The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-10-22

Cne AlQuOE ITuSJ OlCCdIeS NuAA
cipal, State and National Legisla-
tion and Calls Upon the Christian
People to Act Unitedly in Downing
It-High License Delusion.
A splendid temperance address was
delivered last night in the Green
Ridge Presbyterian church by Mrs.
Susan s. Fessenden, of Boston, for
many years president Of the Massa-
chusetts Women's Christian Temper
ance union, and recognized as one of
the leading temperance workers in the
country.
Mrs. F'essenden is singularly
striking-looking woman. She is
straight as an arrow and her strong
determined face is crowned with a
mass Of snowy white hair. she is an
excellent speaker, with u voice that
without any effort on her part filled
every corner of the big church. She
began her address by eloquently de-
scribing a picture on exhibition in
the National Museum at Berlin.
1t represents q female figure in a
chariot drawn by dashing horses. pur-
suing a panther. The figure has eyes
for nothing but the panther and heeds
not a yawning chasm just in front.
over which panther. chariot, female
and all are just about to plunge. She
likened the figure to this country, the
people of which she claimed are rush.
Ing ever onward in their mad pur-
suit of wealth, little dreaming of the
chasm ahead.
THE LEADING NATION.
America" said she, "can now be
called the leading nation In the world.
Emerson called 1t the home Of op-
portunity, and Matthew Arnold, who
criticized everything American spoke
of it as the land of the future When
the Pilgrims landed on New England's 8
shores they established schools and
churches and the foundations of
moral and intellectual strength were
thus created.
"In time. we threw open our doors
to the down-trodden and oppressed of
other lands and for time this immi-
grafton did us good. Then there
came the rty-stricken the vicious,
the diseased in mind and body, who
scorned our churches. They thirsted
after power and wealth and they
grew and multiplied until they die
tated our laws.
"Our own people fell in with their
ways and today we are a nation of
wealth pursuers. oblivious Of all else.
Ihis beautiful land Of ours Is doomed.
unless the Christian people hear the
ra1 Of nd
nation in deed as we'll as name. In
God We trust is inscribed on our ban
ners. but 1t is in wealth we trust
that is written on our hearts.
No soul ever drifted to heaven, 1t
takes manly struggle against temp
tation and a growing in grace day by
day No nation ever drifted into the
right course. 1t takes an earnestness
or purpose and firm conviction on
the part OF the people that they can
attain to the mission for which God
called them, as a nation, into exist
ence.
READ A CIRCULAR.
At this point Mrs. Fessenden read
from circular distributed by what
she termed the "whiskey trust" to
liquor dealers. 1t said "the liquor
business has lately enjoyed unexam-
pied prosperity, and If we act united
ly we can continue this prosperity"
May we not take a lesson from
that" said she. eff we act unitedlv
as Christian people we will be able
TO successfully combat the whiskev
trust and every other foe of right
Whatever ought to be done can he
done and when Christian people say
1t shall be DONE 1t will be done.
Think as you please about gold or
silver; believe. il you will, that we did
right In gathering to our arms the
islands of the sea. because they we're
weak and we are strong: i care not
for these issues, but let us act on this
other paramount issue together Re-
member that we protect everything
but the people. We protect the liauor
oligarchy. which has grown so mighty
that it seizes the government by the
throat and dictates its terms. Our
homes need protection and our people
need protection.
YOU have perhaps not forgotten the
vigorous effort made in many states a
number OF wears ago to upset this:
liquor monopoly: this monopoly that
may be said to hold the balance OF
power IN this country; this monopoly
that has its hand on our municipal
councils, on our state legislatures ana
in our congress at Washington. say
ing to our legislators, Thou shalt not
do this or that; this monopoly that
fattens on broken hearts. on broken
homes, on debauched manhood and ,,e-
based womanhood, and then asks for
protection.
THE HIGH LICENSE.
"You remember that at that time the
monopoly realized that its cause was
lost il 1t didn't stem the tide. And
what did 1t do? Out Of it's inner con-
seriousness it evolved that beautiful de-
fusion known as high license. It
dressed 1t out In celestial garb to de-
ceive the people. and 1t did deceive