El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-11-21
NONTREATIN6 CLUB
A Chicago Railroad Man Forms An
Organization To Break Up Per
niCiOus Habit And Succeeds Be-
yOnd Expectations.
"If you want q drink, take it. >"

yond Expectations.
eff you want drink, take It."
Such is the doctrine of Elliott T
Monet of Chicago, who is doing {
great deal for the temperance cause
these days. He is railroad man, oc-
cupying the position of general west-
York, Ontario & Western, and last
Septem Der began his efforts to combat
the pernicious habit of ''tresting." Hill
success is best told in circular re-
Gently issued by him, giving a short
| history of the NOntreating club. The
| circular ts accompanied by the rules
and button with the letters IN. T.
c." worked into q monogram. Monetl
says ..y, NJ,
by your humble servant simply because
1 have always believed each and every
one of US was put on this earth for
some good, and being somewhat of q
Bohemian and not being in q position
to offer my services as q volunteer in
the recent misunderstanding between
Uncle Sam and Mr.. Spain, determin-
ed to do the next best thing, viz:
Help my fellow man in some other
way. l had an inspiratiou-acted upon
it-result: NOn-treating club.
t'The object is very simple, viz:
DO away with this pernicious habit of
treating The rules are equally as
simple, viz: Wear the button and
make pledge to yourself not to treat
anyone who Isl member There are
no frills attached 70 the constitution;
it is short and to the point, and all
that is required of any man Is to either
accept the pledge or pass the card and
button to some friend.
1.-THE club was introduced to the
good people of Chicago September 5.
and consisted of one member; two
months later the membership number
ed in the neigh borhood of $4,000. and
is still growing, The result speaks for
itself, and it Is an indication that the
club meets with the approval of the
large majority.
beyond Chicago, but as the newspapers
all over the country have taken it up,
have simply been showed under with
applications for membership.
"This tresting habit, as every man
of the world knows, is increasing rath-
er than deere asing, and it Is false
is responsible for the
making of many drunkards. Have
one with me- Is a phrase that many a
man has used because of the desire not
to appear small and to conform to the
usages of drinking meD, and is fire.
quently accepted more to avoid discus
cause the beverage itself is desired.
For instance, you and I go into a cafe
with the intention of taking one drink,
possibly two. We meet eight or ten
Of our mutual friends and they insist
upon us joining them. We do so ana
then then you and I reciprocate and
every man in the crowd puts eight or
1f L.
separate, and will bet new hat that
what would much prefer only one
rink to that of eight or ten consecu-
tive ones.
"This thing repeated year in and
year out. several times q day, will not
,nly ruin q man physically, but also
financially, and If such doings are not
oolish. then 1 miss my guess. ] enjoy
! social drink as we'll as any man on
,arth and 1 imagine the man does not
i've who has spent more money in that
direction than 1; by this 1 mean on a
income; but 1 have seen
70 many good, bright young men
md all On account of trying to be q |
good fellow that it is really painful, |
md do not believe there is u man on |
'arth, whether he is believer in |
Otal abstinence or not, who cannot call |
o mind q hundred or more such cases. |
call to mind this minute a great |
many of my acquaintsnces that knew |
vhen they were drawing-salariesa all the |
way from 50 500 to S., 900 year, that !
re now working as clerks in general |
'f1ices. association rooms, ETC., for $40 |
" $50 per month and glad to get it. |
Not one of them will ever be 'on top
gsio and yet they were st one time |
capable of handling the head of a de-
,artment.
"Wbat was the cause of their down.
all? Treating-nothtng more, moth
Dg less. 1t was not because they were
slaves to drink, but because they we're
slaves to custom, and while we Amer
cans say the old country is slow in
.reat many things, for one would be
,lad to see this country equally as slow
n regard to this treating habit
1.-THE American press and a branch
II the Nontreatipg club in every city
q our land would be far more effective
han legislative prohibition as q pro-
noter of temperance. My experience
With the club demonstrates this fsct. |
IN September 1 received 500 buttons |
rom the manufacturers, Messrs. |
Whitehead & Hoag company, of New
rk, N. j. The following Sunday the |
,hicago Tribune made some mention
bout the birth of the club, and since
hen 1t has grown faster than any child
ever heard of.
81 gave another order for 500 but
pms, but applications for membership
anne pouring in so fast that I tele-
raphed to the manufacturers to in
rease the order to $500, but before
ne shipment reached me 1 had in
uiries by mail for more than double
" order. By this time 1 could read
y see that it WAS impossible for me to
eep up the good work ell alone and I
ae obliged to ask those who request
1s1OO or more buttons to send me