la W. C T. U. |8834907 By Mrs* J* Ansley^ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2017 with funding from Duke University Libraries https ;//archive.org/details/historyofgeorgia01 ansi MRS. J. J. ANSLEY, THE AUTHOR. HISTORY of the GEORGIA WOMAN’S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION FROM ITS ORGANIZATION. 1883 to 1907. BY MRS. J. J. ANSLEY, WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY MISS M. THERESA GRIFFIN. Recording Secretary of the Georgia W. C. T. U. CONTAINING THE NAMES OF MEMBERS OF THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WHO VOTED FOR THE PROHIBI- TORY LAW AND OF THE GOVERNOR WHO SIGNED THE BILL. ALSO ILLUSTRATED WITH A NUMBER OF PORTRAITS OF NOTED TEMPERANCE MEN AND WOMEN. Copyright, 1914, By The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union of Georgia, All Rights Reserved. GILBERT PRINTING CO., COLUMBUS, GA. 1914 . ! 7 « '^'i-rZQr TO THE GOVERNOR. THE HON. HOKE SMITH, AND THOSE MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE WHO PLACED UPON THE STATUTE BOOKS OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA A PROHIBITORY LAW, JULY 30th, I90T, THIS VOLUME IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY THE GEORGIA WOMAN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION. 22-1058 ‘Truth iinweaponed conquers every wrong.” 6 ^ 058 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE WHO VOTED FOR THE PRO- HIBITION BILL 12 INTRODUCTION 15 CHAPTER I. EARLY PROHIBITION IN GEORGIA— ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT PRECEDING THE WO- MAN’S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION - - - - 19 CHAPTER II. ORIGIN OF THE WOMAN’S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION— “MOTHER STEWART” INVITED BY GOOD TEMPLARS ORGANIZES THE FIRST UNION IN ATLANTA, 1881— LOCAL OPTION PETITIONS — FRANCES WILLARD COMES — LOCAL OPTION BILL DEFEATED IN JULY, 1881 35 CHAPTER III. GOD’S CALL TO WOMEN-STATE ORGANIZATION— FIRST CON- VENTION MEETS IN ATLANTA, JANUARY IITH, 1883, MRS. WILLIAM C. SIBLEY, PRESIDENT— FRANCES E. WILLARD AND MRS. SALLIE F. CHAPIN ARE THE SPEAKERS— LOCAL OPTION PETITIONS CONTINUE BUT BILL DEFEATED A SECOND TIME-SECOND GEORGIA W. C. T. U. CONVENTION AT AUGUSTA IN 1884 - - 51 CHAPTER IV. SEED SOWING THROUGH DEPARTMENTS — TRAINING THE CHILDREN— PRISON WORK-WITH THE COLORED PEOPLE- THIRD CONVENTION IN COLUMBUS IN 1886-MRS. SALLIE F. CHAPIN’S ELOQUENCE — WORK OF THE W. C. T. U. IN COUNTY ELECTIONS FROM 1883 TO 1886 — HOW FULTON COUNTY WENT DRY - 68 CHAPTER V. PASSAGE OF THE GENERAL LOCAL OPTION BILL JULY 28TH, 1885 — COUNTY VICTORIES -SCIENTIFIC TEMPERANCE IN- STRUCTION BILL DEFEATED — FOURTH CONVENTION IN MAY, 1886, AT MACON A GREAT SUCCESS— SECOND AT- TEMPT TO PASS SCIENTIFIC TEMPERANCE INSTRUCTION LAW DEFEATED -1887 CONVENTION HELD IN MASONIC TEMPLE, SAVANNAH— AFTER TWO YEARS PROHIBITION ATLANTA WENT WET— HENRY GRADY’S GREAT SPEECHES 90 viii Table of Contents. CHAPTER VI. Page MRS. W. H. FELTON, A WHITE RIBBON ORATOR OF PIONEER DAYS— ORIGINATED AND WROTE W. C. T. U. MEMORIAL AGAINST CONVICT LEASE IN 1886 — MADE PROHIBITION SPEECHES THROUGHOUT GEORGIA— SPOKE AGAINST THE INTERNAL REVENUE SYSTEM— HER GREAT SPEECH AT MADISON HELPED TO CARRY MORGAN COUNTY DRY - 104 CHAPTER VII. CONVENTION OF 1888 AT BAPTIST CHURCH, ATLANTA— MRS. CHAPIN, HON. WALTER B. HILL, MRS. FELTON THE SPEAKERS — CONVENTION IN 1889 AT AUGUSTA — MOVE- MENT LED BY MRS. M. L. McLENDON FOR STATE INDUS- TRIAL COLLEGE FOR GIRLS — HIGH LICENSE POLICY CHECKS INCREASE OF PROHIBITION COUNTIES— 1890 CON- VENTION AT ROME-MRS. FELTON, MRS. McLENDON, HON. SEABORN WRIGHT THE SPEAKERS 113 CHAPTER VIII. INVITED BY THE STATE LEGISLATURE THE NATIONAL W. C. T. U. COMES TO ATLANTA, NOVEMBER, 1890— FRANCES WILLARD, ANNA GORDON, ELIZABETH GREENWOOD AMONG THE SPEAKERS— MARY H. HUNT, MARY T. LATH- ROP AND CLARA C. HOFFMAN ADDRESS THE LEGIS- LATURE-GREAT IMPETUS GIVEN BY NATIONAL CON- VENTION 124 CHAPTER IX. STATE CONVENTION AT THOMASVILLE, 1891— MRS. MARY T. LA- THROP THE SPEAKER-CONVENTION AT MILLEDGEVILLE, 1892— MRS. SALLIE F. CHAPIN AND MRS. FELTON SPEAK- FIVE PROHIBITION COUNTIES ADDED— DISPENSARY ES- TABLISHED IN ATHENS— S. T. I. LAW DEFEATED THE THIRD TIME IN LEGISLATURE-CONVENTION IN 1893 AT MACON— OPPOSITION OP LEADING BAPTIST MINISTERS— NORTH GEORGIA M. E. CONFERENCE REFUSES ENDORSE- MENT— MRS. WILLIAM C. SIBLEY, MRS. W. H. FELTON, AND MRS. LELLA A. DILLARD DEFEND THE W. C. T. U.- WOMAN SUFFRAGE CONTROVERSY SET AT REST - - - - 134 Table of Contents. CHAPTER X. CONVENTION AT ROME, 1894— RESULTS OP MINISTERIAL OPPO- SITION-GREAT PETITION PRESENTED TO LEGISLATURE FOR S. T. I. BILL WITHOUT SUCCESS— CONVENTION AT SA- VANNAH 1896 SMALL BUT DETERMINED— SPEAKERS, MISS KEARNEY, MRS. JENNIE HART SIBLEY, MRS. MARY McGHEE SNELL — CONVENTION OP 1896 AT BRUNSWICK — MISS KEARNEY SPEAKS GRANDLY— LECTURE BUREAU ESTAB- LISHED-LECTURES AT COTTON STATES EXPOSITION IN ATLANTA BY FRANCES B. BEAUCHAMP, KATHERINE LENT STEVENSON, HELEN M. BARKER— DEATH OF MRS. SAL- LIE P. CHAPIN, THE “GREATHEART” OF THE W. C. T. U. CHAPTER XI. THE CHAPIN MONUMENT— HOW OBTAINED— FRANCES WIL- LARD’S TRIBUTE-WHAT MRS. CHAPIN DID FOR A GEORGIA VILLAGE CHAPTER XII. MRS. L. M. N. STEVENS AT STATE CONVENTION, SANDERS VILLE, 1897 — URGES TEMPERANCE EDUCATION — MRS. FELTON, MRS. JENNIE HART SIBLEY, AND MRS. J. J. THOMAS COMMITTEE TO WORK FOR S. T. I. BILL— INDIGNATION AT ITS CONTINUED DEFEAT IN THE LEGISLATURE— PAS- SING OF FRANCES E. WILLARD, FEBRUARY 19TH, 1898— MEMORIAL SERVICE AT CONVENTION IN ATLANTA, JUNE 14TH— ADOPTION OF FRANCHISE DEPARTMENT DISCUSSED AND DEFEATED CHAPTER XIII. CLOUDS AGAIN LOWER— MANY UNIONS DISBAND— NO CON- VENTION IN 1899— CONVENTION AT AUGUSTA, 1900-ONLY EIGHT UNIONS REPRESENTED— MRS. WILLIAiM C. SIBLEY RESIGNS— HER PARTING MESSAGE— MRS. JENNIE HART SIBLEY ELECTED PRESIDENT- HER HIGH QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE OFFICE CHAPTER XIV. A VIGOROUS NEW ADMINISTRATION — BARNESVILLE CON- VENTION, 1901— MRS. STEVENS AND MISS GORDON PRESENT- PASSAGE OF SCIENTIFIC TEMPERANCE INSTRUCTION BILL DECEMBER, 1901— INTERESTING CELEBRATION IN BOSTON AT THE HOME OF MRS. MARY H. HUNT, NATIONAL SUPER- INTENDENT S. T. I. X Table of Contents. CHAPTER XV. Page TWO CONVENTIONS IN 1902, MILLEDGEVILLE IN MAY AND THOMSON IN OCTOBER— VETO OF DISPENSARY BILL— GOV- ERNOR CANDLER FIRST HONORARY MEMBER— MRS. AR- MOR ENTERED THE WORK, GRIFFIN CONVENTION, 1903— EASTMAN CONVENTION, 1904, MRS. S. M. D. FRY, SPEAKER, GEORGIA BULLETIN ESTABLISHED-MRS. SIBLEY RESIGNS AND MRS. ARMOR ELECTED AT AMERICUS, 1906-MRS. NELL G. BURGER SPEAKER— RECORD BREAKING CONVENTION AT Lagrange in 1906 — new charter secured - - 199 CHAPTER XVI. DEPARTMENT WORK UNDER MRS. ARMOR’S ADMINISTRA- TION— ITS DIRECT AND INDIRECT INFLUENCE UPON PROHIBITION 210 CHAPTER XVII. MRS. ARMOR’S INTENSIVE METHODS— HER BRILLIANT CAM- PAIGNING— W. C. T. U. BULLETIN AS A WEAPON IN THE BATTLE 216 CHAPTER XVIII. STRENUOUS ACTIVITY— MRS. ARMOR’S CAMPAIGN WORK CON- TINUED-UNION OF FORCES WITH ANTI-SALOON LEAGUE- AUTHORS OF THE PROHIBITION BILL .... 223 CHAPTER XIX. SCENES IN ATLANTA IN 1907— PROHIBITION RALLIES-SUNRISE PRAYER MEETING— CROWDS AT THE CAPITOL— WHITE RIBBONERS CALM IN THE MIDST OF STORM - - 228 CHAPTER XX. THE WORK OF WHITE RIBBONERS AT THE CAPITOL-FILI- BUSTERING BY ANTI-PROHIBITIONISTS— FINAL VICTORY. 234 CHAPTER XXI. THE JUBILEE CONVENTION AT COLUMBUS, OCTOBER, 1907— MRS. STEVENS, MISS GORDON, MISS RHENA E. G. MOSHER PRESENT— NATIONAL CONVENTION AT NASHVILLE, NO- VEMBER, 1907— MRS. ARMOR’S GRE.YT SPEECH, “HOW GEOR- GIA WENT DRY’’— HER EIGHT THOUSAND DOLLAR COL- LECTION 241 APPENDIX 253 LIST OP ILLUSTRATIONS. MRS. J. J. ANSLEY, THE AUTHOR. JAMES EDWARD OGLETHORPE, FOUNDER OF COLONY OF GEOR- GIA, 1733. REV. SAM P. JONES, THE FEARLESS APOSTLE OF WORLD-WIDE PROHIBITION. MISS MISSOURI H. STOKES. MRS. E. C. WITTER. RESIDENCE OF MRS. WILLIAM C. SIBLEY AT AUGUSTA. MRS. WILLIAM C. SIBLEY, FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE GEORGIA W. C. T. U. MRS. JOHN S. MOORE AND MRS. M. S. A. WEBB. MRS. MARY L. MCLENDON. MRS. WILLIAM H. FELTON. HON. SEABORN WRIGHT, LEADER OF THE PROHIBITION PARTY. MRS. LELLA A. DILLARD. MRS. JENNIE HART SIBLEY, SECOND PRESIDENT. AUTOGRAPH LETTER OF FRANCES WILLARD. MRS. THOMAS E. PATTERSON, FOURTH PRESIDENT. MRS. CHESTERFIELD H. SMITH. MRS. MARY HARRIS ARMOR, THIRD PRESIDENT. PROHIBITION MAP OF GEORGIA IN 1906. MR. FRED L. SEELY, EDITOR OF “THE GEORGIAN”, THE ONLY DAILY PAPER IN GEORGIA TO ESPOUSE THE CAUSE OF STATE- WIDE PROHIBITION. HON. WILLIAM J. NEEL. HON. L. G. HARDMAN, JOINT AUTHOR OF THE PROHIBITION BILL. HON. WILLIAM A. COVINGTON. JOINT AUTHOR OP THE PROHIBI- TION BILL. MEMBERS