Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1902-08-05
PRACTICAL TEMPERANCE WORK
(Read before the W. c. T. U. county conven
ton, by Miss Jennie N. Brown Of West Paris.
Man Is his own star. and the soul that can
Render an honest and'a perfect man.
Command all light, all influence, all fate.

ton, by Miss Jennie N. Brown Of West Parii
81 Man is his own star. and the soul that can
= Render an honest and'a perfect man.
Command all light, all influence, all fate,
y Nothing to him falls early or too late:
Our acts our angels are. for good or ill,
Our fatal shadows that walk by US still.
J. l think hardly need plead with I'll
delegates of this convention for deept
. interest in practical temperance worl
:. We all realize but too keenly the gres
J. necessity of such endeavor.
Fl At the beginning wish to quote fe'
words from the evening address whic
!. l heard our loved and hOnored Mr.
. Stevens give at the state convention i
Biddeford last September: "The liquo
traffic is so firmly intrenched in avarict
r appetite, and ambition that it is mos
, formidable enemy. Even from finar
cial standpoint, which is the least of al
I, it should receive the careful, prayerfu
attention of those who know so well til
use of money in building up grea
philanthropies and extending the gospe
of Christ.
"But is it not pleasant to combat sin
and were it financial question alon
the Woman's Christian Temperate,
Union would never have been organized
l need not undertake to portray tn
heart-break, the misery, sorrow, ruin
and death caused by this monster evil. |
is appalling to consider that ten times a
much is spent for liquor as for publ,
education; fifty times as much for drinl
as for clergymen's salaries, and nearl.
twice as much as for bread.
1.-THE question is not whether pro
hibition is right, for judge we all agree
that it is, but what about its enforce
ment? The people in Maine over ant
over again have declared in favor of thu
law, who then is responsible for the VIC
lation?
First, the unfaithful officials, ant
those who vote for such officers, espe
cially those who vote for their re-
election.
"Second, the men and women who are
Indifferent, who fail to know the truth
because they are too Indifferent to in
form themselves.
Far be it from any white ribboner,
any honest temperance person, to excuse
the unfaithful, insincere official, but
contend that ecery man or woman who
i has W DClICNC ludt lhS NOuobi-
tutional law of our state is trampled
under foot in his or her community, and
does not do all he or she can to right
such terrible wrong, is recreant t.
duty. marvel that Christian people
can ever be Indifferent, can ever be in
active concerning this overwhelming
evil"
| echo her sentiment when | say that
look with profound establishment and
sorrowful regret upon the apparent
neglect of many profeSsed Christians To
the practical issues of the temperance
question. They are willing some one
else shall do all the work of temperance
education and reform, while they do
little but criticise those who are honest
ly striving to better all these evil con-
ditions.
How can we expect temperance senti-
ment to attain to what it might when
many respectable citizen excuses him
self for total inaction by saying that his
business would suffer, his house might
be burned, or some friend would style
him Temperance crank?
There is always something wrong
when we begin to make excuses; and
we cannot rightfully be accounted the
champion of any cause until we are
willing to wisely and fearlessly use our
personal effort and influence to build up
and assist such cause.
President Roosevelt Says:-"Aggressive
fighting for the right is the best sport
the world knows" would that more
good men would adopt his sentiment as
a practical rule in their life. If people
would only be unselfish enough to lay
aside eXpediency, what great things
might be accomplished,
Mrs. Stevens says: "A certain man,
aud he is husband and father too, was
heard to say next day after he had at
tended state fair at Lewiston, that he
felt confident by the signs he saw that
liquor was sold in certain room in the
place where he took his dinner. He
cited this to prove that prohibition is
a failure. Now if this man had made the
complaint then and there, that investi-
CATION and punishment could have been
possible, it might have done some good.
Certainly it would have amounted to
far more on the side of right than to find
fault about it afterwards. There is al
together too much of this kind of COM
planning, and not enough of the right
kind"
Personally, know Christian citizens
who sheer at the work of the W. e. 7. L.,
but notice those very men are not al
ways willing to put in their own per-
sonal effort at risk or Inconvenience to
themselves. l want to enter my person
al protest against the grumbling of such
men. l think they fail to live to the
highest requirements of manhood when
they are even willing to lay all the
responsibility of such work on the moth
ers, wives and sweethearts.
Here are few words from the Chris
tan Civic League Record: "We often hear
this useful organization of noble women
criticised because it does not accomplish
more for temperance. Such comments
come from the opponents of temperance,
or from people who are not informed
about the real work of the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union as an
organization. The w. c. T. U. women
are doing what they can for enforcement
of liquor law. 1t is to the credit of the
Union that it is hated and feared by all
the liquor fraternity. The January Red
Fox Boston brewers journal, says,
The members of the w. c. T. U. are
string heaven and earth to thwart the
will of the majority in regard to the
license question in Chelsea And it is a
fine record that through the efforts of
this organization every state in the
Union has passed the temperance edu-
cation bill"
All our active workers endeavor to
assist in wholesome temperance reform
whenever there is opportunity. In the
test for sheriff in Androscoggin County,
the w. c. T. U. of Auburn passed reso-
lutions strongly endorsing this move
ment and pledging the members to labor
faithfully for its interest. The Lewiston
Journal is responsible for the story that
when votes were being cast in one of the
Auburn wards one man put in vote for
Mr.. Cummings saying it was the wish Of
his wife-and you and l think he might
have done worse.
Most of us are familiar with the great
interest in the cities of Lewiston and Au-
burn and through Androscoggin County
for election of sheriff, and enforcement
of the prohibitory law. At the first
mass meeting in Auburn Hall hundreds
were turned away. There never was
such an audience there for such pur-
pose.
1t was a remarkable demonstration of
the interest of the people. Prof. An
thony of Bates College made stirring
speech, and among other things he said
| ssThe peOple of this county are aroused