Evening star., 1899-01-03
THE WILLARD1 MEMORIAL
Members Of the ". O. T. q. to Erect One
in Washington.
of Chicago Temple
Pronounced to be a wi 1se Step
Mrs. Smiths Views.


With the practical abandonment by the
National W. C. T U. of the plan to pur-
chase the Temperance Temple at Chicago,
which it was thought might stand as a
monument to the memory of Miss Frances
E. Willard, Mrs. Clinton Smith of the Dis
trict w. c. T. u, and her associates, have
determined to press the plan to have a
memorial to Miss Willard erected here in
Washington.
"At the national convention of tn. w. c..
7. U. at st. Paul, which ! attended" says
Mrs. Smith, cit was decided not to ask for
any more money for the Temperance Tenn
pie and to forbid others gathering money in
our name. This does not prevent any per-
son, union, state organization from con-
tinuing to labor for and to send money to
the temple. but 1t will not be in the name
of the NJ w. c. T. U. For eleven years we
beautiful building in Chicago, and though
we have forwarded S25O,0O0, we as yet own
Only a small fraction of it. Besides, it is
such an expensive building that it has been
for some years running behind. Its pro-
jector, a wealthy w. c. T. u. woman of
Chicago, wishes to purchase it and present
it to the w. c. T. Z. as a memorial to Miss
Willard, and asks contributions for this
purpose.
The Washington Project.
"Some of us think that better memorial
to Miss Willard would be a beautiful mar
bic temple, small, but lovely, in the capital
city. Ground on which to build 1t has al
ready been offered by a business man, and
ladies of wealth are expected to unite in a
woman's memorial to her who belonged
pre-emnently to the women of the world.
1t is written on her tombstone: She made
the world wider for woman and more
honelike for all humanity Rev. E. E.
AJ,,ir IL, 4 h. - ~,
Rev. Frank M. Bristol says: Tasso loved
poetry, Milton loved song, Wordsworth
loved nature, kep1er loved the stars, Ma
poleon loved the sword, Frances E. Willard
loved humanity. She held the white bios
som of her beautiful life up to God, and it's
fragrance has blessed ALL President ]. Z.
Rankin of Howard University says: She
put the whole world in her debt. She came
to have possession of a home everywhere,
a sisterhood everywhere, in all circles
Business Sentiment.
Writing of the temple scheme in Chicago
Mr.. Herber Mcdonald, it is said, expresses
the business sentiment of the national con-
vention, when ne says:
1t was a pretty scheme, but a failure
The building was erected in boom times
and the highest price paid for thing
The great number of newer and more con-
venient buildings in Chicago cut the rent
roll of the temple in half. The present
rent roll does not pay the running ex-
penses, ground mt and interest. To keep
:he building the rank and file of the union
must pay out a large sum annually, from
which there is no return. This being the
case the national officers wisely decided to
drop the temple. which is merely an affliat-
ed interest. All but four states concurred
with the national officers
ITO entirely own the temple the w c.
T U. must pay s1.117 700. Mrs. Carse says
100000 will give the w. c. T. L. the con-
trolling interest. The sum she mentioned
will pay off the temple trust bonds, but
viii leave more than three-quarters of
million dollars yet to be paid. Even if
this amount should be raised the w. g. T.
Y. would not own the ground on which
the building stands. The ground is rented
from Marshall Field for $4,000 per year
The W. G. T. L. has been beggared by this
foolish scheme of an optimistic woman
Real temperance work has been sighted by
reason of the money being diverted to save
the temple. Relinquishing the temple is
not step backward, but forward. Those
who stand by the temple now are hindering
real temperance reform. While wasting
time dealing in real estate drunkards are
dying without a CLEAN of hope.' -