Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-18
Lady Somerset and Miss Willard
Finally Heard.
THE PETITION TAKEN DOWN


meeting yesterday at the Congregational
Church ii was definitely announced that
they were in the city and would speak.
Miss Gordon conducted the afternoon
mass meeting. reading from the Scriptures,
after which Mrs. La Fetra offered prayer.
Miss Yates made stirring speech attack
ing the use of alcohol as food or medicine.
Mrs. Blair, 1.-The chalk talker," gave an
interesting talk to the children, accom-
panying her remarks with crayon sketches.
She told the little boys to be sure and al
ways turn their wine glasses down when
President Cleveland invited them to dinner.
Mrs. La Fetra read the polyglot me-
morial and asked the congregation to in
dorse it, which was done unanimously,
swelling the number of petitioners by
about 800. Miss Gordon read a greeting
from Miss Willard to all the young wo-
men wearers of the white ribbon present
at the meeting.
Miss kearney Heard.
The Introduction of Miss Belle Kearney
was the signal for applause. She made a
rousing speech in style which drew forth
continual applause. She talked straight to
the young men, and told them cigarettes
were soaked in opium ammonia and bella
donna, and that the paper was whitened i'll
arsenic. She said S6JO,OVO,UUO is annually
spent fer tobacco in the United States.
She claimed the only successful men in the
world with few exceptions, We're those
who never touched liquor. Nothing but
the grace of God and treatment at gold
cure establishment, she thought could
have any effect on an old drunkard; there
fore 1T was better to keep at the young
men on the ground that prevention was
better than cure
DIR. Todd, pastor of Hamline Church.
pronounced the benediction and the meet
ing adjourned.
Lady Somerset Speaks.
The evening meeting at the Congrega-
uonal Church was so crowded the doors
had to be closed and all the standing room
was taken. Lady Somerset arrived early
and took her seat on the platform with
DR.. Newman and Mrs. l.. NJ. N Stevens.
The regular church choir was in attend
ance, and DR.. Bischoff presided at the or
gan After prayer, reading of the Scrip
lures. an anthem by the choir, and solo
by Miss McNally Mrs Clara c.. Hoffman
of Chicago was introduced. She spoke of
the various lines of work being done by
the W. c. +. L.. her address being prac
ttcally a repetition of the one delivered by
her at Metropolitan Church on Saturday
evening
DIR. Newman then introduced Lady Som
erSet the congregation greeting her with
an enthusiastic Chautaqua salute. Her
address was constantly interrupted with
applause. Although suffering from a Sc
we're cold, she was distinctly heard in all
parts of the great auditorium. Her style
of speech was thoroughly rhetorical and
her elocution perfect. She dwelt chiefly on
the dramatic aspect of intemperance. its
misery. it's crimes and the pity of it all.
II think she said, that when we remem-
Der the star which told of the lowly stable
and the helpless Baby lying there that the
government of that time realized least of
all that there was the turning point in
the history of mankind; they realized least
of all, when the cross was raised on Cal
vary and the suffering figure hung there,
that deed had been done which would
stand out black forever in the history of
the universe. 1t is so surely in all times
nc r1 The paonle of the
days In which great movements have tran
spired have ignored them and laughed at
the handful of fanatics who wrought and
talked and labored. Looking on our time
and thinking of the events of the past
week, it seems we have a marvellous docu-
ment, written by so many hands in so
many chimes. under such varied circum-
stances. and in many different Ian
guages. that 1t is perhaps the most elo-
quent page of history to be turned In the
nineteenth century.
Fanatics Nicely Defined.
Now and then Lady Somerset was splen-
didly terse and epigrammatic. She said:
when one sees, he is fanatic; when
more see the same thing, he Is an enthusi-
asst: when everybody sees, he is hero:
handful OF fanatics, she said, had gath
cred this great document to petition the
governments of the world to Danish brain
poison "the great thief that steals away
anything that man or woman mas the
to direct his thoughts and actions She
prophesied that the dawn of success was
rear because the world is growing better
all the time. Legislators who are opposed
To the movement, she said, would live to
witness its success and realize when 1t
was too late that they had lived the
brightest part of their lives in vain!
Miss wiIlard's Address.
Miss Willard meantime was addressing
n large audience at the Metropolitan NJ.
E Church. That vast building was also
filed to overfowing. Every available foot
hold held listener. Dr. Johnson intro
duced Miss willard, whose appearance was
the signal for a tremendous salute of APP
pIause Miss Willard was pale and evil
IDENTIFY the worse physically for her recent
Illness Now and then her speech was In
t6rrupted by cough but she spoke In
her accustomed clearness and was through
out forcible and interesting. I'VE are not
in this fight from choice" she said. 1T
has been forced upon US. If all the men
were like those we have here in this house
tonight the great wrong of the liquor
traffic would not exist, and We who are
fighting it might turn our hands to other
things But unfortunately this is not so.
The wrong exists, and in the absence of
other forces we women have come to the
front ard here We intend to remain till
the world has no longer any neeo lor our
Miss willard expressed the gratitude of
the w. c. T. U. for the hearty reception
Washington had given the organization.
and introduced Mrs. Mclaughlin of Massa-
chusetts. who told of her experiences In
the Massachusetts, legislature and other
places where the union had urged the
cause of prohibition. She said one MEM
Der of the legislature swore he would shut
every saloon in the state If he could, and
then went deliberately and voted against
prohibition The silence and liberation of
PEOPLE who are themselves temperate, said
Mrs Mclaughlin, is one of the greatest
obstacles to the formation of the right
public opinion.
A special collection for the benefit of
the Woman's Christian Temperance Union
was taken up after the close of the adj
dress and the benediction was pronounced
by Dr. H. s. Lunn of London.
The big petition was on exhibition until
noon today, when the work of taking 1T
down, rolling 1t up and putting it back in
the tin-lined boxes began. Its presence
ard purpose will probably in some formal
way be called to the attention of President
Cleveland during the week.
Saturday Afternoon Meeting.
The meeting Saturday afternoon at the
metropolitan Church was addressed by
Miss Shaffer of the Carlisle Indian School,
who told of the temperance work among
Indians: Miss Kearney of Mississippi, who
said that temperance work today is being