USA > Ohio > Memories of the crusade a thrilling account of the great uprising of the women of Ohio in 1873, against the liquor crime > Part 6
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I was one morning passing along Limestone street, intent on some duty connected with my work, which now absorbed all my time, when Mr. G. Harry Phillips, -brother of Phillip Phillips, the world-renowned singer, -who was standing in the door of his office, handed me a paper, saying, " Mother Stewart, I wish you could inaugurate that method of work in Springfield." I took the paper home and read a thrilling account of a lecture having been delivered in Fredonia, N. Y., by Dr. Dio Lewis, of Boston, on temperance, and the result. I shall never forget the last paragraph of this wonderful account, dated Tuesday morning, just as it went to press, saying,
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"The women are marching 127 strong." It thrilled me like the blast of a trumpet, and does yet whenever I recur to it. "Oh !" I said, "yes, I wish we could inaugurate such a move- ment in our city, but of course that would be impossible." The paper containing this account, with the issue of the next week, through the kindness of Mrs. E. McNeil,-"one of the few original Crusaders that have remained in active service up to the present time,"-accompanied by a very interesting letter, is before me. Says Mrs. McNeil :
Our first visiting of saloons was on Decem- ber 15, 1873. The previous week Dr. Dio Lewis came to this place to meet a lecture engagement, -his subject, "Our Girls." The Good Templars were then in ascendency here, and they were looking for a speaker for their quarterly meeting, which would be the next Monday evening. They urged Lewis to stay over for that meeting. He said he had nothing for temperance prepared, as he had given very little thought to the subject for some time. They still urged him to give an impromptu talk. He
said he had a lecture engagement for Jamestown on Monday evening, and then he was to go from there to Ohio. If they would have their meet- ing on Sunday evening he would stay and do the best he could Now, I will let the report as found in the Censor of December 17, 1873, tell you of that meeting.
This, and that of the next week are in the main correct, though a few explanations are neces- sary. . We went the rounds of the saloons and drug-stores until most of them locked us out ; they did not otherwise treat us ill.
I think we went the rounds five times, then
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the leader, Mrs. Judge Barker, (an Episcopal lady) proposed a change, to stop the visits and look after and provide for the suffering poor. The excitement did not wear out the following year; and with myself and a few others it has never worn out.
The reporter tells of the unlooked for enthu- siasm of that meeting, but he does not tell the cause. The Holy Spirit descended upon that au- dience, and its power, if not manifested in simi- lar manner, was felt as sensibly as on the day of Pentecost. I there received a baptism that has kept me to the work all these years. It was not Dio Lewis that so moved that audience, he was just as much surprised as any one,
You will see by the paper that the next Mon- day, the 22nd, we finished our permanent organ- ization, and we named it the "Woman's Christian Temperance Union." The reporter left out the word Christian, because many of the members were Good Templars and objected to that part of the name. This was the voice of the men who favored us, but the women always clung to the full name. Our weekly meetings have never been discontinued. Dear Mrs. M. A. Tremain made the first prayer in a saloon. She isnow in glory.
In one saloon we visited they had a large bil- liard table at one end, and some young men un- dertook to keep up the rolling during our relig- ious exercises, but during the prayer one of the ladies laid her hand on one of the balls. That evening one of the young men went to the leader and apologized ; and three years after another of those young men confessed that during that prayer he was convicted and never found peace until he gave himself to Christ. No liquor has been sold in our town for eight years.
The Fredonia Censor of December 17, 1873, with sensational headlines, tells of the large and
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enthusiastic meeting on Sunday evening, the 14th, addressed by Dr. Lewis, who gave his plan of visiting the saloons, which in his boyhood he had seen his mother and her neighbors prosecute with such remarkable success. Remarks of in- dorsement were made by a number of influential gentlemen and a call was made for the ladies who sympathized with the cause to rise up, and nearly every lady in the house stood up. A committee was appointed to take the names of fifty ladies to serve as a visiting committee, but many others were enrolled. Mrs. A. L. Benton, Mrs. L. Williams, Jr., Mrs. Dr. Fuller and Mrs. J. W. Armstrong were named as a committee to draft an appeal to the liquor dealers ; and a meeting was announced for Monday morning at 10 o'clock.