OP THE LEGISLATURE WHO VOTED FOR THE PROHIBITION BILL. SENATORS: NAME DISTRICT NAME DISTRICT John W. Akin Forty-second C. I. Hudson Twenty-fifth E. Winn Born J. W. Boyd Thirty-fourth Thirty-second J. W. Hughes J. P. Knight Second Sixth C. W. Brantley ,. . Sixteenth A. E. Lashley Fortieth J. S. Bush Eighteenth W. C. Martin Forty-third Benjamin Camp Thirtv-first E. K. Overstreet Seventeenth J. S. Cowart H. A. Crittenden Ninth Eleventh Z. V. Peacock Fourteenth George W. Deen ... Fifth J. R. Stapleton E. T. Steed Twelfth Thirty-seventh E. P. Dorrs Thirty-flfth W. L. Sikes Tenth Ira E. Farmer .Twenty-ninth J. W. Taylor Thirty-sixth Marion L. Felts Nineteenth C. H. Turner Twenty-seventh L. G. Hardman Thirty-third William Walden , Eighteenth P. M. Hawes Thirtieth W. F. Walker Thirty-eighth J. E. Hayes Thirteenth J. L. Weaver Forty-first •T. A..T. Henderson Fifteenth H. W. Whaley Third Lewis a. Henderson ..Thirty-ninth J. A. Wilkes Seventh J. D. Howard Twentieth 0,. L. Williford Twenty-eighth REPRESENTATIVES: NAME COUNTY W. B. Adams... Elbert T. A. Adkins .Dooly Hooper Alexander DeKalb J. D. Anderson Cobb NAME COUNTY C. R. Ashley.. DoM-ndes Paul M. Atkinson Morgan J. R. .Atwater Upson J. W. Austin Murray Georgia W. C. T. U. 13 NAME COUNTY F. D. Ballard Newton Fermor Barrett... kStephens Andrew E. Bond Forsyth E. P. Bowen Tift Joseph D. Boyd Spalding W. F. Brown Carroll Paul Brown Oglethorpe W. A. Buchannon , , Early W. T. Burkhalter . Tattnall William Butt Fannin W. H. Burwell Hancock O. Calbeck Gordon J. P. Callaway Lee C. M. Candler DeKalb D. J. Clark Laurens Peter Clifton Toombs M. E. COLLUM ..Schley E. E. Cook Chattahoochee Matt Cook Telfair M. L. Cook Thomas W. A. Covington Colquitt M. H. Couch Coweta J. W. Cowan Rockdale T. G. CULBRBTH Echols R. G. Daniel .Jenkins J. H. Davis .Houston R. E. Davison Greene L. A. Dean Floyd R. L. Dickey Crawford E. J. Dorminy Irwin C. I. Duggan... Washington W. W. Dykes, Jr. Sumter W. T. Eaves Haralson B. H. Edmonson Chattooga J. C. Edwards . . Habersham S. T. Ellison Harris T. V. Fagan. Houston W. J. Flanders . Johnson A. M. Flanigan Jackson N. A. Frier Ware NAME COUNTY J. Z. Foster Cobb H. J. Fullbright Burke P. F, M. Furr Banks N. L. Galloway Walton W. A. Gibson Glascock Thomas M. Godley Camden J. W. Goode Pickens Clarence T. Guyton Effingham W. W. Hamilton Columbia R. N. Hardeman Jefferson R. C. Harris Crisp S. M. Haywood McDuffie Benjamin F. Hill Monroe J. N. Holder Jackson G. M. Huib Clayton W. C. Hullender Catoosa J. B. Jackson Jones Greene F. Johnson Jasper L. W. Johnson Jeff Davis J. F. Johnson Towns W. R. Jones Meriwether A. T. Jones Mitchell G. J. Keith, Meriwether Thomas B. Kendall Paulding J. R. Kendrick Taliaferro G. D. Lively Burke G. P. Lunseord Stewart W. K. McIntyre Thomas J. J. C. McMahan Clarke E. H. McMichael ...Marion A. J. McMullan Hart S. C. McWilliams Henry L. H. O. Martin Elbert L. R. Massengale ..Warren S. H. Mays Butts J. R. Mercer Terrell Joseph A. Morris Wayne I. F. Mundy Polk William J. Neel Bartow O. A. Nix Gwinnett u History of the NAME COUNTY Hal G. Nowell Walton J. C. Odum I. N. Orr Baker Coweta W. M. Parker Talbot C. E. Parrish Berrien Claud Payton Worth George Ogden Persons Monroe W. J. Peterson ...Montgomery M. E. Pope Brooks Lee Pope Dade J. A. Price Bartow J. D. Price Oconee J. E. Reid A. S. Reid S. B. Reid. W. H. Rogers W. T. Rogers B. L. Rountree T. E. Ryals. Macon Putnam Wilcox McIntosh Randolph Emanuel Bibb Emmett R. Shaw W. D. Sheffield T. G. Simmons E. L. Smith Claude C. Smith W. A. Strickland .. Clay Decatur Gilmer Calhoun Campbell Pike NAME COUNTY J. B. Stubbs .Tbomas J. W. Summer Turner S. B. Swirling ...Franklin J. B. Taylor ..Appling R. R. Terrell Grady T. B. Thorne ...Bulloch B. F. Thurman.. Walker C. C. Tracy Webster S. J. Tyson... Emanuel J. R. Walker. Lowndes G. B. Walker Milton J. Frank Walker Washington C. A. Ward Coffee W. G. Warnell... Tattnall M. D. Watkins Carroll S. A. Way Pulaski L. A. White Madison H. S. White Screven T. R. Whitley Douglas W. J. Williams Dodge G. W. Williams Laurens W. W. Wilson Gwinnett J. W. Wise Fayette Seaborn Wright Floyd S. A. WooTTEN ..tVilkes R. M. Young ....Troup ■ff ntrobuction Jfhen the l/ord turned again the captivity of Zion, then were we like unto them that dream j then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with Joy. Thus it was with the White Ribboners of Georgia when the wires flashed out the news that the Legislature of 1907 had passed a state wide prohibition law and that Governor Hoke Smith had signed it! They dreamed of a state redeemed from the oppression of the liquor traffic; they dreamed of homes to which domestic happiness and prosperity were restored — homes long familiar with only misery, dissension, shame and want; they dreamed of honest money turned into channels of blessing instead of stuffing the coffers of the whiskey seller; they dreamed of the closing of houses of prostitution and the disappearance from our streets and newspapers of the lying advertisements sent out by “the trade;” they dreamed of little children released from grinding toil and learning to play and laugh and live; they dreamed of churches and school houses and happy homes rising to efface the memory of the hated dram-shops. Oh what glorious dreams they were! Our bright, brave and brilliant leader, Mary Harris Armor dreamed of a magnificent bronze memorial 16 History of the fountain to be erected on the Capitol grounds in At- lanta, a permanent reminder of this great victory for civic righteousness and a means of perpetuating the names of all the members of the General Assembly who had voted for the Prohibition Bill. She dreamed that it would be fashioned with artistic skill and would attract the men and women of future generations to admire its beauty and learn its purpose; that it would ever flow with bright and sparkling water and be an object of pride and pleasure to all Georgians. Her idea was warmly taken up by the women of the Atlanta W. C. T. U., to whom she first mentioned it, and was duly launched at the Jubilee Convention in Columbus, Octo- ber, 1907. The fountain was not to cost less than $5,000.00 and committees were appointed in each Con- gressional District of the State to raise the money. But the movement did not materialize. Very few outside the White Bibhon ranks seemed to take any interest in it — it is hard to explain exactly why. The masses of the people seemed absorbed in personal mat- ters and cared very little for the prohibition law. It was life and death to us, but a mere passing sound to them. The politicians were skeptical as to its enforce- ment; the gay and frivilous thought more of the latest mode or the popular novel of the moment than they did of the question of saloon dominance; the business men gave it only a passing comment. How wonderful it seemed that they did not care — hut in the days when the Magna Charta was signed, did broad England, in the rank and file, even understand what had hap- pened? Georgia W. C. T. U. 17 When the first year of the prohibition law had passed and the Georgia W. G. T. U. assembled at Macon for the annual convention, there was less than a thousand dol- lars in the Fountain Fund. It was a disappointment; but, Mrs. Armor, ever resourceful, proposed that while the purpose of the fund should remain the same, that is, to memorialize the voters for the prohibition law, its method should be changed to the publication of a memorial volume, giving the history of the first twenty- five 3^ears of the existence of the Georgia Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and the glorious crowning of its work in the passage of our Prohibition measure. This idea met with instant favor and the present volume is the outcome. It has been carefully prepared by one who was close to the heart of the prohibition movement throughout and who is truly an enthusiast in the temperance cause. To those “who have ears to hear” it will appeal; to those who can share the sorrows of Jesus Christ over a sinful world it will have a meaning. These pages make up the story of a great moral battle and, thank God, of a great victory. It tells of the aspira- tion of Oglethorpe and of many of the early builders of our great state, that Georgia should be free from the plague spot of liquor selling; it sketches the stress and strain of twenty-five years of woman’s humble work; how our White Ribbon women gently plead, prayed and endured; how they taught the children, how they warned and persuaded the men; how they besought the ministers of God to join them in the work and give them the sanction and prestige of the church; how the (2) 18 History of the temperance men strove by forensic