The Baltimore County union, the Towson news., 1909-12-18
w. @. II. q. NOTES.

A striking incident of the National W. G. T. q.
Convention that received but little notice in the
press was that of song and the singer in the big
Auditorium at Omaha. To exemplify the work
of the colored branch on Demonstration Night,
group of workers of the Union were on the
stage when the nat,onal m president mt ANNOUNCED c
group. A girl of the colored race, as dark as the
proverbial African night, modestly stepped a
little to the front of the ine The pianist struck
the chords of 1.-The Last Rose of Summer"
Then voice as soft as q summer evening breeze.
but carrying to the limits of that great hall,
began the beautiful strain with religious words.
The fiutter of dress and hum of conversation
died away as by word of command. The voice
rose strong and true and incomparably sweet,
while men and women leaned forward in breath
less interest. 1t may have been that some of the
charm was Que to the entirely unexpected per-
formance. perhaps 1t told the hearers something
haps the vibrations of that remarkable tone
struck responsive chords that had never been
swept before by the strange magic of plaintive
melody. We cannot describe the music that
moves us deeply, but the spectator who heard
that song can well believe that however great
the emotion stirred by that National Conven-
of the audience as did the song of that negro
girl, Eliza ]. L. Champ of Texas.
Mrs. Frances w. Graham, who was assisted BY
notes of two cornets, one played by daughter
of the North and one by a daughter of the
Miss Ruth Tonville of Alabama. The picture of
the two young women, side by side, blowing the
notes that had become rallying call for the
white ribbon hosts, was truly symbolic of the
daughters of both North and South, standing
shoulder to shoulder in the fight for prohibition.
The press dispatches published in some of our
daily papers announcing the defeat of the prohi-
bition constitutional amendment in Alabama
would lead many to believe that the State has
"gone wet" Alabama has statutory prohibition
of the most approved kind, and a difference of
opinion among the temperance forces as to the
desirability of asking for a constitutional amend
ment at this time is, in part, responsible for its
defeat. Three hundred thousand dollars is said
to have been the price paid by the allied brewing
interests of St Louis in their desperate battle
to stem the tide of prohibition in that State
The temperance forces have no cause to be dis
mayed-Alabama is still dry"
A pretty prelude to one of the business sessions
of the National Convention was the introduction
of two small children. who had travelled with
their mother from Chicago to Omaha on the w.
G. T. u. official train. They were Edith Sally
Hayes and Gurdon Fred. Hayes, descendants of
former President Rutherford B. Hayes. and in
response to q request that they tell the audience
why they belong to the Loyal Temperance
Legion, both responded "'Cause don't want
saloons"
With their motto: Educate, agitate, keep the
ball rolling,'' the young peoples branch of Tow
son w. @. T. q. viii hold the first of series of
meetings here in January The speaker of the
evening will be Rev. G. M. Levister, editor of
the Baltimore Methodist. who made such q
favorable impression at the Baltimore county
convention.