The Portland daily press., 1897-08-18
Women Christian Temperance Union
To the Editor of the Press:

Christian Temperance Union" Inc W.
c. T. U. catechism defines it thus "
is an organization of Christian women
banded together for the protection Oh 'no
home, the abolition of the liquor sysOe"
and the triumph Of Christ's Golden nui0
| in custom and in law" 1.-The WOMAN
Christian Temperance Union 10 the ilneal
descendant of the great Woman's lem
perance Crusade of 1874. " In Deceiu-
Der 1888, under the inspiration OF Uein-
perance address delivered by Dr. Dio
Lewis, of Boston, the women OF seVerai
Ohio towns were moved to concerted az
tion against the saloon. They gatnereu
| in the streets to pray and marched two
by two into saloons. They besought inc
men who drank, and the men VINO solu'
to cease to crafty the appetite for gain
and the appetite for stimulants, ana III
vlted them to move on with the process
sion, as 1t ended it's days work at tne al
tars of God, where the women knelt In
conservation and countless tempted men
IN repentance and faith. From that ol-
vlnely lighted fire the flames spread easU'
west north and south, until the whole
land was ablaze. In fifty days Unls
| whlrlwind of the Lord had swept Uhe
liquor traffic out of two hundred and ff-
ty towns and villages. This war was not
| arried on to the final overthrow OF the
saloon because the saloon itself was found
to be but the outcropping of the liquor
system-that system was protected py
law. The powers controlling 1T soon
| slaught and intrenohed themselves even
more strongly behind their barr1cades,
political and legal The argument OF de-
feat and logic of events soon forced the
women to enlarge the circle Of their WORK
until it should include not only mental
suasion for the man who thinks, ana
! moral suasion for the man who drinks;
but legal suasion for the drunkard MAKER
and prison suasion for the statute break
er. The meeting which called fo r per
manent organization was held at Chau-
tauqua, N. Y. in August, 1874, and the
National W. C. 7. y. Of the United
States was organized in Cleveland, Ohio,
| Nov. IS, 10 and 20, 1874. 1t was incorpo-
rated March 1st. 1888. in Washington, u.
G. 1t is the largest society ever COM
posed exclusively of women and con-
duCuGl cAtlI6Iy ny UllOllA. ~ AesC bNSAA
| organized in every state and territory OF
the nation and locally in about ten
thousand town and cities. Each member
| is required to sign the pledge and pay the
annual membership dues (about fifty
cents). OF this amount certain per
| cent is paid into the treasury of the
State W. c. 7. U. and from the state
| treasury ten cents per member is paid
| into the National organization. The
National motto is: For God, and Home
and Native Land"
| The badge is knot of white ribbon,
and was adopted in the convention of
| 1877. While light includes all the pris-
matte colors SO the white ribbon is sym
bolic, not only of purity and peace, but
centre in the protection of the home.
The W. G. T. q. exists for the purpose
of educating the young; forming a better
public sentiment, reforming the drinking
classes. transforming by the power of
Divine grace those who are enslaved by
alcohol, and securing the entire abolition
of the liquor traffic. 1t has, also, through
the clear vision which has come to its
membership of the basic unity of all re-
form forces and the INTERROGATION Of each
evil with all other evils, widened it's scope
until there is no wrong against which it
has not lifted up it's voice, nor good with
which 1t is not allied
1t has sought to purify the holidays of
the people, coming with it's sisterly in
and by it's unrequited toll providing re-
freshments, keeping alcoholic poisons off
the ground, and circu lating pure water
and pure literature. 1t has circulated
countless petitions and addressed synods
and conferences. teachers associations
and medical societies, as well as legisla-
lures, state and national, always for one
nd with MI Oh,
you to refrain from the use of alcoholics
and to outlaw the liquor traffic. In
recent years it has bravely championed
| the cause of woman's ballot the labor
| movement and social purity. 1t seeks
to instruct the youth of the nation, up
| lifting and preserving them from the
ways that take hold upon death. 1t also
| strives to redeem outcast women from a
slavery worse than chains, and by better
| laws secure protection to women and girls
| in many ways, and it's influence is being
strongly telt in the publication of our
| literature and art. The worlds W. c. T..
u. is composed of the various nations
| where the white ribbon work Is known.
| 1t DIS organized in forty nations with a
| total membership of half million
| The above gives summary of the
plans and purposes of the Woman's Chris
tian Temperance Union. AT some future
| time there may appear in these columns
q list of the Matte nal apartments of work
| Their aims and methods. ''When every
| Christian woman shall wear the white
ribbon, the day of victory will be Mt hand
To this end we plead with all good
women throughout Christendoln to join
with us, heart and hand, in the holy en-
deavor to protect the home.'
For two years we have had in
Gray a W. G. 7. u. Our mem
beers are few but faithful and
determined and although we have not
been able to do all we would like to do
and that sorely needs to be done In our
own town, because our members and
consequently our funds are few, still, we
have accomplished more than Is generally
known. The young are being instructed
| incompetence, and5right living generally,
and are supplied with temperance papers,
leaflets, etc. Temperance literature is
distributed in large quantities everywhere
the. opportunity offers. Flowers in album
dance, have been sent to the sick ana to
funerals. Petitions have been circulated.
One homeless child, through us, has
found q good home. Good reading has
been supplied to lumber camps, and no
small sum of money. considering the
state of our finances, has been dispensed
| ~