Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-02-28
FRANCES WILLARD.
(Contlnued from Fifth PAGE

home. Along social lines she did mar
Vellous work, moulding the sentiment of
society against the social glass more
than any person that has ever lived,
Perhaps not the least of ner work was
TO show how woman may lead in the
work of reform, and yet not lose the
grace of Womanhood
For ten years Miss Willard averaged
one public meeting a day. On the train
she carried on her correspondence and
matured her plans of work, but though
always in the public eye and busted with
the great concerns Of public reform she
was always a woman, characterized by
the most refined and beautiful qualities
OF her sex. The great power of her life
was IN her mistaken faith in Christ. She
was full of Christ-nke indignation
against wrong, andfull of his gentIeness
TO all who had gone astray. Her tongue,
when occasion demanded it, could be
tipped with the sting of the most cut
tlng sarcasm, and yet with words Of
Christ's own gentleness. Perhaps her
message to US who mourn her departure
Is pest summed up in the words she Of
| ten uttered and which We're among her
last on earth: Only the golden rule of
Christ can bring in the golden age Of
man."
The law of Christ's life with its pow
ef 10 inspire she would make the law Of
take up the work she has laid down.
Mrs. Harrington then read an inter
estlng paper on THE secret of her
power She said it undoubtedly lay in
her faith in God. She referred to Miss
WIZARDS long line of Christian ances-
try and helpful associations of her
youth.
Rev. S. b. Meeser was the next. speak
er In part he said; That no woman ever
lived who had so great following is it.
self a sufficient reason for our meeting
together this afternoon in a memorial
service to Miss Frances E. Willard.
There has passed on one who can have
no successor Such as she are born for
their work, like Luther, or Clara Barton,
or Abraham Lincoln. She was the pro-
phet of the modern movement against
1ntemperance. Inspired to lead, conse-
Grated with an unusual devotion others
may be leaders, others may possibly
achieve larger results, but she was the
leader and organizer, the Moses of the
modern exodus from the Egypt of in
temperance.
She has done more than amy other
woman for the cause Of temperance.
She saw that the natural foe of the
saloon was the home, for the home was
| its most oft maltreated victim. She or
ganized the most persistent universal
foe and set it in a struggle for life or
death with intemperance. With the in
stinct of leader she linked purity with
temperance and set them against inn
purity and intemperance.
More than any other woman, says one,
she has made total abstinence respect
able. A new and important victory was
won when the liberty of the guest was
secured to turn down the wineglass at
the dinner table as well as the liberty
of the host to omit the wineglasses alto
I I. A1,,z4 as.1
longer socially disreputable to drink
water and no longer socially reputable
/ to urge wine upon a reluctant guest,
Few more important things were ever
gained for the cause of temperance, and
Miss Willard did more for this than any
woman who ever lived
She has been a guardian angel of the
homes of America and the world. 1t was
an inspiration which gave her the motto
of the union For God, home and ma
tive land She was a home defender.
No more serious peril ever confronted
this nation than the destruction of the
home by the saloon. She might well be
named Vesta and beNenshrined in our
homes and her name burned in tiles to |
circle the hearth. For reasons Of patriot
ism as well as religion, for reasons of
philanthropy as well as Christianity, we
may hold the memory of her a priceless |
possession.
She was distinguished for purity of
character. 1t was an important qualifi- /
cation in such a work. Not for reasons |
of personal temptation, but for reasons
of an enemy's hatred. For % years not
even the Vilest Of the low forces she |
contended against has breathed a |
breath of suspicion; and her life has
won thousands to her reform by purity |
and sweetness.
No les conspicuous. was her self
sacrificing devotion. From position
which excellent family, a fine edu- |
cation, travel and study in Europe and
the Holy Land, had given her, she was
exercising a noble influence When the |
call to this work came she was dean of |
the faculty in the Ladies' College in |
connection with the North Western Uni
versity in Illinois. She had refused fiat
tering offers to teach, as she has more
recently. / read somewhere of how
preyerfully she considered this service, |
and, although warned of her personal
loss in the matter, cheerfully and calm
ly chose it. She forsook as brilliant a
career as ever opened to a young wom-
an She accepted vocation which Of
fered not one cent in return. She con-
secrated herself to a most unpopular re-
form, and gave the best, almost all, |
of the years of her mature life to it.
She is an inspiration to all women who
understand her life, and a sublime eX- |
ample in this day, when splendid genius
and gifts are so lightly given by many
women TO the vain god of an idle So
ciety.
The spiendor of her achievements is
known to all, no doubt The federation
of temperance unions in Illinois, the
thorough renovation and organization
of the national union, it's expansion to I
the southern states, and in that remark |
able journey of S1-S3, in which she spoke |
in every city of more than 10000 people |
in the United States; it's expansion to
every state ana territory. The worlds
union was the child of her genius; a |
union 50 mighty that in Toronto dele |
gates from unions speaking 40 different
languages and from 90 countries were
there representing 10,000,000 members.
She can have no successor, but the hope
and encouragement are that there are
thousands who are inspired by the same
hope the same purity and the same
self-sacriticing devotion. May God |
make every union power for good.
After a song, zone sweetly solemn
thought" by the Trinity Church Quar-
tet, Rev Roland A. Nichols, Rev ]. H. |
Mansfield and Rev. Alonzo Sanderscr
made brief and appreciative remarks.
The White Ribbon Quartet sang "Pll |
sing you song Of that beautiful home"
after which the exercises closed with a |