The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-10-03
TEMPERANCE LECTURE LAST NIGHT
Miss Kearney Spoke to Small Audience at
Academy of Music.

The w. c. T. u. National lecturer,
Miss Belle Kearney, of Mississippi,
spoke to small audience at the
Academy of Music hast night.
The meeting was presided over by
Rev. M. M. Mcfarland, of the Metho-
dist Church. On the rostrum with
Miss Kearney was Mrs. Daniel l.. Rus
sell and Mrs. w. H. Worth. Governor
Russell was in the audience.
Miss Kearney spoke for an hour,
holding the close attention of her
hearers all the time. She is a woman
of fine appearance, splendid voice and
attractive manner. She has a mes
sage to deliver, and she delivers it in
a simple, earnest manner that wins
those who listen in spite of Them
selves.
Herl ecture last night is one calcu
lated to do great good, and it is truly
to be regretted that it was not heard
Iby more people. She is no fanatic,
| but a thinker; not crank, but a mis-
sionary. She breaches the gospel of n
clean life.
Miss Kearney stated that the traffic
in liquor was the most stupendous
business in the United States, more
money being spent for intoXicants
than for anything else. Tobacco
comes second and sensuality third.
Sat this rate said she, America
will soon rival any heather country
in debauchery."
She called attention to the fact that
it is the young men principally who
compose the drunken class, vast num-
Il
while hundreds daily go to their death
through the haunts of shame which
exist as a result of the liquor traffic.
This hellish business is protected
by the Constitution of our country"
continued the speaker; ''our National
Government is in partnership with it;
society fawns upon il, and the Church
stands aghast at it,
In this connection she referred to
the action of President Mckinley, a
professed Christian and a church
member, in refusing to abolish the
army canteen, when he has the power
to do so. She also spoke of his habit
of having wine on his table and ac-
! cepting the hospitality of brewers, and
said that he rented his wife's prop
erty in Canton, Ohio, for saloon pur-
poses.
wherever the American flag goes,
the American saloon and debauehery
follow. The first prohibitory law the
world ever knew was enacted in the
Hawaiian Islands, but when the Amer
lean flag was planted there the law
was repealed to make way for the
saloon keeper and the libertine. In
Cuba there were no saloons and prac-
tically no drunkenness until the
American army entered the island"
In conclusion, she spoke of the
work the Woman's Christian Temper
ance Union is doing and referred most
plish in the future.
''We are in advance of our time"
she declared. THE world is not vet
educated up to the reforms we are
working for To bring this about is
our task-it's a task of education.
Some day it will come. But let me
tell you it will not come till we get
the church on our side. 1t is not now.
There are 12,000,000 voters in this
country. OF this number 6,500,O00 are
church members. Yet the saloon eX-
lists and flourishes. Until we can stop
church members from patronizing
saloons and brothels and renting their
property for such purposes, the ends
we aim at cannot be fully attained."
Miss Kearney was for many years a
w. c. T. L. organizer in this and for
eign lands, and she now only awaits
an opportunity to go as a foreign mis-
sionary in the cause of temperance.