Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1917-05-01
Methodist Church is Filled to Hear
Miss Margaret Wintringer
Lecture on Warning
Europe.
FROM TEMPERANCE STANDPOINT
Speaker Gives First Hand Inform.
alton, Having Visited Euro.
peal Countries.

pCNU OUuUtAACbs
The M. q. church was crowded Sun
day evening with expectant audience
to hear Miss Margaret Wintringer's
/. address on warning Europe from q
temperance standpoint, given under
the auspices of the local w. C. T. U.
and nobody was disappointed, as the
lecture was an intensely interesting
one. Mrs. ], c. Robson, president
of the union, presided at the gather
ing. The meeting was opened by the
singing OF America. Rev. C. V.
Pence read the scripture lesson and
Rev. j. M. Herbst delivered the in
vocation. The mems chorus of the
Methodist church also sang selec-
tion during the opening of the meet
ing.
Miss Wintringer has large cOllec-
tion of war posters secured in Europe
and these were on display in sight
of the audience. They were hung
upon the edge of the church balcony.
Some Of these posters. read, Drink
enfeebles the workmen,' "Alcohol
leads to the court martial" Drink,
greater enemy of England than
Germany and Austria" etc, These
posters have been put up in public
places throughout many towns of
Europe and have a great effect in
yEtafizing public sentiment aEainst
the liquor trafic.
"a Miss Wintringer went to Europe
as q representative OF The Sunday
School Times and other American
periodicals and the information she
gives about the warning countries Is
first hand. She thinks the war would
have been ended some time ago but
for the drink evil. Drink has SO in
terfered with the turning out of nec-
essary munitions and war craft for
the armies that the struggle has been
prolonged. She cited the case of how
many days it takes to make certain
boats in the ship-building plants and
she had it from the men at the head
of these plants that the time for turn
ing them out had to be extended for
many days for each craft on account
of the drink evil among the work
men. The terrible strain of war and
the work necessary to be done by the
women in the munition and other
factories has led to much drinking
among the women, so much SO in
fact. that many or them have sacri-
feed their womenhood and prostitu-
tion has increased amazingly-all
because of the demon drink. No
country can daily with the drink
evil and not pay the price.
Miss Wintringer said many of the
terrible woes brought upon Belgium
were the direct cause of drink. Bel
gium was full Of wine rooms and
during the first several weeks of the
war the kaiser's soldiers were very
temperate. were free from drink.
When they invaded Belgium, the
many wine cellars and wine rooms in
that country were too great temp
tation to them and an efficient, sober
army was transformed into more
or less drunken mob. lndescribable
destruction, the violation of women,
and other horrifying conditions pre-
vailed. Belgium had clasped the vi
per drink to her bosom-and she
paid the price. Almost the same con-
ditions obtained in northern France,
the speaker declared.
Russia is the only country among
the warning nations which has profit
ed by forbidding the manufacture and
sale of liquor. Miss Wintringer told
the story of Russian official who
was opposed to prohibiting the liquor
traffic. To convince a friend from
away that prohibition did not pro-
hibit." even by government edict, the
official promised to send his friend
bottle of drink from Petrograd. The
official searched for liquor for three
weeks throughout Petrograd. finally
giving it up, but at last found a bot
tie of liquor ia suburb outside the
capital city. 1t is needless to add
that the Russian Official made up his
mind that prohibition did practical
ly prohibit,
Miss Wintringer hopes the United