The times., 1899-07-08
woMEN's TEMPERANCE WORK.
The Coming Silver Anniversary
Meeting of the w 4 II Il

Boston. July THE silver anniversary
meeting of the Woman's Christian Tenn
perance Union in Seattle in October next
will be the first gathering of the organiza-
tion on the Pacific Coast. Miss Anna Cor
don, Secretary of the Union for the United
States. and also Corresponding Secretary
for the world organization says that the
records of the Union show that during the
year following Miss Wizards death there
were more additions than during any otae-
year in the unions history. The growth
during the past year has been large and
there was never a time when the outlook
was more hopeful than today. The Union
has some 100000 members in the United
States 1t has branches in forty countries.
in all parts OF the world with a total
membership of about 500.OO Australia IS
said to be particularly well organized
Branches are aourishing in India, in Afri-
ca, in China, and in the principal countries
of Europe. In the Iast-named country the
movement is slower than in most places,
for IL is found to be difficult iisld to cul-
tivate.
The Union is so well organized and has
covered its field so completely that It has
forty departments of activity which are
distinctly recognized. That under Miss
Gordon's care is work among children.
family, for she says that it is just as easy
and effective TO cover all three of these
departments, and to train the children 20
avoid them ali, as it is to cover Only the
field of liquor. In a few days there will be
a convention of the Junior department OF
New York State, at Staten Island, whore
boys and girls in their teens will hold a
convention for three days and will ooaduct
it with all the deliberation and credit
aged by older people
Miss Gordon's review Of the field for the
twenty-five years Of the life OF the Union
was most interesting Without any ques-
| tion, she says, great progress has been
made in the drinking habits CT the people.
Not only has there been a percsptible de-
, cline OF social drinking but the business
value of total abstinence is being recog-
nized more and more. The case OF the
Southern Pacific Railroad is given. Orders
were issued that no one should be en-
ployed by the road but total abstainers-
a fact which obtains with other roads also
But it was found that if saloons We're
suffered to remain where the men could
get liquor easily, there was danger 10 the
road. Hence an additional order has been
given that no liqUor-selling shall be per-
mitted in any building which is the prop
erty of the road. One of the leading buSi-
ness men OF Chicago. himself not total
abstainer. yet recognizes the value Of ab-
stiuence so much in his business that he
| has made rule that only abstaiuers shall
be employed. In many places agreements
are secured on the part of dealers in real
estate whereby a clause is put into the
deed that the sale Of liquor shall lever
be permitted on the premises.
Lately there has seemed to be an in
crease of drinking at home on the part Of
! some people who have been in Europe anl
have put in practice here what they found
abroad. But this does not offset the broad
generalization that during the last twenty
| five years the use Of liquor has declined
and that the outlook for. the future is most
encouraging from the Unions point Of
view The instruction CT children in tenn
perance matters is now advanced so well
! that only three States in our country fail
| to require temperance instruction by law.