The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-23

rum creeturs" he meant to express no
disrespect but only admiration, mixed
with that measurement of awe and be-
wilderment which fills the soul of the
average man when he contemplates the pc
culiar way of doing things common to the
feminine half OF the human race 1t would
be far from the Journal to apply the too
suggestive term rum to that noble body,
the Womans Christian Temperance Union
The Journal knows its manners better than
that and hAlds the organization in too high
esteem to mention anything of the liquid
refreshment order in the same breath. New
ertheless it confesses to an appreciation of
Mr.. Weller's statements when it reflects
upon the recent movement of the w. c.
T. U in soap. 1t is not the deal with the
soap manufacturers whereby the temper
ance organization is to have a cent for
every cake of soap sold which attracts spe-
cial attention; that is a mere business trans
action which even a body of reformers
composed of men might be proud of hav-
ing accomplished. To supply the public
with needful commodity at an honest
profit is always commendable, and the
ladies of the w. c. T. u. do a service to
the people at large, as well as to them
selves, when they unite with the far from
guileless manufacturers in putting a good
brand of soap on the market. Cleanliness
is next to goodness and is necessarily close
to temperance. and it is perfectly proper
for the union ladies to encourage a liberal
use of soap purely as a reform measure,
even if they didn't make a cent by it. 1t
is not their doing it, but their irrepressibly
feminine way of doing it, that causes
coarsely commercial man, who does not
mix soap with sentiment. to grin when he
reads about it. A large and obtrusive "ad"
in the Chicago papers contains, among 9TH
er enticing features, a letter from an Off
Ger of the National Temperance Unicn adj
dressed to her dear sisters The letter.
head bears the legends thine of prayer,
noontide; watchwords, Agitate Educate,
Organize" These have apparently little
connection with the soap, but the urgent APP
peals following have all to do with it. The
soap, the writer declares, is an excellent
article. and every woman will be benefited
by using tia perfectly safe proposition,
since any woman--or man-is benefited by
using any brand of soap rather than none.
The need of securing faithful earnest
women to take up this soap and keep talk
ing 1t up is enlarged upon, and, as an in
ducement, button portraits of Miss Willard
are offered as prizes. Thousands of dol
lars will come into our treasury my sis
ters," says the writer, enthusiastically, IF
we will say a good word for the soap and
keep on saying it." And she signs herself,
Yours for-soap that will cleanse our ways
and make the wheels run smoothly" Only
lovely woman could so put herself on paper
in business letter, and only lovely wom-
an, it may be added, would take it seriously
as it was written and respond in kind.
When woman goes in for reform with a
big r she leaves her humor behind and
becomes so desperately in earnest that
light-minded man, who smiles even in pious
moments, can only look on in wonder. But
while the frivolous male person grins over
this letter he secretly regrets that he was
not lucky enough TO secure such fetch
ing. though funny and feminine. indorse-
ment of his own business