The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1902-01-30
Temperance Education.

temperance EDUCATION.
At a recent meeting of club men
in Chicago, no liquors were served
whatever. An editor commenting
on the change in such meetings
noted the fact that these club men
did not even consider it worth
while to offer an excuse.
+ !. n..
At public debate in Red Wing
not long ago, the speaker for the
Democratic party accused the Pro-
hibitionlsts of opening their con-
ventions with prayer, and was
informed by the ''Prohib'' speaker
that it was fact, but he was in
formed that the Democrats opened
their conventions with cork
screw. These facts are before you
reader-choose wisely.
!. =.
The editor of one of the leading
M. E. church papers, the North
western Christian Advocate, in
commenting on the report that the
International Lesson committee
was opposing the continuance of
the temperance lesson, says: 'If
the committee should drop the
temperance lesson and it should
be shown that the action was due
to any unfriendliness to the tenn
perance cause, it would mark the
beginning of the end of the inter-
national committee and its work.
Intemperance is the greatest curse
of the age, and the warfare
upon it should be persistent and
unrelenting. Success will finally
come through the education Of
generations of children who, when
they reach manhood and woman
hood, will be determined foes of
the sale and use of intoxicating
liquors as a beverage. We need
more active and earnest temper
ance work in the Sunday school
rather than less. This is Il duty
the church owes to it's children and
to itself. He also states that the
non-continuation of the Temperr-
ance Lesson, in the minds of the
committee, is not due to the pow
erty of the scriptures nor to the
undesirableness Of frequent instruc-
ton of the children in temperance.
His arguments alone take away
the props the committee have been
leaning on, and leave them hang
ing in midair with a stronger rope
of public sentiment around their
necks than they have counted on.
Miss Willard, in her far-sighted-
ness, saw that the hope of victory
for the temperance cause was in
educating the children, and through
her fundamentally the Depart
ment of Scientific Temperance In
struction, with it's method of work,
the enactment and enforcement
of laws requiring this study in
schools under State and national
control; and the department of
Loyal Temperance Legion work
were started. Under the leader
ship of Mrs. Mary H. Hunt of
Boston, every State in the union
has laws requiring the teaching of
scientific temperance. For twenty
years this noble woman has work
ed, sparing neither time, strength
or means; and who can say that
the w. G. T. U. has not accom-
plished a great work in at least one
department of her forty lines of
work.
Mrs. Helen G.. Rice, leader of
the Loyal Temperance Legion, be-
gins with infant grade, enrolling
all children from their birth until
six years of age, when they pass
into the junior grade, then the
senior, and are disciplined enthusi-
astic temperance workers, entitled
to representation in State and ma
tional conventions as part of the
W. G. T. y. The normal grade
aims to develop w. G. T. U. lead
ers and teachers for the L. T. L.
Last year forty.two States sent
most excellent reports to the
national superintendent of this
department. I have not sum-
mary of the work for the past year.
Thousands of children are signing
the following pledge:
God helping me-
I promise not to buy, drink, sell or give
Alcoholic liquors while live;
From ali tobacco I'll abstain.
And never take Gods name in vain.''
And ''me Thinks our sainted
Francis is leaning over the battle
ments of heaven, enjoying the
strains Of the song, the words of
which she composed, and her be-
loved and faithful Anna Gordon