The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1906-08-31
W. C. T. U. COLUMN.
Two True Stories of One Temperance
Sunday.

|. TAKE AWAY THE SALOONS
Miss Benton was showing this pic
ture to some little friends who were
visiting her. She had told them
about the Sunday school down in the
city slums where she taught every
Sunday, and how the children there
had no place except the street to play
in, and NO trees or grass or flowers.
'"Fhree times, she said, Il saw
these two pale, sad-faeed little girls
wander slowly from the stairway be-
side the saloon down to the corner,
and back again. They seemed to have
nothing to- do, and nothing to play
with.''
why, is that a saloon back of the
chldren?" exclaimed Ethel. 'Sure
enough, there is beer sign. But
children ought not to be in front Of a
saloon. Can't you take the saloon
ont of the picture, Miss .Benton?"
e'L wish | could take it out of the
picture, and out of the city, too was
the answer. "Your question reminds
me of our last Temperance Sunday"
''Oh, please tell us about it, and
her little guests settled about her like
a flock of hungry birds asking for
crumbs.
"You know" Miss Benton began,
that in our Sunday school Temper
ance Sunday is very special oc-
casiOn. Some times the pastor gives
q temperance talk, with stereOptican
pictures, and at other times we have
some noted speaker there. But al
ways the temperance secretary gives
each teacher temperance pledge for
the children to sign. The teachers eX-
plain very carefully what the pledge
means, and all the children who will
earnestly promise write their names
below the printed pledge on the paper.
Last temperance day, | had been
talking with my boys about the teln-
perance lesson. | scarcely needed to
tell them about TIE evil effects Of
strong drink, for they knew all too
much about that. Little Freddie told
me once that his father was drunk
most all the time, and that his older
brothers staid away from home be-
cause thew were afraid of papa. |
know some other sad things about
some Of our boys, so my heart was
heavy as asked, What can be done
to make things better?'
''There were many good answers
Pray some of the boys said. Vote
by and by, said another. Yes, you
can vote against the saloon when you
are old enough I answered And
we will, too, was the ready response.
Charles, thestudioushad notanswered,
and when I turned to him. his great
brown eyey flashed as he said, Take
/ away the saloons.'
"That was going to the heart OF
things, was it not? Before | thought,
my hand went up to this little white
, ribbon, and when | saw that the boys
glances followed nv hand, | tried to
tell them how the badge stands for
the wish, and the effort, to take away
the saloons.
And what else can we do, just now
.. before the saloons can be taken away,
| asked again. Not drink any liquor
, ourselves, some one said. That
opened the way for an explanation OF
the pledge, and every boy signed it,
even little Freddie. Some had signed
it before, and to some of them it was
new promise. One boy did not find
it easy to keep his pledge, but he did
they are all keeping it,"
Tell US about that one boy" clam
ored the children. But first Miss Ben
ton asked them whether they were all
resolved to do all that they could for
temperance, and they all said, Eyes,
yes," for they were all Loyal Temper.
ance Legioners.
Then Miss Benton told them this
story of The boy who kept his pledge
when that was hard to do:
II. HAROLD'S PLEDGE.
| GAS | told you, our temperance sec
rotary gave us only the printed Hank,
because our school could not ati.rI
the pretty red and white and blue
pledge cards. But l asked my boys if
it would be easier to keep their prom
Use if each had a signed pledge to
carry with him. and they said it
would. So | gave them some small
white cards, and one of the older boys
printed the Sunday school temperance