The Washington herald., 1907-04-16

whenever the need Of a leader has arisen
somehow that leader has come. In 1873
and 1874, the Crusaders, working against
fntemperance In the Unite States reached
that point where some one who could
lead must be found. In Miss Frances
Willard. the needed leader appeared. she
had just resigned from the Women's
College at Evanston, H., being the hrst
woman college president in the world
The Chicago temperance workers offered
her the presidency of their body without
salary, While she was pondering over
this opportunity of doing good, there
came a letter from the trustees Of the
Normal Institute Of New York Offering
her $3.50 a year as principal, with the
privilege Of teaching or not. just as she
wished.
She thought over the two. ana chose
The non-paying temperance work. She
had not saved a penny, and her mother
was dependent on her for support She
told no one Of this, however, and as she
always looked well, it was supposed that
she had private means. She kept her
pvivRtlons secret until enc day she broke
mother wrote the facts to the society
leaders, and they began paying Miss Will
lard salary This spirit OF courage and
devotion TO her work made her a suitable
person to found TIE Woman's Christian
Temperance Union of America. and the
Worlds Womans Christian Temperance
Union. fourteen years afterward. When
the mantle fell from her shoulders ia
lSsS. 1t went 10 a worthy successor. Mrs.
Lillian NJ. y. Stevens. Of Maine a CO.
worker Of Neal Dow
The great temperance crusade began in
1870. when Or. Dlo Lewis. of Boston, lee
tured IN Ohio. The women Of Hnlsboro.
Washington Court House. and other
towns began concerted movement
against the sale and use of liquor. and in
fifty days $50 towns and villages went
dry" The leader there was Mrs Eliza
J. Thompson, wife OF a prominent judge
Of Hillsboro. Other States and cities fol-
lowed, and the 0utgrOWth was a national
organization perfected IN November. 1874.
IN Cleveland, Ohio. On March J. 1893 The
order was incorporated IN Washington,
=. c.. as the National Womans Chris
organized effort I'm every State and Terri
tory in the Union. I0000 towns and cities
have local societies. every iusular pos
session has a branch. and the work has
extended 10 foreign lands until there are
now fifty countries affiliated In the good
work. The Countess OF Carlisle Of Eng
land is al the head of the world union.
AT the first national convention in
Cleveland. in 1874. there were sixteen
States represented. and eighty-seveu vot-
ing members responded to rol-call. Ar
the Hartford convention last fall all the
States were represented. and about 200
voting delegates were present. This body
claims 10 be the largest single society in
the world, composed exclusively of wo-
men and conducted entirely by them. It
also claims for itself that il has the most
perfect organization pointing with iustih-
able pride 20 its various departments,
each of which IS under "a specialist in that
line. The active and honorary member
snip is 10000 with a following Of at least
half million
As a result of the unhagging zeal Of its
workers 10000 square miles of terri
tory in this country are under prohibit
ton. ny local, county. or State iegisla-
ton; the canteen has been abolished from
the army posts: a strong ant-polygamy
fight has been begun. and 1SC00.O0O school
children n various States are studying
hygiene and the effects Of alcohol on the
system This last the women consider
their best achievement. They believe that
if the children Of the nation can be made
familiar with the debiltating effects of
spirits and tobacco on the human system,
the evil can be better combated. In OF
der to achieve this. the women in each
State urged the adoption of textbooks
that would cover this subject fully and
clearly Vermont was the first 10 adopt
this as a law, Virginia, the last. The
Territories and the insular possessions
under national law have also added this
to the curricuia Of their schools.
Another result Of the W. c. T. L. work
may be seen in the annual temperance !
lesson that is now taught in the Inter
national Sunday School Quarterly. over
100000 children are receiving this in
struction. aud half million Of these are
already pledged to total abstinence. The /
w. c. T. L, is among the pioneers in the !
effort TO draw mother and teacher closer /
together in school work, believing that IN
this way educational, social, and moral
standards can best be elevated. Every /
Chautauqua held throughout the length |
and breadth of the land has its W. c. T. |
L. gathering campaigns have been waged !
70 require equal standards Of morality |
for both sexes TO give women the right /
Of suffrage. and 10 have the remuneration |
for service equal for men and women. |
Tens of thousands of men have signed
the pledge Of total abstinence that these |
earnest women are offering in the inter- |
est of health and happiness. and in the |
rescue home thousands OF girls have been /
taken from lives of shame and given a
fair chance TO start over again.
School savings banks are q proof OF the /
wideness Of the work the W. c. T. L. has |
undertaken. In twenty-seven different |
States anG Territories the school children |
are encouraged to save their pennies to-
ward some good purpose. and in the |
twenty-five years that the plan has been
in operation they have saved S3.o0o0O0. In |
several States they have been ingtru- /
mental in having laws enacted that make /
physical training a part of the public /
school work: in eighteen States they have /
had laws passed that prohibit the sale az /
intoxicants on fair grounds. and that sup /
press questionable shows. Flowers and |
fruits for the sick. clothes for the poor, |
fuel for the cold and suffering-all these /
have been used as means OF express /
ing a wide interest in humanity. Anti |
narcotic leagues have been formed for 1
the suppression of the cigarette and opium /
habits. the family medicine chest Is be- /
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