The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1902-02-20
OUR WORK.

| some OF Lne l0Oldn lflDc WHO IodUltt
the Western wilds. obtained their
pliable softness ina way both origina
and unique. The squaws chewed then
until they reached their pliable con
dition -Mcthinls Gun see her in my
minds eye, working patiently at he
task-She follows the Indian brave
to the hunt and carries home his bur
den, the maize she has planted ano
tended, Is worked and while he eats
it and rests from the pleasures OF
hunt and war and council she chews
and chews, until her moars become
worn to snags, softening the leathery
robes for their rude clothing. Tt
her pale-faced sisters surrounded by
the comforts Of civilization, her con.
dition is indeed most piliable, and
yet no doubt she is content she has
| naught to fear, her brave has fought
her battles and killed the wild beasts
that roam at large.
Her pale-faced sisters cannot boast
of such security, It's true her mighty
warriors have gone forth through all
ages and have conquered vast terri
tories. civilizing vast domains, max
! ing the deserts become fertile and the
mountains yield great treasures, but
with all that they have done through
all ages in war. science and civilization
to make this world a tltdwelling place
| for men and the children of men they
have ever persisted in permitting to
live, man's greatest destroyer the one
which "bittcth like serpent and
+ stlngeth like an adder
!, Steadily, with stealthy steps this
great evil seeks every new possession
and when from field of conquest and
Legislative hall, they return and rem
| der an account 1t is not that We have
made laws to Danish this body, soul
| and nerve destroyer from our midst
this great demon which fills our aims
houses, asylums and iails. No, they
| tell us it is useless to prohibit drink
ing, men will have it, the law will
merely bt broken.
We are reminded that out in Kan
sas the Judge adjourned Court that
all may 60 out and get Il drink, they
seem to think it a joke and laugh at
the broken law and tel us that the
fines does not pay the state as well as
| the license system did, no it is useless
| to make laws Just to be broken. DO
they forget that Moses received from
Heaven on MI! Sinai The decaogue
that has been handed down to men
as a divine law? Yet on every day of
thc three hundred and sixty five, they
arc all broken (thosc ten command
mcntS) by some OF his children and
later, Il little over nineteen hundred
years ago there was anotherWho went
up into Il mountain and there taught
confirming the law of the prophet of
uld and commanding "Bc ye perfect,
even as your FathcrWhich is ir Heav.
en- is perfect
Shall we tear from the Holy records
these laws because they are SO often
broken, better good law broken
than for the Christian to Join hands
with the destroyer Hrttrr Il treasury
empty than that the country be ell
riched by the tax derived from de.
grading her children. No wonder
poor Mrs. Nation raised up in right
eols wrath aud smashed little;
uany Il man has had just cause for
smashing, Those who argue that the
prolihitnry law merely leaves an
opening for the speak easy fails to
acknowledge the fact that if flourish.
cs in many town which is legally
equipped for shaking the thirst.
1t is to Dr. benjamin Rush in 1904
that we first owed gratitude for pul'.
lishn" an essay on the effects Of
aIr,., on the body and mind, many
have, cen the efforts by the great
anU .'. Il, since that day, to induce
our las makers and law breakers to do
something that would forever lift
the awful curse from our land. We
all know that it was in an Ohio town
where the wCmen grown weary Of
long sutieringand tending the orphans
and beggars, weary of homes made
dcsolate and fo lowing to an untime-
" grave those who we're dearest, weary
OF all the sorrow cauicd by the demon
alcohol; took their Bibles in their
hahds and went from place to place,
knceIing in prayer, not in their beau
tiful churches as was their wont, but
IN the midst Of the cvi they wished
removed. How hard ii was for those
beloved sisters to take that first great
step, we are not capable of telling,
neither can we measure the length On
breadth of the good o. which it was
the forerunncr After ycaas Of patient
prayer, forgetting they were combat
ting an evil which had existed for
ages, they grew impatient with the
sIowness of their pWgress, and again
implorcd their brothers for help,
promising to attach themselves tol
whichever political party declared
ilaelt in favor of State or National
prohibition, they promised their
prayers. influence, hearty cO-opcra-
tion and approval. Those were dark
days among the band ofnoblc workers
the impatient ones taking what they |
claimed broader views and more alTec.
tive efforts. the others patiently plod-
ding on in the old path. T welyeycars
have slipped by and from time to
time the same impatient thoughts
come to each, What good am | doing?
| cannot see that am of any use ''lIc
who is not for me is against me y
would beg Of each one to declare him.
self against this dreadful evil, We
cannot afford to do without one Of
our members, We need each ones
influence. her help, her encourage.
mcnt, her prayers aud her money.