eloquence, diplo- matic skill and virile strength of purpose to beat back the army of liquor sellers; and how, by the blessing of God, they succeeded at least in branding these debauch- ers of our state with the brand of outlawry. Let the children and grandchildren of these men and women read and understand, if they can, what this struggle meant to those who went before. If even a few may sense from it the grandeur of our cause and the joy and glory of working for it — then the Story of the Georgia W. C. T. U. from 1883 to 1907 is not written in vain. M. Theresa Griffin, Recording Secretary. CHAPTER I. EARLY PROHIBITION IN GEORGIA. — ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT PRECEDING THE WOMAN’S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION. Every bondman in his own hand hears The power to cancel his captivity. — Julius Caesar, Act I, Sc. III. As a great life is made up of influences a hundred years back of it, so a great organization springs into being through forces put into operation many gener- ations prior to its existence. For this reason it seems best to trace briefly from the beginning of Georgia’s history the origin of her temperance principles together with the work of those orders which formed a basis for the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and led to the shaping of its policy. At the time of the prohibition victory in Georgia, July 30th, 1907, when statutory prohibition of the liquor traffic was secured, many writers and speakers gave an opinion as to what brought it to pass. Some attributed it to the Christian Church at large, some to the ministry, some to certain individuals, some to the Anti-Saloon League, others to the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. If we look to history, which is alone able to give a correct judgment, it will be found that the cumu- lative influence which resulted in this achievement, dates be 3 ’^ond the early settlement of Georgia to the 20 History of the English forefathers who had a share in the formation of one of the most princely characters that ever blessed humanity — James Edward Oglethorpe. His exalted conception of human liberty, and rare spirit of unselfish philanthropy, shielded the persecuted and protected the weak of two continents. Not only the State of Georgia but the entire Union is brought under tribute to his munificence and devotion to the cause of right. With pen, voice, money and sword he fought ever}'^ enemy to civic righteousness From the first morning of Feb- ruary 2nd, 1733, when he, with his compatriots, gath- ered about the camp fires on the shores of the Savannah and dedicated the soil whereon they stood to Almighty God, until the day he left, never to return, he was as a wall of fire against the greatest oppressor known to the human race — the legalized liquor traffic. Under his heroic leadership, Georgia’s charter was baptized with mercy, opening her gates to the friend- less, granting libert}' of conscience to all persecuted Protestants, even receiving the outcast Jews as breth- ren. A man of this type would as naturally forbid the importation of rum as he would protect his countrjnnen from any other foul invader. General Oglethorpe recognized the fact that the rule of rum would institute a t 3 ^ranny of fiercer cruelty than that of kings or popes. In his memorable address on the first day of the colony’s history in uttering an emphatic warning against the sin of intemperance, he said: “It is m 3 ’ hope that through 3 ’our good example Georgia’s settle- ment will prove a blessing and not a curse to our Indian neighbors.” Georgia W. C. T. U. 21 He influenced the colonists to enact the most strin- gent prohibitory laws against the importation of rum, which were rigidly enforced the first nine years of the colony’s existence. Subsequently through the demor- alizing agencies of war and the enforced absence of Oglethorpe, the officials became lax in their administra- tion, the free use of intoxicants was allowed, the law against the importation of spirituous liquors violated, and finally repealed. Over-ridden by the majority, Oglethorpe yet pleaded for the enforcement rather than the annulment of the law. While the English Parlia- ment was urging the grant of the right to import rum, in a letter to the trustees of the colony February, 1743, he says: “As for the magistrates in Savannah being able to enforce the law, it is the fault of such magis- trates. I am sure here at Fredrica, the laws are strictly put in execution.” Thus we see that James Edward Oglethorpe was championing this great principle of human right long before the birth of its modern advocates. His broad humanitarianism and sturdy Christianitj'^ were the source of the first single stream in Georgia which has flowed down through the years and to-day goes to swell the great gulf stream of prohibitory law. He is not only the founder of the colony of Georgia, but the father of the first prohibition measure. Next to promulgate prohibition in Georgia were the Salzburgers; those martyrs of the Alps, whose story of persecution has stirred the heart of every civilized nation. They came with the fires of heroism burning in their breasts. They were inspired by the majesty 22 History of the of Georgia’s two-fold mission: to make a home for the weak and oppressed and form a bulwark of defense to all the American colonies against the encroachment of the Spaniards. Their sobriety, industry", frugality and piety made their settlement, Ebenezer, the synonym for all that was peaceful and strong. At one time v/hen England began to lose hope of the colony’s development, and threatened to withdraw support, the consideration of the unremitting labor together with the temperate and pious habits of the Salzburgers, led to renewed confidence and fostering care. These pro- genitors of great principles sowed the seed broadcast for wholesome legislation in the years following. Two years later, 1735, the Scotch Presbyterians and Moravians came to add their quota of influence. The Moravians remained only a brief period, but the noble Scotch Highlanders who were placed on an outpost of danger at Darien as fortifiers against the Indians and Spaniards, held the fort with courage characteristic of their world-famed fidelity and made their community a center of joy and peace. The same vessel which bore the Moravians and Scot- land’s brave sons, brought Charles Wesley, the founder of Methodism and one of the mightiest foes of the liquor traffic the world has produced. His rigid views of total abstinence supported by a powerful intellectual and spiritual force molded opinion, not so much through his own personal work in Georgia, as through teachers of his great system of Christian life and doc- trine. Among the number of Wesley’s disciples teach- ing total abstinence was the eloquent Whitfield, whose 23 Georgia W. C. T. U. wonderous power gave tremendous momentum to the temperance cause. His terrific denunciation of drunk- enness and drinking in the church at Savannah is thrill- ing reading to this day, after more than a hundred years. When General Oglethorpe retired from the Governor Generalship, and less worthy successors granted the right to import and manufacture spirituous liquors, the colonists became corrupted, their health impaired, and many died from the excessive use of intoxicants. Thousands of African slaves and Indians fell by the drink habit in a single year. DeBrahm says that so great was the slaughter among the negroes, that in 1761 there was scarce above three dozen negroes in the colony. The rapid growth of debauchery and idleness under the license system, threatened the life of the colony. In June, 1752, when the charter was surrendered to the trustees, the sum of Georgia’s annual exports was less than ten thousand pounds sterling. Wars were precip- itated with the Indians through the inflammatory effects of alcoholic liquors, and death and desolation seemed to face the colonists on every hand. Realizing the utter failure of the license system to regulate and control the drink evil. Governor Ellis, on the 27th day of July, 1757, signed a law forbidding the sale of wine, beer, cider, brandy, punch or other strong drinks whatsoever, in less quantities than three gallons at one time to one person. This law also forbade the sale of intoxicants to Indians. It had been demonstrated that the use of intoxicants not only made them a prey to dis- History of the 2!f ease, and thus destroyed their lives, but kept them in a constant state of rebellion against the colonists. Prior to the Revolution all spirituous liquors were im- ported except a small quantity of domestic wine made from molasses. The war cutting off foreign importation, caused the establishment of distilleries at home, for at that time alcoholic liquors were regarded as an abso- lute necessity to the army, not only because it was thought that they contained nourishing food properties, but because it was believed that they incited the soldiers to physical bravery. With the introduction of distill- eries, the demoralizing effect of war, and the inebriety of the British soldiery, wholesale debauchery was prac- ticed by a great mass of the people. Moral standards became so low that many preachers and school teachers were habitual drunkards. Of this period Sidney Lanier writes: “Priest and soldier trilled good songs for mass, And all the prayers the Priests said were ‘Pray, Drink!’ And all the soldiers swore was, ‘Drink!’ ’Till mirth sat like a jaunty postillion Upon the hack of time and urged him on.” The laws forbade swearing, gambling, Sabbath breaking, galloping horses through the streets; but drinking and drunkenness, which provoked these violations were allowed. In 1788, Dr. Benjamin Rush, of Philadelphia, the cele- brated temperance advocate, traveled through Georgia, appealing to the churches with burning fervor to make abstinence from alcoholic liquors obligatoiw on the part JAMES EDWARD OGLETHORPE, Founder of Colony of Georgia, 1733. '[From an Original Engraving.] By Courtesy of Oglethorpe Chapter, D. A. R., Columbus, Ga. Georgia W. C. T. U. 25 of their adherents. The year 1788 was a red letter year in the temperance movement in Georgia. Dr. Rush, not only with his powerful and convincing logic led manj’ in the churches to see their responsibility, but the great Bishop Asburj' came also as a mighty promul- gator of temperance principles. As General Superin- tendent of Methodism, he practiced and preached total abstinence, and at the same time saw that the law of his church, which forbade the manufacture, sale and use of intoxicants by the individual, was enforced. Perhaps no man since the days of the Apostles has given himself more fully to the betterment of his fellows than this saintly hero of the Cross. Many references in his Journal reveal an agony of spirit over the blighting and destroying power of alcohol. Writing from North Carolina in July, 1780, he says: “I dwell as among scorpions and thorns: the people are poor and cruel to one another. Some families have corn and rj'^e dis- tilled into poisonous whiskey while others are ready to starve for want of bread.” In 1780, when the Revolutionary struggle was in its most critical period; when morals were shamefully relaxed, when it was regarded as the privilege of all, preachers among them, to partake of strong drink. Bishop Asbury held a firm rein in guiding the member- ship of his denomination. On one occasion while pre- siding over the American Methodist Conference, he was asked if our “friends, the members, shall be per- mitted to make spirituous liquors and drink them in drams.” no means,” said he; “We think it wrong in its nature and consequence, and desire all our 26 History of the preachers to teach the people by precept and example to put away this evil.” The rules of the Methodist Church, written by John and Charles Wesley, forbidding the sale, manufacture and use of ardent spirits as a beverage, did more to bring the great masses of the people to see the evil of intem- perance and legislate against it in the early days, than all other agencies combined. Revs. James Axlejs Hope Hull, Humphries, John Major and other Methodist preachers of that day exhibited a zeal and untiring de- votion worthy of St. Paul. Through heat and cold they traveled from the mountains to the sea, risking their lives, at times, by exposure to wild beasts of the forest. Wherever they went the law of total abstinence was practiced and proclaimed. This was so universally done that many members of the Methodist Church of a later period were slow to unite with the temperance organizations giving as their reason that the Methodist Church was as strong a temperance society as could be formed. In 1766 Dr. Rush’s powerful treatise on “The Effects of Ardent Spirits Upon the Human Rody and Mind,” stirred his (the Presb 3 'terian) Church to action, and wonderfully aroused all the churches. Although the Baptist Church at that time contained no law against the members using alcohol as a beverage, it was the first church in Georgia to organize a society to create temperance sentiment. At Eatonton, Georgia, in July, 1827, Dr. Adiel Sherwood, of the Eatonton Baptist Church and Dr. J. H. Campbell, of Columbus, Georgia, (Baptist Church), organized the first temperance 27 Georgia W. C. T. U. society in the State. Rev. Abner W. Clopton, of Vir- ginia, a Baptist minister of remarkable power, drafted the Constitution. Dr. Lovick Pierce, of the Methodist Church, joined hands with his Baptist brethren, and one year later, April, 1828, at Monticello, Georgia, the organization of the State Temperance Society was accomplished. Under the leadership of such men as Judge A. B. Longstreet, Judge Joseph H. Lumpkin, General R. C. Shorter, Dr. Adiel Sherwood, Judge Thomas Stocks, and Dr. Milton Anthony, the seed were sown which brought forth the historic “Moderation Era.” Temperance societies were formed in wellnigh every county. After several years of earnest endeavor, the forces realized the need of legislation, and 1838 became known as “Petition Year.” Various states, Georgia among them, began to petitition the legislatures to repeal the liquor license law. In this petition work Georgia was led by that sterling Christian, Josiah Flournoy, of Putnam County. His heroic and unselfish labors — leaving his business and traveling in his buggj^ from one end of the state to the other, securing signatures, and at every center speaking with all the fervor of his great powers, amid an opposition which amounted to persecution, furnishes an instance of the noblest patriotism. For a time success seemed secured, but owing to the opposi- tion of the press and politicians, his efforts failed in obtaining the repeal of Georgia’s liquor license law, but was productive of great good in causing an arrest of thought and in stimulating higher standards. 28 History of the This movement was closely followed by the “Moral Suasion Era,” as instituted by the Washingtonians, the fundamental law of whose organization was the refor- mation of the drunkard. It swept over the state and nation like a prairie fire, and for a time seemed to be the comjilete solution of the drink evil. But before the movement had thoroughlj^ entrenched itself, some of its own leaders fell bj^ drink, and it soon lost its hold upon the public mind. It was an appeal to the emotions exclusively and therefore failed of its purpose. The “Sons of Temperance” came forward to meet the weak- ness of the “Washingtonians.” It was instituted upon a more solid basis and its work was more enduring. It strengthened the bonds of temperance among all temperance advocates and was rapidly gaining in num- bers and influence when the clouds of the Civil War burst upon it, and its membership was scattered by a call to arms. “The Daughters of Temperance,” affiliated with the “Sons of Temperance,” had representation in the great Temperance Conventions, marched with the procession bearing banners and wearing badges; but there is no evidence of full membership or legal right to share in the government of the organization. Professor Henry A. Scomp, in his complete and accurate “History of Temperance in Georgia,” states that “many young ladies used stronger arguments than merely falling in with the procession to advance the cause. Lists of assumed names with post offices, were banded together under mutual pledge — that they would marry cold water men or live without husbands.” 