At the hour appointed there were three hundred men and women present, and the Committee ap- pointed for the purpose the previous evening submitted and the meeting accepted the follow- ing appeal :
In the name of God and humanity we make our appeal : Knowing, as we do, that the sale of liquor is the parent of every misery, prolific in all woe in this life and the next, potent alone in evil, blighting every fair hope, desolating families, the chief incentive to crime, these, the mothers, wives and daughters, rep- resenting the moral and religious sentiment of our town, to save the loved members of our households from the strong temptation of drink, from acquiring an appetite for it, and to rescue, if possible, those that already have acquired it, do earnestly request that you will pledge yourself to cease the traffic here in those drinks forthwith and forever. We will also add the hope that you will abolish your gambling tables.
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After a season of prayer and consultation, the ladies withdrew to the rooms below to arrange the details of their march, the brethren continuing in prayer and conference. During the deliberations it was suggested that they not only pledge their moral support to the ladies, but a money support also, and a long list of names is given, each sub- scribing $1,000. Mass-meetings were arranged for every Sunday evening, and prayer-meetings for every night through the week.
About half-past twelve, over one hundred ladies marched forth on their mission, led by Mrs. Judge Barker and Mrs. Rev. L. Williams. Little did they know that they were setting in motion chords that would ere long vibrate around the world, touch the hearts of the Christian people and awaken an interest in the cause of temper- ance such as had not before been known.
The paper of the following week reports the progress of the work and permanent organization of the Union, with the following pledge :
We, the undersigned women of Fredonia, feeling that God has laid upon us a work to do in the cause of temperance, do hereby pledge ourselves to united and continuous effort to suppress the traffic in intoxi- cating liquors in our village until this work be accom- plished ; and that we will stand ready for united effort upon any renewal of the traffic. We will also do what we can to alleviate the woe of the drunkard's family, and to rescue from drunkenness those who are pur- suing its ways.
This society shall be known as The Woman's Temperance Union of Fredonia.
To this pledge is appended the names of 142 married and 63 single ladies, with the following
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officers : President, Mrs. Geo. Barker; Vice President, Mrs. Dr. Barker ; Secretary, Mrs. L. A. Barmore; Treasurer, Mrs. L. L. Riggs, with a large Board of Directors.
This paper also reports the organization of the ladies of Jamestown, after a lecture of Dio Lewis on Tuesday evening, and their visiting the saloons on Wednesday the 17th. Sixty-two ladies formed this band, but more were added each day. They called their association "The Ladies' Tem- perance Society, auxilliary to the Jamestown Total Abstinence Society." Mrs. A. Hazeltine was made President ; Mrs. W. S. Carnahan, Secre- tary ; Miss Jennie Barrows, Treasurer.
The ladies of Jamestown did not follow up this form of work very long, but, as their sisters of Fredonia, they received an inspiration that pre- pared them for effective work in the great white ribbon army of to-day.
Only a few days after these stirring events in Fredonia and Jamestown, the whole country was thrilled by the report of the uprising of the women of Hillsboro, Washington C. H., Wil- mington, Morrow, New Vienna, and ere long hundreds of other places. Where did it stop ? Will it ever? Nay, not till the liquor curse shall have been swept from off the face of the earth ; and nevermore shall be heard in all the green earth the wail of the Rachels because of their children slain by this Herod of the nineteenth century.
The church had not kept up to the apostolic
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standard of piety, faith and aggressive work. In- fidelity as to the power of faith, the visible answer to prayer, had formed a lodgment in the church. And no wonder! A mighty force in the church, the greater part numerically and spirit- ually, was virtually neutralized by the false inter- pretation and teaching of Paul's injunction, "Let your women keep silence in the churches." Added to this, the worldly-mindedness, the strife after wealth and place of so many influential leaders in all the churches, what wonder that the enemy took advantage of it, and taunted us with our lack of power, and our failure to make headway against the increasing power of sin, and our ina- bility to bring the world to Christ !
