Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-17
W. J. MURPHY WORTHY SON OF
WORTHY SIRE
GRANDSON OF GREAT REFoRMER
TAKES UP WORK
Members Of Family Have Ambition
That Work Be Carried on Genera
tlon After Generation Until
All Are Won

and son of the great reformer who led
over 20, 000o 900 men to give UP intoxicants,
William ]. Murphy Is industrious,y and
successfully carrying on the work of his
father in Los Angeles-the work that was
only given up when the breath of life left
the body Of "St. Francis last July.
Mr. Murphy is In turn looking forward
to the work OF his son. Thomas Clayton
Murphy, who, although but young man,
has already won for himself the title of
the youngest orator of prominence In this
country and who has received over 1900
signers Of the pledge as a token OF his
eloquence-
1t is the great wish of Mr.. Murphy that
he ehall In turn be succeeded by his
son IN the work and that the temper
ance work shall be carried on in the
family from generation to generation, al
ways holding forth for reverence and
love the name of the father and grand
father. Francis Murphy. who has so often
been called the worlds greatest reformer.
Mr.. Murphy has been in the temper
ance work with his father for the past
eighteen years and has travelled over
this country, holding temperance meet
ings.
Tells Of Work
When seen yesterday at the home of
his sister, Mrs. Frances Josephine
Holmes, Mr.. Murphy tod In his own in
imitable way the manner In which he
first took up the work, which is best
repeated in his own words
II commenced the work with father
eighteen years ago as his private secre-
tary. Father often wished me to make
addresses, but simply could not About
a year and half after / had been his
secretary we were in Lawrenceburg, Ind,
where father had opened a series of meet
ings One day he said he was going to
TIL nv41 lN, aaolr Iata
without asking him l supposed he would
be back in time for the meeting that
night. / went to the depot to meet him
at every train and at the last train just
before the opening OF the meeting l was
Joined by number of elergymen. Well,
father did not come and the clergymen
told me 1 should have to go and take his
place, that was a chip off the old block
II told them that l had never made a
speech in my life and simply couldn't
Then they said l must go to the meeting
anyway and upon one clergyman telling
me he would not call on me l went
Well. the clergyman who told me he
wouldn't call on me didn't preside, and
imagine my surprise when they said that
in the unavoidable absence of my father
] would take his place
"Well, bless your dear life, l shook like
a leaf. 1t took me about twenty seconds
before l commenced to rise from my
chair. which 1 did by slow degrees.
saw the table and leaned over and
grabbed it, my knees came together, I
opened my mouth and to this day can
not tell what l said. Finally 1 ended up
by asking everybody to come forward to
sign the pledge and at the end of ten
nights $500 people had signed the pledge
in that town and as a result there were
600 accessions to the churches there. That
was my fathers way of getting me into
the work. and have never gotten out.
Introduced Gospel
My father introduced the gospel into
the temperance work. 1t was to the peo-
pie like the new dispensation of Christ
from the old law. 1t has been one of the
greatest recruiting movements for the
churches.
/ am not surprised that my father
settled here in this land of flowers ard
birds and the people are Just as lovely
as the town. After travelling over the
world he selected Los Angeles to live in
You cannot raise the city above the
people. Los Angeles is the handsomest
town on the coast and New York will
ore day be a suburb to it, New York is
at one end of the country and 1t has the
large population centers. But here in the
west you have made a wonderful ad-
vancement. Capital will be centralized
here. Today you are rot sending to New
York for morey. If you had have been
TO move your crops, you would have had
big panic in this recent shake up.
LOS Angeles will be greater than San
Francisco ever was. Don't be discour-
aged about the harbor. When a Yankee
and by that / mean an American, starts
out to get thing ne usually accom-
plishes It, I prophesy that you will dig
canals, running the freight straight to
Los Angeles. There is no end of the
possibilities. Los Angeles is world re-
nowned."
His Saloon Tour
In speaking Of his tour of the saloons
during the week Mr.. Murphy continued
1T is the gospel of love we take 1t
was formerly the custom to denounce the
enemies. but with US it Is to denounce the
sin but love the sinner.
THE other night when we visited the
saloons we found the bars lined with
men, drinking. I simply told the men 1
was one Of the boys and that l knew
they wouldn't come to see me If 1 didn't
go to see them first. In every city /
have visited the saloons and 1 have yet
to find the man who said an unkind word
TO me. Everywhere, when they found
that l was the son of Francis Murphy
they welcomed pe.
-The other night only saw two men
who were really intoxicated and the
found that 70 per cent of those who
sold the liquor do not touch It, If the
man who sells the liquor cannot trust a
barkeeper who drinks how can our mer-
chants trust clerks who drink?
Son Good Second
Mr.. Murphy is being amply seconded
In the work by his son, who works espe-
cially among the young men. Mrs Muir
ply is a charming little woman and is
deeply ested in the temperance work
Mr.. and Mrs Murphy are expecting
their second son. Francis II, who Is a
talented singer, educated at the Metro
politan opera school, New York, under
Conried This son Is also interested in
the temperance work and has taken an
active part in singing the gospel hymns
Thomas and Francis Murphy have taken
several long tours in the interest of the
work, and have proved of invaluable as
eistance.
Plans are being made to form Francis
4.lurphy leagues in the different parts of
the city to hold their own meetings and
to meet In a central point each Sunday
afternoon. The first general rneetfne mill