Daily Kennebec journal., 1897-10-26

CONTINUED from page ~

tee. thanking them for their efforts to Sc
lect such quarterly temperance lessons
as can profitably be taught to the young
people Of all nations. A request was add
ed to the resolution that the committee
would In their schedule of lessons name
the fourth Sunday in November THE
Worlds Temperance Sunday" instead of
now.
The report of Mrs. Elizabeth Selmer of
Copenhagen, Denmark. organizer for
Scandinavia, was presented as follows:
The Norwegian w. c. T. u. is really
f1ourishing. but in need of leaders. having
lost recently the valuable national secre-
tary. Miss Esmarck. and the president
Countess Wedal, being unable to retain
her Office In January we had the encOur-
agement that as president of the w. c.
T.aC.. I was asked by some prominent
christian men to try to obtain discus
sion with a committee on liquor bill in
our Danish Parliament. and for the first
time a Danish woman went to the Parli-
ament House on such an errand The
committee had taken up the proposal Of
''local option for the first time made
officially known by petition from 1O4. 600
to the government by the w. c. T. U.
two years ago. Unhapply the bill was
not made law.
The Swedish national council of wom-
en- has met for the first time in Stock
holm. l gave an address over the sig
nifcation of woman's work for temper
ance and purity"
Next the English speaking people no
nation can boast of women more ad-
vanced educated and Independent than
the Finnish; their liberty. however, being
restrained by the government of Rus
sia, they think it impossible to belong to
an international union. Yet the w. c.
T. U. suits them so well that union per-
fectly like ours has been builded in the
old capital, Abo, consisting of some sixty
members.
Mrs. X. Lento Stevenson of Chicago,
presented the following summary of work
in the United States
Last year gain of 15SSS new members
was reported. This was offset by losses.
through death and other causes, so that
the net gain was not so great; and yet
there was definite increase. There has
been definite advance in legislative work.
The years of 1895 and 1896 were marked by
special efforts in purity legislation. The
w c. 7. U. co-operated with the moral
reform society and other kindred organ
zations. The age of consent was raised
to IS years, which has been the highest
point we have yet attained in this coun-
try, although there have been repeated
attempts to make the minimum q. There
are now seven states in which the age at
which a young girl may legally consent to
her ruin stands at IS. These are Arizona
r Colorado Idaho. Kansas. New York
Washington. Before the w. c. 7. U. took
lIps this agitation in the vast ajOrity of
states the old English common law was
followed, which made the age 10. Now
there are but three states in the Union in
which this disgraceful state of affairs OBJ
tains and those three will soon wheel
into line. we firmly believe.
The work in the department of scientific
temperance instruction during the past
two years has been almost wholly in the
line of securing better laws in the states
where laws already existed. The most
notable victories have been in New York
and Illinois. There are now but three
states in the Union in which the children
In the public schools are not taught the
nature and effects of alcohol and other
narcotics.
In the department of franchise the
states Of Colorado, Utah and Idaho have
wheeled into line. making four states in
the great West where women have the
full right of suffrage. A vigorous cam
paign was also waged in California,
which resulted in defeat, thanks to the
fears of 'the-liquor men Of the effect on
the ballot in the womens hands. During
the coming year there will be a vigorous
campaign for a suffrage amendment to
the constitution in the states of Wash
ingtOn and Oregon. The W. c. T. U. will
take fore place in that battle.
The law as to the carrying of obscene
literature was passed exactly as we had
requested. In several states antikineto-
scope laws were passed; in some large
cities city ordinances were secured
Memorials were presented to each of
the great political conventions in 1896
asking that the prohibition of liquor traf-
f1c and the enfranchisement of women
might be included in their platforms
Work for the prosecuted Armenians was
very prominent feature of the white
ribbon movement throughout the United
states during the mast Naa ar1v :
O0O have been raised in this country by
the local unions for Armenia.
At our last convention our paid mem
bership was 147656