Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1897-11-13
AN Il WOMAN.

'snnsylvania.and Virginia. They were
i constant peril from wild beasts and
from hostile Indians, bat with heroic
patience endured hardships, labor and
disease. An example OF another kind
OF courage is preserved by the descend
ants OF Christiana Dickson, the wife OF
one OF the first settlers Of Erie county,
Pennsylvania.
She was a small, low-voiced woman,
extremely timid by nature; but upon
one subject she was resolute-she had
a horror of Drunkenness. she lived 10
the days wnen the use Of liquor was
UNIVERSAL. Whisky vas as common a
drink as water among these hardy,
haro- working pioneers. A temperance
or abstinence society was unbeard OF.
But when her sons were bora, she re-
soived, so far as she could, 10 put a
stop TO whisky drinking in her home
Her husband being absent from
HON her bro hers called for the help
of the neighbors, according to the
custom of the time, to put up q barn
needed on her farm. They all as
semblt d and went to work, while she
prepared O great dinner. After an
hour or " whisky was asked for
Oae of her brothers came to the house
for it, to make her friends drunk. Her
other brothers, and at last an elder in
the church, came to reason with her
to tell her she would be accused OF
meannes Without a word the little
wom, ~ went out to the barn, and
barring her head. stepped upon a log,
and spoke to them in a faltering voice.
"My neighbors." said she, .sthis is a
strange thing. Three of you are my
brothers, three of you are elders in the
church, all Of you are my friends. 1
have prepared for you the best dinner
in my power. If you refuse to raise the
barn without liquor, so be ii. But be-
fore | will provide VIII sky to give you,
these umbers shall rot where they lie. "
The men angrily left the work, and
went home; the little woman returned
to the house, and for hours cried as
though her heart would break. But,
the next day, every man came back,
went heartily to work, enjoyed her
good dinner, and said not a word
about whisky.
Afterwards, whisky at barn -raisings
was discontinued in the county. Her
sons grew up strong, vigorous men,
who did good work in helping to civil
ize and Christianize the world; their
descendants are all of high type of in
tellectual and moral men and women.
If she had yielded this little point,
might have degenerated, like
many of their neighbors. into drunk.
ards and speudlhrifls. There are still
vices and malignant customs to be
COM dered, and for the work we need
women OF high souls and gentle spirits,
like Christiana Dickson.
LOCAL.
Public library in Dom No. 2, city
hall, is open every Saturday afternoon
from 2 to 8.
w. c. I. U. meets in regular session
the first Monday Of every month, at 3
NJ, due notice of place OF meeting
being gwen.
Y. w. G. T. u, regular meeting the
evening OF the second Monday OF every
2
Senior l.. T. l.. every Thursday af-
at 4 O'Clock, 10 the public :
school building. \
The q will soon give an entertain
ment for the benefit OF the public IL
i
EPprT0Rrlr |
The directory of the W. CT. U. OF :
New Mexico, for 1897 and 1898 gives
the names Of the officers and superin- /,
tendents of fourteen unions. Ii
The union al Gallup has secured a
ordinance. Their L. I. L.
recently held a Demorest medal con-
test. Miss Jessie Alderman held four /
meetings 10 Gallup not long since. /
The union is holding q series 0f
mothers meetings, the subject dis
at the last meeting having been,
'sThe cooperation of the mother and
the school teacher"
The union at Eddy sustains a tenn
column, and the members are
now engaged 10 raising funds for the
erection Of a public drinking fountain.
Mrs. Harriet B. Keils, formerly edi-
tor of the Union Signal, is nov u resi-
dent Of Roswell, N. NJ, and is super
intendent of public schools and
president of the w. @. T. U. Of that
place.
Miss Belle Kearney. of Mississippi,
lecturer. is 10 the southern
part of the Territory, and will prob
ably speak at several points.
The Albuquerque union has added
the department of mothers meetingsI
to their work, with DR.. Marion Bishop
as superintendent.
The 28ib Of the present month is
national temperance Sunday, and it is
hoped that au effort will be made by |
many local unions to hold public meet
ings on that day.
The Territorial w. G. T. U. evan
gelistic missionary reports the interest
in the cause growing iu New Mexico.
FOREIGN. .
Uruguay has fifty-eight members;
Cape Colony has t~wenty-four unions,
with 600 members.
Regular meetings are held every
month in Conception, Chilli.
Cairo w. G. T. U. distributes tracts
In Greek and Arabic.
New Zsaland has over 100 English
members, and several hundred Maoris,
also