The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1898-06-16
Mission Temperance Meeting.

came off Saturday evening. The audi
ence was a fair sized one, fully up to the
average for the course, although not
nearly as large as it should have been
when the Importance of the cause and
the merit of the paper read are taken
into consideration.
Rev. B. c. Wentworth presided and
Misses Dora and Dena Trafton sang
several selections and Mrs. L. ".
Weston, one of the most earnest and
honored temperance workers in Maine,
read a paper of great interest and value,
treating more particularly of the inter
est of woman in the cause of temper
ance and the effect of intemperance upon
the family and the home.
This series of meetings has been as
well attended as the managers of the
Mission expected, and the meetings
must have had good effect in our town.
They should have been much more
largely attended, in which case the benefit
would have been correspondingly in
creased.
Following are extracts from Mrs. Wes-
toms admirable paper:
Woman's standpoint is where there is
work to do for temperance. Home is
woman's kingdom and whatever comes
into her life, or into society, Is by her
Judged by the effect it has upon the
home. If intemperance Injuries the
home, then woman is natural enemy TO
it, for every true woman feels that every
thing rests upon the home, that it is
really the foundation of society, and as
is the home. so is the community. the
State and the nation; and it is her duty
to protect the home as far as possible
from everything that degrades or de-
bases it. Every woman should stand
for temperance, else how can she protect
the home and how can she train the
children in the way of temperance.
What is the effect of mtemperance
upon the home? You doubtless will
some of you say, that depends upon how
much it is INDUCED in; that a little In
diligence now and then can make 30
difference with the home, but does it
not?
| think that women should watch very
carefully that nothing that enters the
home shall in any way lead to intemper-
ance. for remember lit is the little foxes
that spoil the vines,'' and we can in some
measure hinder their entrance into the
home, provided we wish to.
Do we not make a great mistake in
not having our law for scientific tenn
perance instruction in our public schools
better enforced? 1t seems as though
this ought to be as easily enforced as
any law on our statutes; and that our
children have the right to know the
effect it has upon the human system.
But think am safe in saying that it is
not half as we'll enforced rs our probibi-
tory law, which is, as we all know, far
from being enforced as it should be, and
this for the children is as important as
the prohibitory law is for adults.
| think the doctors are responsible foI
a great deal of ntemperance by prescrib-
ing it so generally in their practice; it is
done from thoughtlessness. | had al
most said through ignorance, but | will
not attribute that to them bat many OF
them fail to keep up with the times
They do not realize that it is being prov
ed beyond a question that alcoholic
liquors in any form are not necessary in
sickness, that the patient is far better of
We will not discuss the scientific eff
fects of alcohol as a medicine, but VT
know it is not a safe medicine because ii
creates an appetite for itself. The least
quantity taken into the system calls fol
more, until men become slaves TO it.
Fifteen out of every hundred confirmed
topers owe their ruin to medical pre-
scriptions of alcohol. A majority OF
women drunkards owe their downfall
more to their physicians prescriptions
of liquor than to the social glass. Pat
ent medicines are Just as bad as doctor :
prescriptions. They are full of alcohol
We often hear fault found with oul
prohibitory liquor law; and the remark
is sometimes made that the State would
be better off without it than with it,
that it does not prohibit, and is teaching
the people a disregard for law.
often think if these people would
study the history of our State before we
had this law, they would change Their
minds. Much as we deplore the non
enforcement of our prohibitory liquor
law, we can hardly realize what it is to
US, or how much our State owes to it,
poorly as it is enforced. We have nc
manufacturing of liquor in this State.
In restraint of this portion of its work
the prohibition law of Maine is COM
pletely effective. Thus far prohibition
prohibits, proving a complete success.
The following will show that it is not
a failure in other respects, notwithstand-
ing the remark is often made that there
is just as much liquor drank now as be-
fore we had the prohibitory law.
The amount of income from Liquor
received by government for 1897 was
l.S2 for every inhabitant. The amount
varies in different States. Illinois pays
the largest amount, 81. per inhabtant
and Maine the least, 4 cents and 2 mill.
per inhabitant. Should Maine pay hel
proportion of the whole sum received by
government during the year 1897 from
the liquor business, her part would b'
81, 203, 176, hut instead Of that the SLat6
paid only $27 1913, there being nc manu-
facturers, distillers or brewers in tht
State, prohibition being thus far pro
hibitory. When Marie manufacturer
liquor and almost everybody drank, Il
) was one of the poorest States in thu
Union. Now in proportion to its popu
: lation it is one of the wea!thiest.
The high standing and intelligence o.
, our population is owing to our prohibi
: tory liquor law, for no people can con
, tend for principle for years withou
being elevated by it.
, Almost everything in this world ha'
its good side, but we know of no gOoC
, side to the liquor traffic. The thing
which strikes an observer who studies