What wonder that infidels were growing more bold and defiant ! It was a natural consequence that one, wise in his own imagination, should stand forth and defy the people of God, saying, " Give us a prayer-gauge. If your God hears and answers prayer, give us a test, and we will believe you." God's people seemed to be dumb- founded. They did know ; they held the witness deep in their hearts that God is a prayer-hear- ing and a prayer-answering God. But how to answer this scoffing Philistine they knew not. Behold you! God, our God, from out the Throne of His ineffable glory, answered, "I do, I will hear and answer the cries of my people." "And to prove it beyond a peradventure, and for all generations to come, I will call forth my weakest instruments, my hand-maidens, and set
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them in battle array against the most powerful enemy of mankind, before whom strong men in Church and State cower in the dust. And it shall be unto them according to their faith. I will give the enemy into their hand." "They that trust in me shall never be confounded."
Lo! on every street in all the land were seen frail, timid women, marching with bowed heads and silent lips, but abounding joy in their hearts, carrying the word of life into the dark lurking places of sin and crime. There pleading with sinners and offering pardon in the name of Jesus to the vilest ; there kneeling and crying to God on their behalf; and He, as in the olden time, He heard and answered when His people cried to Him, did hear and did an- swer, and the enemy fell before them as the leaves of autumn before the wind. The world was aroused; the infidel was answered; and the end is not yet. Our God is marching on. "The Lord giveth the word; the women that publish the tidings are a great host."
CHAPTER V.
The Uprising at Hillsboro and Washington C. H.
R. LEWIS delivered his lecture on "Our Girls," at Hillsboro, Ohio, December 22d, 1873. At the close of his address he announced that he would speak to as many as would come to hear him, on the following night, on temperance; and gave some hints of a plan which he would explain and recommend, for a campaign in the interest of society. The follow- ing evening, December 23, the Doctor gave his lecture and his plan to a large and enthusiastic audience. He maintained that the people of Hillsboro could close the dramshops in their town if the women only had the energy, persistence and true Christian spirit. So forcibly did he present the subject that a motion to put the new idea into execution was carried by a rising vote.
It was his custom to call secretaries to the stand and have the audience furnish the names of ladies of standing and respectability, who, it was presumed, would be willing to enter into the movement, even though they might not at the time be at the meeting. In a very short time
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the names of seventy-five ladies were enrolled, and a committee of three ladies, Mrs. E. J. Thompson, Mrs. P. J. Evans and Mrs. E. L. Grand Girard, was appointed to write an appeal to be read to the liquor dealers by the commit- tee of visitation. At the next morning's meeting the ladies put their names to the following com- pact :
" We, the ladies whose names are hereto appended, agree and resolve with God's help we will stand by each other in this work, and persevere therein until it is accomplished, and see to it, as far as our influence goes, that the traffic shall never be revived."
Seventy-five men at this meeting gave their names as moral and pecuniary support or back- ing to the women. For the rest we will let Mrs. Thompson, the leader, tell her own story, as she does for Mrs. Bolton's contribution in the Cen- tennial Temperance volume. She says:
I was not present at the lecture, but prepared, as those who watch for the morning ; for the first gray light upon this dark night of sorrow.
Few comments were made in our house upon the new line of policy till after breakfast the next morn- ing, when, just as we gathered around the hearth-stone, my daughter Mary said very gently, "Mother, will you go to the meeting this morning ?" Hesitatingly I replied, " I don't know yet what I shall do." My husband, fully appreciating the responsibility of the moment, said, " Children, let us leave your mother alone; for you know where she goes with all vexed questions ; " and pointing to the old family Bible, left the room. The awful responsibility of the step that I must needs next take was wonderfully relieved by thought of the " cloudy pillar" and "parted waters"
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of the past; hence with confidence I was about turning my eyes of faith "up to the hills" from whence had come my help, when in response to a gentle tap at my door, I met my dear Mary, who with her Bible in hand and tearful eyes, said, "Mother, I opened to the 146th Psalm, and I believe it is for you." She withdrew, and I sat down to read the wonderful message from God. As I read what I had so often read before, the Spirit so strongly " took of the things of God," and showed me new meanings. I no longer hesitated, but in the strength thus imparted started to the scene of action. Upon entering the Church I was startled to find myself chosen their leader. The old Bible was taken down from the desk and the 146th Psalm read. Mrs. General McDowell, by request, led in prayer, and although she had never before heard her own voice in public prayer, on this occasion the " tongue of fire" sat upon her, and all were deeply affected. Mrs. Cowden, our Methodist minister's wife, was then requested to sing to a familiar air,
"Give to the winds thy fears, Hope, and be undismayed ; God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears, He will lift up thy head."