29 Georgia IF. C. T. U. In 1850 Georgia was blessed with a visit from that peerless son of Ireland, Father Matthew, whose Christly service in the temperance cause has made him the bene- factor of the wide world. Thousands gave up drink under his mighty appeals. In a single da}'^ at Augusta, Georgia, he secured the pledge of six hundred to total abstinence. In 1855, througout the United States, as the result of temperance education for two and a half decades, there developed a sentiment sufficiently strong to cause the various orders — “Sons of Temperance,” “Daughters of Temperance,” “Cadets of Temperance,” — to have hope of obtaining State prohibition. The victory of state prohibition achieved in Maine had intensified the fires of the temperance hosts of Georgia, as in many other states. A great wave of burning enthusiasm swept over the nation and some of the strongest men were loudly demanding state prohibitory law. In Georgia, the State Temperance Convention, met in Atlanta, Feb- ruar}^ 22nd, 1855, and nominated the Rev. B. H. Overby, of Fulton County, as their candidate for Governor. A strong prohibition platform Avas adopted and a vigorous campaign entered upon. The wise and far- seeing prohibitionists from the beginning felt assured, or practically so, that the democratic nominee, Hon. H. V. Johnson, Avould win, but if defeated, they knew the agitation and education which Avould folloAv Mr. Overby’s powerful appeals to conscience, facts and reason, Avould give the temperance moA^ement an uplift as could nothing else at that time. His canvass of the State AA'as an epoch making record in Georgia’s temper- 30 History of the ance annals. Tiie election resulted in his defeat by 48,398 votes, but the agitation gave the cause tremend- ous momentum. Had not the Civil War scattered the forces it is probable that Georgia with other states of that period would have swept the liquor traffic from her borders before the first cannon was fired at Fort Sumter. During the Confederacy liquor was sometimes issued to the soldiers. This, together with the fact that impor- tation was cut off by the enemy, caused many to distill their grain, fruits and vegetables into whiskey. This was so extensively done that in 1862, Governor Joseph E. Brown sent a message to the General Assembly of Georgia recommending that a law be enacted restrict- ing the distillation of spirituous liquors, that the grain might be saved for the army, and especially that bread might be provided for poor, helpless families, and widows and orphans. The proclamation was heartily endorsed by the State at large, and the legislature passed a measure embodying its recommendations. The historian of that period tells us however, that there was one class of Georgia’s citizenship who were abso- lutely unmoved by the “general suffering” brought on through the scarcity of bread and other edibles; these were the distillers. While distillation of liquor was somewhat cut off by the legislation during the war, immediately following, when the men returned to restore their fortunes, many resorted to distilling spirituous liquors as a speedy avenue to wealth. Under this regime drinking and drunkenness increased to an appalling extent. This Georgia W. C. T. U. 31 went on until the State was wellnigh and perhaps altogether as completely bound by the liquor traffic as at any time within her history. Men of the higher and nobler type were everywhere in prayer for deliverance. Deliverance came in part at least, through Britain’s brave son — James G. Thrower. He organized the “Good Templars” throughout the state and in 1869 two years after, formed a Grand Lodge with Dr. E. J. Kirk- sey, of Columbus, Georgia, as Chief Templar. This organization rested upon a solid basis, it stood for the absolute prohibition of the liquor traffic and “for the election of good, honest men to administer the laws.” It also demanded total abstinence by the individual from all intoxicating liquors as a beverage. So far as we know the Good Templars was the first temperance institution which admitted women into its membership on an equal footing with men. The early record states that much of the “enthusiasm and inspiration” came to the work through its female mem- bership. A thrilling story of a woman’s courage is related by Dr. G. L. Jones, of Florida, son of “Uncle Dabney” Jones, who was perhaps the most widely known and most greatly beloved of any of the early temperance champions. “Uncle Dabney” had an appointment in Bulloch County to speak for temper- ance. An immense crowd had gathered, among them a set of “roughs” who declared he should not speak. As he arose to begin his address, they advanced towards the platform with heavy sticks in hand; just before they reached the speaker a large square shouldered woman sprang to her feet, and said, “If you get to him you will 32 History of the come over my dead body!” Her name should go down in history. We trust that Dr. Jones will yet find who this modern Deborah was, that future generations may give honor to her as a heroine of the truest type. “The Good Templars” enlisted many strong young men of the State, among them W. E. H. Searcy, who gave himself unreservedly, time, means and talents to the work. In 1870 he moved to Griffin, Georgia, and ])egan the publication of the Watchman, the first tem- perance paper published after the war. Under the leadership of his paper the forces were unified and greatly strengthened. Rev. M. J. Gofer, now of the Wesleyan Advocate, and Mr. J. G. Thrower, were his right arms in this forv/ard movement. To this noble trio — W. E. H. Searc 3 % M. J. Gofer and J. G. Thrower — is due a debt of gTatitude that Georgia can never repa 3 \ Thej' skillfull}' handled the most delicate and difficult questions which came as a result of the war. The tem- perance organizations of that period all were of national scope, and under national authority, there were no state rights, every question had to be referred to the great head of the order before action could be taken. This irksome policy became distasteful to the South, not only this but rules allowing the interming- ling of the colored people as private and official mem- bers of fhe organization caused the Southern States to call for a more democratic form of government in which each state would enjoy the privilege of regulat- ing her own affairs. The South, true to her traditions while entertaining a hearty goodwill toward her colored brethren and sincerely desiring their highest develop- REV. SAM P. JONES. The Fearless Apostle of World-Wide Prohibition. Georgia W. C. T. U. 33 ment in the temperance work, regarded a commingled membership of white and colored as a mistaken policy and one which would cripple the growth of the colored members and greatly hamper the whites in prosecuting the best interests of the cause. Therefore, for the good of each, a Southern Temperance Convention was called in 1871 at Chattanooga, Tennessee, to consider these questions and some others of less importance. The past record states that this meeting was “well attended and the proceedings harmonious.” This is a marked tribute to the consecration of the leaders of that day when points of such delicacy and difficulty were to be weighed. Later other councils were held and finally in 1873, November 27th, at Chattanooga, Tennessee, their endeavors crystalized in the formation of the “United Friends of Temperance,” upon a basis of union which required the pledge of total abstinence from all drinks which contained the least trace of alcohol, a guarantee of state rights, separate orders for white and colored, the prohibition of sectarian and political discussions in the order, and duration of the pledge to be left optional with the individual. In this movement Rev. W. A. Parks, W. E. H. Searcy, M. J. Cofer, J. G. Thrower, Hon. C. P. Crawford, C. M. Haddock, H. Clay Jones, Dr. W. P. Harrison, W. W. Oslin, J. J. Hickman, Dr. E. M. Pendleton, and a host of others of a later period did valiant service; among them, that strong apostle of truth— Rev. Sam P. Jones. At his side stood a great company of noblemen such as Henry W. Grady, Atticus G. Haygood, Henry A. Scomp, William J. Northen, J. B. Hawthorne, C. R. (3) 54 History of the Pringle, Dr. William H. Felton, Alfred H. Colquitt, A. J. Hughes — the unfaltering and self-effacing work of the last named champion of temperance in Georgia would fill a volume in ifself. Buf are fhese all? Nay, verily, only a few among a mulfitude mighfy in strength and purpose who vowed a vow as high as heaven and enduring as eternity to drive the demon alcohol from Georgia’s fair borders ! “One blast of their bugle horn was worth a thousand men! 0! Glorious sons of Georgia! Who when by error’s hosts assailed, Stood strong as truth in greaves of granite mailed! And tranquil fronted, listening over all The tumult, hear the angels say, ‘Well done.’ ” CHAPTER II. ORIGIN OF THE WOMAN’S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION “mother STEWART,” INVITED BY GOOD TEMPLARS, ORGAN- IZES THE FIRST UNION IN ATLANTA, 1881 LOCAL OPTION PETITIONS FRANCES WILLARD COMES LOCAL OPTION BILL DEFEATED IN JULY, 1881. And Deborah said unto Barak, “Up; for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the Lord gone out before thee?” — Judges 4:14. In the foregoing chapter we have given a brief resume of the early temperance work in Georgia from 1733-1879 showing that for more than a hundred years the bitter struggle had been going on between the forces of right and wrong. It is seen that Georgia v/as not only born free from the curse of the liquor traffic and preserved her freedom nine years, but that the foundations of her government were laid upon truth and righteousness; that from the first day she looked to the “everlasting hills” and the Eternal guided her destinies. When the powers of darkness began to lay hold upon her through the introduction of distilleries and the repeal of her prohibitory law, it is seen how such men as the Wesleys, Whitfield, Bishop Asbury, Dr. Benjamin Rush, Father Matthew, J. N. Stearns, C. M. Mead, John B. Gough, Abner W. Clopton, Hewlitt, Thrower and others, came as voices in the night, clear and strong, arousing 36 History of the God’s militant hosts and leading to victory. These powerful levers were used from time to time, at every critical stage to lift the burden and spirit of the army. The j^ear 1867 formed one of these critical epochs. The heavens were covered in darkness; death and deso- lation enshrouded the Southland; depression and bitter- ness seized upon the strongest, at least to some degree; the Civil War had wrought its fearful work. There was a North and a South but no Union in spirit. The Southern men did not care to unite with the Northern men even in fighting a common foe; this feeling was reciprocated by the North. Thus the temperance ranks who had fought together so valiantly and with broth- erly kindness prior to the war now stood apart. In the meantime some of the most brilliant minds were deteriorating under the deadly poison of alcohol, everywhere drinking, and in consequence a laxity of morals was in evidence. The North and the South, the East and the West were in sackcloth and ashes; a cry went out for help. God heard it and answered, not by calling an army of mighty men, but holy women to unite the scattered and embittered forces. The “Good Templars” first opened their doors to the gentle knock of these suffering wives and mothers. With love, tenderness, patience and wondrous persuasion, they quickened their brothers’ pulse, inspired their faith, and with this union of effort the temperance ranks began to breathe again. In 1873 a more definite call came to the women of America and the world through Dr. Dio Lewis, of Boston. Under his irresistible appeal, baptized with 37 Georgia W. C. T. U. the Holy Spirit, the women of Hillsboro, Washington Court House and other Illinois and Ohio towns, gath- ered in the streets, and marched two by two, into the saloons and besought the saloon keepers, with prayer and tears, to give up their destroying business. A noble son of one of these crusade mothers once told the writer that he never expected to look upon a more moving scene than this great company of holy women kneeling on the snow in front of an Ohio saloon praying God to so bless the saloon keeper as to cause him to close his doors forever. They were in such agony of spirit over the redemption of their husbands, sons and fathers from drink that like St. Simon Stylites they “battered the gates of heaven with storms of prayer,” and God answered as by fire, closing two hundred and lift)'' saloons in fifty days! These brave heroines, led by Mrs. Eliza Thompson, of Hillsboro, “Mother” Stew- art, of Springfield, Ohio, and Mrs. George Carpenter, of Washington Court House, came to see that legal suasion was as necessary as moral suasion, that it was needful to go to the root of the evil which was embedded in the very heart of the government. In 1874, November, 18-20, at Cleveland, Ohio, this conviction developed into the organization of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, which was to be operated under a “Plan of Work,” originated by its Corresponding Secretary, (Frances E. Willard), having fifteen subdivisions: “1. Organization, 2. Making Pub- lic Sentiment, 3. Juvenile Temperance Societies, 4. The Pledge, 5. Unfermented Sacramental Wine, 6. Anti- Treat Leagues, 7. Temperance Coffee Rooms, 8. Homes 38 History of the for Inebriate Women, 9. Reformed Mens’ Club, 10. Bureau of Information, 11. Counter Attractions at Home, 12. Home Missionary Work, 13. Gospel Tem- perance Meetings, 14. Money, 15. Trysting Time with God.” Every state in the Union v.^as canvassed and organized. The earnest men of the “Good Templars” opened the wa}^ for organization in many of the states, among them Georgia. In 1880 they invited “Mother” Stewart, of Springfield, Ohio, to come to Atlanta and entertained her as onlj^ Southern chivalrj^ can. On April 20th, 1880, in the basement of the Trinity Methodist Church, Atlanta, Georgia’s first local Woman’s Christian Temperance Union was organized by this saintlj' woman of the Crusades. Miss Missouri H. Stokes, the first Secretary of the Georgia Woman’s Christian Tem- perance Union, and one of the truest, bravest and most indefatigable in labors the organization has known, gives an account of this Union in her history of the early work in Georgia. After stating the date and place of organization, she says: “Mrs. Alfred H. Col- quitt, wife of Governor Colquitt, was elected President, but declined to serve, she, however, proffered the use of the parlors of the Executive Mansion as a place of meeting for the Union. There being no acting Presi- dent, the Union was served during its first year by its Vice-Presidents — Mrs. A. C. Kiddo, Mrs. Jonathan Nor- cross, Mrs. J. G. Thrower, Mrs. A. P. Wells, and Mrs. Mary E. Howes. Mrs. E. M. Hammond was elected Secretary, and Mrs. W. R. Hammond, Treasurer. Dur- ing the first fewmonths the meetings were almost wholly devotional. The members felt most keenly their utter 39 Georgia W. C. T. U. insufficiency, but as they prayed, God led the way. Just prior to the Holidays, in 1880, a committee was commis- sioned by the Union to visit the clergy of the city, and request them to read from their pulpits a pledge obli- gating all who signed it, not to offer intoxicating drinks to visitors or callers during Christmas. The request was granted by nearly all of the ministers and many signatures obtained. About the middle of February, 1881, the Union appealed to the pastors of the city to hold a series of Gospel Temperance Meetings. The ministry cheerfully responded, as thej'^ always do, to every holy movement. The first of the series was held by Rev. Clement A. Evans, Ex-Confederate General, and at that time pastor of the First Methodist Church in Atlanta. These meetings continued at intervals until nine had been held successfully under the following pastorates: Rev. W. F. Robinson, at Sixth Street Methodist; Rev. Virgil Norcross, at Fifth Baptist; Rev. W. C. Dunlap, at St. Paul Methodist; Rev. Hughes, at Payne’s Chapel Methodist; Rev. J. R. Cooke, Marietta Street Methodist; Rev. H. C. Christia, Evan’s Chapel Methodist; Rev. J. C. Berrien, Protestant Methodist, and Rev. G. A. Nunally at Second Baptist. These services were largely attended, impressive and effective. They marked the first permanent uplift given the temper- ance cause in Atlanta by the Union. The clear, strong presentation of the teachings of the Scriptures on the temperance question brought an arrest of thought and wonderfully quickened the interest of apparently all who came under their influence. kO History of the “On the 10th of February, 1881, at the request of Judge John C. Cunningham, the Union adopted a reso- lution asking that the Georgia Legislature be at its next session memorialized to pass a General Local Option Law, allowing the qualified voters of the State to decide by ballot whether they will prohibit the sale of intoxicat- ing liquors except for medicinal, mechanical, and sacra- mental purposes, in their several localities. At the next meeting the resolution was adopted and the Union pledged to send copies of the petition to every com- munity in the State. The text of the petition was as follows: “In view of the misery, poverty and crime, resulting from intemperance we, the undersigned citizens of the State of Georgia, residing in the County of do most earnestly petition you in favor of the passage of a law allowing the qualified voters of the cities, towns, counties and militia districts, at any election held therein, (except in the localities where the sale of intoxicating liquors is already prohibited by law), to decide by ballot whether they will prohibit the sale of intoxicating liquors, except for medicinal, mechanical, and sacramental purposes, in their several localities.” Between six and seven thousand of these petitions were sent out by the Atlanta Union. As they went they were made holy by the prayers of every White Ribbon mother and daughter in the Union. Through earnest and concerted action on the