palling.
l have somewhere read that the power
OF Impressions in the formation of char
acter was so well understood by Alexander
the Great that he ordered that the little
children of his time should have toy
soldiers with which to play. that they
might easily acquire love for war.
On that temperance workers would
learn of their enem es and make every
temperance temple IN the land as bright
and CHEEKY and attractive as the finest
equipped saloon.
Open the doors OF these temples and
keep them always open and make the
children welcome at Ii hours OF the day
and evening. Let br. ght-iaced men and
women with common sense give their
best thoughts to teaching the children of
themselves to think, act and live Alright.
Here the children would receive i'm
pressions that would help them to form
character and strong army could be sent
! forth from these temples each year TO
| fight the battles OF temperance. | believe
| you will all agree tnat the liquor sellers
| are more successul in bringing people to
saloons than the tenn perance workers are
in bringing people into temperance work.
| One great cause of this is that TEN peran ce
is not made attractive. What has the
| Jealous temperance worker tn offer youth
for the bright, warm, merry place he con-
! demns?
The church not having been made the
attractive place it should have been, he
| says. 81 cannot stand this" AS out INTO
the air he goes he enters tho first saloon
| he passes and takes his first downward
step. This young man, away from home
| and home influence, is more to be ptle1
than blamed.
Again, the poor besotte1 drunkard is
told by officials armed with the law and
a club, "lf you are found drunk again to
prison you go.
If all prisons were like our Los Angeles
city prison, society and the white-r;bbon-
ers have duty before them that is we'll
nigh appalling.
Nothing but practical, aggressive work
| can improve these vile, ls.raceful pris-
ons and help to uplift these unfortunate
/ men. women ana children. ii is the duty
of society to visit that part of the city or
town wnere vice runs rampant and see
the poor, neglected diseased and hungry
children, visit theil homes and learn
-wr6re the fault is. mother with q
spark OF true womanhood who has once
made this visit will never be seen driving
with a poodle dog, pug dog or any other
kind oil a dog while her child is at home
with a hired person of whom she knows
| little o! nothing.
No true Christian woman could make
this visit and then waste her time and
money on dogs, knowing that children
| With llD IlOl SOulo dfc SuIeTlHS lot
care, training and food.
l am firm believer in the church and
all its sacred duties. Especially do be-
iieve in true prayer; but | believe the
church should bd made attractive and
usetul-not simply =. expensive piece OF
architecture, closed except one day in the
week. with all socias and prayer meet
ings relocated to the back room.
The children all over the land should
feel that the church and the temperance
temples, next to the home, are the pleas
antest places In the world. 1t is the duty
of parents and society-especially that
part of society represented by the W. c.
T. Ito care for the dependent children.
A start would be made in the right direc.
tion If every temperance temple had its
reading room. rooms or games and
amusements an employment Office and
concert room. always open and in charge
of earnest, judicious Christian peo Pile en-.
dowed win plenty of common sense.
True, this would take time, energy and
money; but if we are not ready to pay
the price demanded for temperance We
must not expect TO have it Mrs. Elmirf
L. Stephens in San Bernardino Sun.