Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-11-27
w. G. T. U. Column.
OUR PLEDGE.

OUR PLEDGE.
hereby promise, God helping me, t.
abstain from all distilled, fermented ant
malt liquors, including wine, beer, and
cider, as a beverage, and to employ al
proper means to discourage the use o.
and traffic for the same.
A SNAKE STORY!
Twenty-Five snakes running through
the streets-free whiskey.
Box up the twenty-five snakes, anC
by tho authority of the court bore TWEEN
ty-five holes in the box-low license.
Stop up ten holes so the snakes Car
all get out through the other ffteer
holes-high license.
Drive the snakes to the next town
local option.
Kill the snakes-prohibition.
A NOVEL TEMPERANCE CRUSADE.
Observant passersby at the corner Of
Twenty-second and Spruce Streets
Philadelphia, any Wednesday afternoon
at half-past four o'clock, might notice
children are making their way from al
directions towards the chapel of the
Holy Trinity Memorial church. Should
the onlooker detain one of these children
to ask what the attraction is, he will al
once hear the prompt reply; "It's oul
temperance school. We have 1t every
Wednesday,"
In the upper story of the chapel, In
the spacious Sunday school room, are
circle after circle of classes of children,
from s to Is years of age. A stout,
bright-faced woman, alert and cordial,
moves up and down the aisles greeting
each arrival. She assigns the new
scholars to places on the benches.
Many of the children have to 60 to work
at an early age and their places in the
school are at once taken by the new
arrivals.
For nearly twenty years, since 1883,
this class has been in existence, teach
ing the children lessons of Gospel Tenn
perance. The school now numbers
nearly 600 children and thirty-two
teachers. 1t represents the consecrated
zeal of a society of Christian Temper
ance young women, under the leader
ship of Misses II. l.. Lee and NJ. j.
Burk.
The children are taught a new cate
chism in the temperance school, Scrip.
ture and music being the chief features
of the exercises. 1t is like Sunday
School, yet very different. The cate.
chism has some questions and answers
like this:
O. What are the bones for?
A. To keep the body in shape.
@. How do they grow?
A. By what we eat.
O. will alcohol make them grow?
A. 1t will not.
@. What will make the muscles
strong? -.
A. Exercise, as swimming, walking,
rowing.
Q. will alcohol strengthen the mus
cles?
A. No, it will weaken them.
O. Will the nerves telegraph pain for
the man who is drunk?
A. No, it will stop the nerves from
reporting it.
Q. Will alcohol ever make the body
strongP
A. Never.
After the recitation from this sig
nificant catechism, stirring temperance
songs and hymns are sung, like "On-
ward, Christian Soldiers" and "For-
ward We Are Marching, Alcohol to
Fight" A Bible verse is taught the
entire school by the leader, among the
favorites being, "Wherefore let him
that thinketh he standeth take heed
lest he fall" keep thy tongue from
evil and thy lips from speaking guile. :"
Then the national motto is recited,
"Tremble, King Alcohol, we shall grow
upm And the state motto and the
pledge quickly follow, uttered by 500
Young voices, "Touch not, taste not,
handle not" There is brief talk by
the brisk, energetic leader, who perhaps
explains how the crusaders started out
to capture the Holy City for the Lord,
and urges the children of the temper
ance school to start out to capture their
city for temperance. ,
Each child, after the hours varied
exercises, is given a little temperance
leaflet to take home and pass on to some
one. There is no collection. An award
is given for bringing in new scholars.
The two great events in the temperance
school year are the parents annual re-
ception, when the children bring their
relatives, and the annual entertainment
in June, usually an out-of-door festivity.
Jane A. Stewart in The Christian
Herald.