part of the “Good Temp- lars,” the clergy, the press and hundreds of devoted men and women throughout the State, 37,000 signatures were obtained in the short space of three months! In MISS MISSOURI H. STOKES, of Decatur, Ga. State Corresponding Secretary of the Georgia W. C. T. U. 1883 - 1892 . '■t'- , : - - ;u^ f ‘f\ ':r’.;< ‘ •'. \ ■ i' *•■ P ■:■ ♦ 41 Georgia W. C. T. U. the canvass it was found that the white voters of many counties stood solidly for prohibition and were eager for the opportunity of voting on the question. Under this rising tide of temperance sentiment the Union felt the force of Brutus’ words to Cassius : “There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which taken at the flood leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is hound in shallows and in miseries, On such a full sea are we now afloat; We must take the current when it serves. Or lose our ventures.” Having this conviction, though in poverty and few in numbers the Atlanta Union wrote Frances E Willard, President of the National Woman’s Christian Temper- ance Union, the situation and invited her to come to the rescue. Who that knew Frances E. Willard doubts that she came, not only as a woman pleading for the lost and erring, but as a queen of grace and purity, as the incarnation of delicacy and refinement, as the em- bodying of all the high ideals for centuries held by the South touching woman’s relation to the outside world. Graceful in bearing, gentle in spirit, with musical voice and filled with the love of Christ, is there wonder that such a woman should be “received with enthusiasm?” She v/as assigned to elegant apartments at the Kimball House and entertained at the Governor’s Mansion. Of her reception Miss Willard says: “I spoke on Sunday evening at the Methodist Church, to which Governor Colquitt belonged, and was wel- comed by him with a warm eloquence not excelled by 42 History of the any greeting I have received. He spoke of the North and the South and of the claim that had been made that nothing could unite them except a foreign war in which they would make a common cause against a common invader. ‘But,’ he said, ‘we need no such calamity to make us once more one people; there is a foe at everj^ hearthstone, a danger lurking in every community, which ought to make us brothers. Uniting we can put the liquor traffic down, and we will put it down! The women must help us; they are willing to do so; thej^ are to be our best allies.’ Then turning to me, a Northern stranger as I was, and with all a broth- er’s kindness he welcomed me to Georgia and thanked me that I had come.” Only those who understand Southern chivalry', glorified by the strength and purity of a consecrated manhood, can fullj^ appreciate the warmth and graciousness of Governor Colquitt’s cordiality to this queen among women. Miss Willard’s modesty restrains her from any reference to the work she did while in Atlanta, but from another’s pen we learn that though three days only in the city, she spoke eight times to im- mense crowds, at Marietta Street Methodist Church, Trinity Methodist Church and at DeGive’s Opera House. Her copious knowledge of historical facts touching the principles which must support a stable government, showing how the nations of the past who turned away from truth and righteousness went down in darkness, her invincible logic proving that the foundations of a Commonwealth must be laid upon morality to be endur- ing, powerfully appealed to her hearers. With strong Georgia W. C. T. U. 4^5 intellectual equipment, womanly graciousness and Christly spirit she became a benediction to the cause wherever she went in Georgia. She was a “chosen vessel” to break the bonds of prejudice against woman’s larger activities, her gentle, persuasive eloquence, inherent modest}^ and native tactfulness, together with the unmistakable evidence that God was leading and empowering her to do His work, marked her as the one woman to open the way in the South. Men and women alike witnessed the seal of God’s approval rested upon her labors, that the platform did not rob her of the tender grace which characterizes the highest type of womanhood, that women were capable of creating a logical argument against the tyranny of the liquor traf- fic; that as Governor Colquitt said prophetically, “The women are to be our best allies.” It is seen therefore, that Miss Willard’s arraignment of the liquor traffic was but a small part of her work in Georgia and elsewhere; as she w^ent from place to place she began to be recog- nized as the daughter of a new chivalry, and the noble men of the South and East w'here there existed such great prejudice against women appearing in public, began to see that a gallantry that only protected their wives and mothers from public glare was not of the highest order, the men of heathen lands stood at the head of such an ideal as that. They saw that the noblest knighthood was to break every yoke and open the prison door to every captive, and instead of hinder- ing or forbidding they must invite the help of their sisters in the consummation of so holy a mission. 44 History of the After Miss Willard’s first visit to Georgia the women were less fearful in undertaking public work. Those who had never heard their own voices in a public assemblage except perhaps in a brief testimony in a Methodist “love feast,” found themselves speaking before mixed audiences. It was not so much the example set by Frances Willard, however, as a con- sciousness of duty. It was a “still small voice” calling all women to join their brothers in the protection of the Home, a call so irresistible that many felt “woe is me” if I refuse obedience. In answer to this commis- sion, a number of the most faithful the organization has known, came into the Union and joined hands with the work of circulating the Local Option Petition. Under the leadership of Mrs. Jonathan Norcross, Mrs. M. E. Howes, Mrs. A. C. Kiddo, Mrs. S. M. Hammond, Mrs. A. P. Wells, Mrs. H. A. Auten, Mrs. S. A. Kilby, Mrs. E. C. Witter and Miss Stokes, hundreds of petitions were sent out to every section of the State, and every street in the city was canvassed to secure signatures. In addition to the work for the petition, vast quanti- ties of temperance literature was distributed by hand, and placed in boxes at different centers in the city. At the meeting of the Legislature each member was sup- plied with literature proving it to be the wish of the people of Georgia to have the right given them by the General Assembly to vote on the liquor question as set forth in the Petition. As the temperance men of the State had from the first recognized the power of woman’s influence in the cause and had so gallantly opened the way at ever^" junction. 45 Georgia W. C. T. U. in line with their former actions, on July 4th, 1881, the State Temperance Convention held in the Capitol invited the members of the Union to attend in a body, which they gladly did and were received with marked courtesy and represented in a fervent address by Judge D. Cunningham. While the infant Union in Atlanta was working so diligently for the passage of the Local Option Bill, Savannah, under the leadership of Mrs. Charles P. Greene, Augusta under Mrs. William C. Sibley, Rome under Mrs. Mary Shropshire and Mrs. W. W. Ford, were through their Unions, laboring also “in season and out of season” to the same end. As a recompense of the faithful toil on the part of the Unions at the different points named, the first Red Letter Day of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union dawned July 14th, 1881. It was the day the Local Option Bill was to be pre- sented to the Georgia Legislature by that princely noble- man, Colonel William J. Northen, of Hancock County. The Unions throughout the State had chosen him as their representative to present the memorial and address to the House of Representatives, both because of his vigorous temperance principles and his stainless Christian character. The galleries had been filled with White Ribboners long before the hour, who sat with fast beating hearts in fervent prayer that God would speak through their ambassador to the conscience of every member of the House. As Colonel Northen arose he said : “Mr. President and Members of the House of Representatives: I move to suspend the rules that 1 may submit a memorial of no ordinary interest. I am 46 History of the aware that it is an unusual proceeding, but am sure it will be received with pleasure. 