While thus engaged, the women (seventy five in number) fell into line, two and two, and proceeded first to the drug-stores, and then to the hotels and saloons. On the first visit to the drug-stores, two signed the pledge the ladies had prepared for drug- gists. But one of the druggists, a Dr. Dunn, made a show of stubborn resistance ; and at length brought suit against the ladies for " trespassing and obstruct- ing his business."
While the women here and elsewhere proposed to follow their plan strictly of simple appeal, prayer and song, supposing that against such warfare there could be no law, they very soon learned their mistake, and in spite of themselves found they were liable to be arraigned before the
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courts to answer to the charge of interfering with the legitimate business of making drunkards and destroying homes. And the further they went, the more complex and inexplicable they found the laws pertaining to the liquor question. And to their great astonishment they found, too, that they were largely in the interest of the nefarious business.
The reporter of the Cincinnati Gazette writes as follows of the scene and its effect on the spec- tators, upon the moving out of the first band :
On Christmas morning, all preliminaries being arranged, one hundred and fifteen women, (this according to Mrs. Thompson is inaccurate), filed out of the church, formed a procession and marched to the drug-stores. They went with trembling limbs and anxious hearts. It was to them a strange expe- rience, a new idea. It seemed subversive of all recognized rules of womanly conduct. The thought of going into the low part of the town and entering one of those vile dens which respectable people abhorred at a distance; of kneeling in sawdust and filth, and pleading with bloated and beery saloon- keepers, was overwhelming to their finer sensibilities and shocking to their modesty. They shrank from the task half in doubt and half in fear. But, again, they thought of the drunkards that were reeling home from the saloon every night-perhaps into their families-and of the temptations that were lying in wait for their children in the future. Their misgiv- ings left them, and personal considerations no longer had any weight.
It was not long till the man Dunn closed his door on them, and they, no ways daunted, went on with their prayers and songs in the street, kneeling, as a reporter of the scene says, "in the snow." Finally, taking a hint from the ladies
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of Washington Court House, they decided to have a tabernacle erected in front of the drug- store. In a few hours the enthusiastic brethren who were aiding and abetting these good ladies had a tabernacle ready, and the women took pos- session and went on with their glorious work. But their man was not to be circumvented so easily. A lawyer was called to his aid, and the ladies were arraigned for interfering with his lawful (?) business. A court trial followed, the case was argued at length, pro and con. The temporary injunction was dissolved on some tech- nicality. The case was next appealed to the District Court, but nothing finally came of it, I believe.
I happen to find among my papers a copy of the Fayette County Herald, a weekly paper pub- lished in Washington C. H., being the next issue after the women started their work there. The headlines are duly sensational.
" THE BALL OPENED !
"A DETACHMENT OF WOMEN MARCHING THE STREETS OF WASHINGTON !
" PRAYER AND SINGING IN THE SALOONS !
"A PRAYER MEETING SEVEN HOURS LONG, ETC ! " LIQUOR EMPTIED INTO THE STREETS!"
After giving an account of Dr. Lewis' lecture and the proceedings of the meeting, similar to that at Hillsboro, the report proceeds :
On motion of Dr. Lewis, a committee of ladies was appointed to draw up an appeal to our citizens engaged in the liquor business. The Chair appointed
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Mrs. George Carpenter, Mrs. A. C. Hurst, Mrs. E. A. Pine, to serve on this committee; Mrs. R. Ogle was then added to this committee of appeal.
The Chairman of this committee, Mrs. M. J. Car- penter, who drafted the appeal, is a daughter of one of Ohio's most famous pioneer Methodist preachers, Rev. James Gilruth, a man noted for great courage and energy, as well as flaming oratory. No doubtto these inherited traits of character was due the indomitable energy and zeal that so fitted her for a leader, and resulted in giving to Washington the honor of being the first town that closed out the saloons in the Crusade.
