Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1911-04-20
CAPTAIN tIobson at Charles Town.

Last Saturday afternoon Captain Rich
mond Pearson Hobson, Member of Con-
gress from Alabama. delivered very
remarkable temperance address in Charles
ablest lecture OF its kind, we
are sure, that has ever been heard in this
county. The meeting was a great one.
The court house was filled TO its utmost
capacity with men and women OF the town
and county who are interested IN the
great question OF license or no license,
who listened with the deepest attention
TO the famous speaker. Capt. John /.
Colston, chairman of the No License
Committee, called the meeting to order
and introduced Rev. DR.. A. {. Hopkins,
pastor of the Presbyterian Church, who
took charge of the programme. This
venerable minister made brief address,
in which he referred to the TACT that IN
his residence of over forty years IN
Charles Town this was the first public
movement OF the sort that he had heartily
approyed. He endorsed this, though,
with all earnestneSS, for it is being con-
Quoted by men who can be trusted ana
he favored it in behalf OF the morals OF the
community and for the wives and chill
dren of the place. He said he was OPP
pused to Charles Town becoming the
dumping ground of those who came from
other places simply to get liquor. He
referred to the character OF the petitioners
who were putting this question up to the
County Court, and said that the earnest
men who were behind the movement
ought to prevail. DR.. Hopkins then in
troduced Captain Hobson in appropriate
terms.
When Captain Hobson arose he was
greeted with an ovation that has not Often
been duplicated hereabouts, and there
after every point made by the distln-
guished speaker was heartily applauded.
His address was entirely different from
the usual temperance lecture. 1t was a
scientific statement of facts and figures,
dealing almost entirely with the effects OF
alcohol upon the human system and the
results to the individual, the community
and the nation. He showed how alcohol
lessened the efficiency OF any man who
uses it, even if il be in the comparatively
mild form OF moderate beer drinking
how it weakens physically, intellectually
and spiritually how it inevitably pro-
duceS degeneracy and therefore national
decadence how it units man to resist
disease and adds more than 40 per cent
to the death list of the United States.
Captain HobSon not only presented with
irresistible force an argument that could
not be refuted-he was earnest and elo-
quent to degree that compelled the
highest admiration of the great audience.
The lecture was enjoyed as an intellec-
tual treat and we are sure did great good
morally. Captain Hobson is splendid
type of American citizen, and those who
met him and his charming wife were de-
lighted with them personally. They
were entertained while in Charles Town
by Mr.. and Mrs. William Campbell.
Sunday afternoon Captain HobSon de-
livered another splendid lecture to an
equally large audience in the courthouse.
He was introduced by Hon. George r.
Vending, the distinguished lecturer,
who said that he was in entire sympathy
with this movement and expressed his
belief that the county would be vastly
better off without the saloons.