The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-09-28
w. c. T. '. OBSERVES THE
 BIRTHDAY OF MISS WILLARD

1 Probably half a million women, l sea ttered throughout some fifty na- tions, will wear white ribbon badges today in honor of the memory of founders and long the president of the Woman's Christian Temperance Un- ion. The most eminent of feminine temperance reformers was born at Churchville, near Rochester N Y., tseventy-three years. ago today, and was educated at Oberlin College and at Northwestern Female College at
 Evanston, ILL, of which she later be- came president. When the National Christian Temperance Union twas or ganized1 in 1874 she became it's secre-
 ident office which she held until her death. The Worlds w. c. T. U.
 was organized through her influence
 in 1883. Miss Willard became it's
 president, and in 1892 she visited Eng
 land as the guest of Lady Henry
 Somerset. Both as orator and writer 'quence; human ond force. Tn her lat
 ter years she came to believe that
 poverty was largely responsible for in
 temperance, and advocated remedial
 measures akin to Socialism.
 Rest Cottage, at Evanston, H., was
 the home of Miss Willard through all her mature life, and is now owned by
 Union. The eight rooms of the
 house constitute the American head quarters Of the movement Among
 
 reer to be viewed by the visitor are tea set presented to her by John B. Cough, cup and saucer once owned by John Wesley, and an immense VOL tune filled with letters from English celebrities, presented to Miss Willard on the occasion of her visit to London Miss wilIa1d's "den'' is as she left It: filled with books and souvenirs of all kinds. Miss Willard died at the Elm pire Hotel, in New York, but the prop rietor presented to the. W: c. T. U- all | 4T.k. f1zr +kzf in he where she fJreathed her last, on Feb. ts, 1898, and it was installed in Rest Cottage. By the side of a dainty white bed stands the rocker in which she last sat and on the able lie her Bible and Testament both tied with the white ribbon that is the emblem of the cause to which she devoted her life. Thousands of people inscribe. their names in the guest book at Rest Cot tage each year, and the place has be- come the Mecca of the temperance
 Missouri Territory was formed in 1872, and the centennial will be cele- brated at the Missouri State Fair, op- ening to-day in Sedalia- Missouris history begins with the visit of De Soto. in 1541 -.~s Two centuries ago this month Missouri was granted to An thony Crozat for the exclusive priv ilege of the commerce, of Louisiana for fifteen years by Louis XIV of France. The early settlers were principally lead miners and fur traders. In 176s Spanish troops took possession of St Louis. Later the French resumed ali- tlority and in 1904 Missouri was sold to the United States part of the Louisiana purchase. For a year Mis- souri was under the government of Indiana Territory, but in 1895 it was organized into the Territory. of Louis jana. In 1872 the Territory of Missou- ri was formed, and the first general assembly met in St. Louis in Decem- Der of that year In 1S19 Arkansas Territory was set off from Missouri. and in the following year Missouri was admitted into the Union as