Closing appeals of stirring power were made by Dr. Lewis and Rev. A. C. Hurst, and after a vote of thanks to Dr. Lewis for his work among us, the meet- ing adjourned to meet in the Methodist Church and hear the report of the committee appointed.
The meeting Thursday evening was one of deep interest and feeling. After prayer and singing, the committee on appeal presented the following for adoption :
APPEAL.
" Knowing as you do, the fearful effects of intoxicat- ing drinks, we, the women of Washington, after earnest prayer and deliberation, have decided to appeal to you to desist from this ruinous traffic, that our husbands and sons be no longer exposed to this terrible temptation, and that we may no longer see them led into those paths that go down to ruin, and bring both soul and body to destruction.
" We appeal to the better instincts of your hearts in the name of desolated homes, blasted hopes, ruined lives, widowed hearts; for the honor of our commu- nity ; for our prosperity ; for our happiness; for our good name as a town; in the name of God, who will judge you, as well as ourselves; for the sake of your souls, which are to be saved or lost, we beg, we implore you to cleanse yourselves from this heinous sin, and place yourselves in the ranks of those who are striving to elevate and ennoble themselves and their fellow-men ; and to this we ask you to pledge yourselves."
After twice reading, the appeal was adopted, and
(7)
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many prayers and earnest words uttered, and the meeting adjourned to meet Friday morning in the M. E. Church, at 9:30 o'clock, December 26th, 1873.
Meeting met pursuant to adjournment, in the M. E. Church.
Services opened by singing and prayer, and reading of the Scriptures. One hundred copies of the appeal to be presented to the dealers in intoxicating drinks were ordered printed and circulated throughout the community. Mr. John S. Foster and Mr. Allen Hegler were appointed to attend to the business.
After a call for volunteers, and responses by many additional names, Mrs. J. L. Van Deman and Mrs. D. McLean were appointed to lead the procession, and Mrs. George Carpenter was appointed Captain and reader of the appeal. Mrs. A. E. Pine was elected to lead the singing.
Now came the most interesting movement of this meeting. More than forty of our best women in the community were to go forth on their errand of mercy. There was much trembling of heart, much taking hold of God, much crying and supplication in prayer. Such a scene was never witnessed in Washington.
Down the central aisle of the church marched these women to their work, while the brethren con- tinued in prayer to Almighty God, that he would be with these people as they go from place to place with Christian song and prayer, to appeal face to face in their various places of business, to those men who are at work selling liquor.
At one place they were met with a "God bless you, ladies," and an immediate signing of the appeal.
'Thirteen places in all were visited, with the proprie- tors of which the following exercises were held:
I. Singing; 2. Prayer; 3. Singing; 4. Prayer; 5. Reading of appeal; 6. Promise to call again.
The novel procession created the wildest excite- ment on the streets, and was the subject of conver- sation to the exclusion of all other subjects.
The work of the ladies was thoroughly done. Not a den escaped. Into the front door, filling the front room and back room too. Prayer, followed by Bible arguments in answer to the excuses of men. Down into the cellar, everywhere they go with the same
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eloquent plea : "We pray you, stop this ; we mean you no harm, we beg you to desist." In tears the mothers, wives and sisters plead their cause till late in the afternoon. The result seemed to be meagre for the first day's work, but to every stubborn will was kindly given the promise, " We will call again to-morrow." At one place the front door was locked, but afterwards opened and an entrance gained.
At the evening meeting in the Presbyterian Church, a report in detail was given by the Secretary of the ladies, Miss T. M. Ustic, and with much prayer and singing, a meeting was appointed for Saturday morn- ing in the Presbyterian Church.
Saturday morning, though a very inclement one and one unusually busy to most women with families, a large number of ladies met in the Presbyterian Church, and after some consultation it was decided to prepare two pledges, one to be presented to the druggists and the other to the dram-sellers. After much earnest consecration to the work, began one of the most remarkable days ever seen in the town. It was agreed that the brethren would stay in the Church and pray for God's blessing on the ladies, so iong as they were on their mission ; and that they might know that we were at work, the great bell at the church tolled out at the close of every prayer. This prayer- meeting continued for seven hours.
Saturday evening a meeting was held at the M. E. Church, and stirring addresses were made, and a grand union meeting of all the churches arranged for Sabbath-day.
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