The Portland daily press., 1896-03-23
CONGRESS STREET CHURCH.
Mrs. George IF. French Speaks at Tenn.
perance Mass Meeting.

There was largely attended tenn per-
ance meeting in the vestry of the Con-
gress Street Methodist Episcopal church
last evening.
"Throw out the Life Line" was sang
and then S. A. Skillings, who presided
introduced Mrs George +. French, who
said that even if our own homes and
loved ones are not in danger, 1T is our
duty to "throw out the life line'' to
others. She said that she was glad to see
SO many OF the boys present, and shepro-
posed to say few words to them first
about the use of tobacco. She would
gladly have pledge from all the boys
present not to smoke until they were 81.
'sI want to speak plainly, and I will
speak to the sons FIRST although don't
know but what might also talk to the
fathers"
A voice-"And some of them need it. ]"
Mrs. French-"No doubt"
She said that the use of tobacco Is
hurtful to body, mind and character OF
a boy. 1t is detrimental to the growth OF
his body, prevents his rapid advance
ment in his classes. and the moral
character will follow the mind and body.
She thought that if the boys would only
keep from the use of tobacco until they
were 81. after that they would know bet
ter than to use it.
The Woman's Christian Temperance
Union, sometimes called the "organized
mother love of the Dation,' conceived
the idea of having the physiological
reasons for temperance and purity taught
in the public schools, before appetite
enslaved a nd demoralized the children
The late DR.. @. r. ARnew said, If the
children in the schools can be taught
what alcohol is, the next generation will
see load lifted from the race, the weight
of which exceeds the power of the imagi-
nation" Friends, we must not leave the
children to chance in this matter. Let
the home, the church, and the school,
teach the truth in regard to alcoholic
drinks. Teach the children that under
whatever condition it Is sold, what the
flavor, what the price, or where the
profit, alcohol is poison, seductive and
deadly, and every drink, whether it be
small beer with three per cent alcohol,
American whiskey with fifty per cent, or
the wines of the club room, and banquet
hall, each and all are demoralizing and
destructive, and must be avoided. 1t
should be the office of the public school
to give every pupil knowledge of the
simple laws of health. Health is not a
miracle, but the natural condition of
man. Imagine this condition il the same
intelligence and effort were used in the
care of health, as in money getting and
other pursuits. Why not? els not the life
more than meat and the body than raj
ment." Let parent and teacher magnify
this house beautiful in which we live
the temple of the living God" Can any
thing be more sacred? Keep this temple
pure and holy.
Mrs. French dwelt upon the temper
ance legislation of the country, showing
what has been done to restrict and pro-
hibit the use of alcoholic beverages, also
emphasizing the fact that the liquor deal
ers are not only Watching this moveme MT
OF temperance instruction, but antagoniz-
ing it ut every point. She said, the Ohio
liquor dealers, at their last annual meet
ing, declared 'sthe only enemy we have
to fear is the Woman's Christian Tenn
peranoe Union" They know it will tend
to make liquor selling unpopular and
Improbable. They realize that these
truths are being taught to the future
judges. lawyers, and law makers of our
possible to place law friendly to their
miserable business upon any statute book
of the land. The objaot OF the public
school Is to make good citizens. No in
stitution is SO far-reaching in its influ-
ence upon individual life or the welfare
of the state and nation and in the public
schools our children must be taught in
tegrity, purity, temperance and patriot
ism. These principles are the founda-
ton of good citizenship. They underlie
all good government, and are the safety
aud bulwark of our republic. Never has
there heen a time demanding more earn
est effort in this line than the present.
The latest statistics report FIVE hundred
thousand drunkards in the United States.
One hundred thousand of these are
chronic inebr iates, non-producers, a bur-
den to relatives, friends, courts, prisons
and other public institutions. What a
menace to society, and government What
hindrance to growth and prosperity.
Half million OF men in terrible bondage
to demon, who destroys both soul and
body; dragging with them, in their
downward march to misery and death,
associates and friends, sharers in their de-
graduation pnuperis,n and crime. AS we
realize in some degree the enormity Of
this evil we cry out, Oh God! How long
will this nation give It's fostering care
to an industry which prOspers only by
destroying the manhood of the nationp
Every year Congress is memorialized to
do away with this terri BILE denomination,
but to no effect. Whyp Is not this the
answer? The United States government
received during the year 1895 from in
ternal revenue tax, customs ON imported
liquors, and local excise tax two hundred
millions of dollars. This Is wrong. II
the liquor trade is a legitimate business,
such an enormous tax is unjust. On the
other hand, if it is evil, and wholly evil,
as we believe, destroying the manhood
of the nation. the government debases
and stultifles itself by becoming party
to such an Infamous business. National
issuel The one abs lrbing national issue,
which should agitate Congress and our
state Legislature. is how to liberate half a
million slaves to appetite; aud save our
noble boys and youth from the greed of
the liquor trade. Some one is saying,
man is responsible for drinking. Ger
tainly, to this degree. He is personally
responsible to bis Maker and to his fell
lowmen, and should be condemned by
society, but his responsibility does not
lessen in the least the responsibility OF
the nation. We are striving to put away
this miserable traffic. Our watohwnrd is
total abstinence for the individual and
prohibition for the state and nation. We
are used to the cry, ''you must have senti-
ment back of the law" and in the