The Idaho Republican., 1914-12-25
Entered at the ostoce at Backoo as second class matter
A GREAT UNDERTAKING CLOSED

The Womans Temple Chicago has failed The corpora
ton that built could make its payments keep up the
interest charges After years of struggle failed tor more
than half million the bonds and neeSt and twenty
thousand dollars rental for the ground stood 1t
womans work. the greatest undertaking of its kind and dis
tnct loss to the of reform.
The Temple fourteenstory building occupying quarter
of block or about 400 feet square the heart of Chicago
The of and steel and glass; and represented the
best there was fire proof construction at that time 1t
built by the of the world represented by the Worlds
Womans Christian Temperance Unon and probably had
stockholders and persons furnishing funds for it than any
other building ever erected The money gathered from around
the world but chiefly America and Europe by the Worlds
White Rbboners 1t built of white stone finished in
white far possible and the highest material expression
of cooperation philanthropy the close of the nineteenth
tury.
The Temple was completed just before the Worlds Fair at
Chicago in 1904 and was the pride of the of all nations
It contained the offices of the W. c. T. u of the world and OF
America and the w c. T. u organization throughout the world
stood sponsor for the payment of the bonds covering period OF
50 years for construction The of the enterprise de-
pended upon the loyalty of the temperance workers and the per-
manence of the work.
The great organization owed its existence to few leaders,
among whom Frances Willard foremost. Willard Hall, IN
The TEMPLE was the hov of hoies and doubtful if many
people ever think of The Temple without thinking of Frances
Willard When her life and the remains on their
way the old home in Illinois for burial, they lay In state
Willard Hail. and unnumbred thousands of the best people OF
the land filed by the bier weeping She called uncrowned
queen Of American democracy and her reign reign of
fne and love of humanity When she died great life went
out and in the W. c. T. u work great light had been exn
gushed
Ten years after The Temple completed in peary white
ness it was as black as all the of Chcagos buildings stand
ing as they do under pail of smoke and soot with rain and
snow and et beat upon them Within the present month the
last hope fell and foreclosure proceedings took the great edc
Not many business enterprises last half century Not many
phantrop undertakings sufficiently mbedded in human needs
to continue active the line for three generations and
it question whether the W. T. u has passed its zenith
and period of its greatest usefulness did the book Unce
Cabin when Fl Sumper fired upon In that case woman
mind directed the nations attention great wrong and 1t took
the best men of the land solve the problem In this other
the White Rbbones have directed the attention OF the world to
come Of tbe GREAT social and political ulcers and if the of
the land are graphing them hard enough complete the work
then may we not say that the mission of the W. C. u and its
great temple has been accomplished Perhaps after ALL The
Temple only garment be discarded when the climax had
been reached.