1 hold before me (raising the memorial), the evidence of the work of the Christian women of Georgia. While we have been tr\dng to build up the material resources of the State they have gone into our homes and found ruin and sorrow — strong men found humbled, young men with brilliant intellects and high hopes wrecked before life’s morn- ing is passed; little ones crying! God pity us in our desolation. For such women — our wives and mothers — can we speak too much? They come to bring joy where there has been sorrow, they come to bring sun- shine where there has been darkness, they come as the harbingers of the day when the angels shall again proclaim peace and good will to man. I move that by a rising vote the rules of the House be suspended, that this memorial for a General Local Option Law may be displayed, and then referred to the Special Committee on Temperance.” The memorial was sent up in a large basket from which it was unfurled, filling every aisle, and leaving a sufficiency to cover a good sized room. It was sixteen hundred feet long and contained 30,000 names from every county in the State. The following day the petition was presented to the Senate in an impassioned speech by Colonel W. P. Price, of Dahlonega. The Union was present in full force and during Colonel Price’s address, showered boquets upon him from the gallery. It was referred to a special committee and at that session of 1881 passed the Senate but was defeated in the House. Georgia W. C. T. U. 47 The failure to secure the enactment of the Local Option Bill was the first great trial of the Union. The forces were sifted, “many walked with them no more,” the occasion of stumbling had come, God had trusted them to do a difficult task and they had failed. In the glare of glory and prospective success, they stood by their colors, but when defeat with its humiliation, criti- cisms, and misjudgments came, they lowered the flag and fell back before the enemy. After that the chaff was separated from the wheat, the few golden grains that were found with its marvelous reproducing power, was rich reward for every effort which had been put forth. The “faithful few” came forth “refined gold,” their “souls had been washed pure by many weepings.” In poverty, wellnigh friendless, misunderstood, they gathered in that “upper room” on Whitehall Street, made sacred by God’s presence, for counsel and prayer. As they knelt around the mercy seat a deepened con- viction took hold of them that something had to be done to stay the tide of intemperance, especially in Atlanta, where wickedness seemed to be growing with its growth engulfing even beardless boys in its ruin. They were “led by ways they had not known.” In March of 1882, under the direction of Mrs. H. A. Auten, they established a Mission Temperance Sunday School, at Engine House No. 5, near the junction of Marietta and Foundry Streets — a locality known as Brooklyn, and regarded from the number of bar rooms, as one of the worst places in Atlanta. In a short time there- after, the Union began to hold a series of gospel tem- perance meetings. Such was the interest created that ^8 History of the the house would not seat the crowds and the Sunday School was transferred to the Red Men’s Hall on Marietta Street just over a liquor saloon. The poor and degraded classes began to be reached and it seemed that God was guiding them to the very men and women whom they had so longed to help when they were courteously informed that they must discontinue their meetings by reason of the fact that they interfered with the business of the saloon. The saloon keeper declared that he could not “sell hell and damnation below while those women were singing and praying above.” As he had rented the property he claimed that he had a right to be heard. The faithful praying band returned to the Engine House and continued their noble work for three years. During that period seed were sown which yielded a harvest unto eternal life. This was an epoch making hour in the history of the Atlanta Union. By every token Satan endeavored to break their ranks. But a few determined spirits, notably Mrs. A. H. Auten, Mrs. E. C. Witter and Miss M. H. Stokes, went through heat and cold, driven from one point, they sought another; the consuming love of Christ for lost souls so pervaded them that they forgot their timidity and plead with the erring with tearful eyes and burning hearts, they “counted all things but lost for the excellency of Christ Jesus their Lord.” In the heavens above these uncrowned queens of God’s Kingdom will shine as stars forever and ever. During the spring and summer of 1882, the Union arranged for a series of public lectures to be given by the representative men and women in the temperance MRS. E. C. WITTER. President of the Atlanta W. C. T. U. (the old original Union) 1882 - 1902 . 49 Georgia W. C. T. U. cause. United and persistent effort was put forth to secure the best. The first of the series was held in the Marietta Street Methodist Church and addressed by Governor Colquitt and Dr. Allen Curr. Great power and enthusiasm rested upon the service. This meeting was followed by many others of unusual interest at different points in the city. Bishop Warren, of the Northern Methodist Church, J. N. Stearns, of the Na- tional Temperance Society, and Mrs. Sallie F. Chapin, of South Carolina, and Superintendent of Southern Work for the National Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, all came “in power and demonstration of the Spirit.” Many others less notable, but not less earnest, spake as the Spirit gave utterance, among them was Rev. J. R. Cooke, Miss Mary Wadsworth, Mrs. Oliver, Mrs. McClellan Brown and Mrs. J. N. Thompson. In the summer of 1882 the Union was requested by the State Temperance Alliance to again aid in securing signatures to a petition for a General Local Option Law to be presented to the Legislature at its approach- ing session in November. As in the first instance, they responded with eager hearts and willing hands. The city was divided into districts and so assiduously did they labor that several thousand names were secured in a few weeks. On November 25th, 1882, the State Liquor Dealers Protective Association met in Atlanta. As they gathered to plan for the strengthening of their traffic, which is the greatest enemy of the Home, these wives, mothers and daughters gathered also to pray that God might bring their counsel to naught. Miss Stokes, our early ( 4 ) 50 History of the historian, declares that a direct answer to their prayers was received in the “Contradictory resolutions passed hy their Association.” The weapons of these women were not carnal, but mighty, through God, to the pull- ing down of strongholds! That little unknown, poor, struggling Union, had not called upon God in vain as they, after the defeat of the Local Option Bill, went to the “upper room” for guidance. Bishop Warren, in the prime of his great manhood, v^as sent to their rescue with a masterful utterance; Governor Colquitt came with a flaming sword against the liquor traffic, and Sallie F, Chapin, that queenly woman of the South, or perhaps we should rather say, that mighty Deborah of modern times, who swayed the multitudes with the convincing power of her eloquent logic. These, with others, earnest and strong, came to blaze the way for State Prohibition. Here ends the golden record of the first work of the first local Woman’s Christian Temperance Union in Georgia. It is only partially recorded, the sum total will not be known until it is read from the Book of Life. CHAPTER III. god’s call to V^^OMEN — STATE ORGANIZATION — FIRST CON- VENTION MEETS IN ATLANTA JANUARY IItH, 1883, MRS. WILLIAM C. SIBLEY, PRESIDENT FRANCES E. WILLARD AND MRS. SALLIE F. CHAPIN ARE THE SPEAKERS — LOCAL OPTION PETITIONS CONTINUE BUT BILL DEFEATED A SECOND TIME SECOND GEORGIA W. C. T. U. CONVENTION AT AUGUSTA IN 1884. Behold I set before thee an open door. —Rev. 3:8. No\vhere in history is the hand of God more clearly seen than in the movements which gradually brought about woman’s development. Christ first unlocked the doors which held her captive to ignorance and super- stition. Schools and colleges were founded for her training, inventions were made which gave her leisure; as in the case of the sewing machine, cotton gin, and cotton factory. Almost immediately following these conditions came a demand for her distinctive gifts as teacher in sacred and secular schools, in missionary work at home and abroad. It was seen that a great system of education needed to be established which would begin at the very foundations of character in the mind of the child. This was a clear call to women. Their native endowments, with years of mental train- ing, qualified them as no other to perform this all im- portant duty. As Julienne Hayes, of Baltimore, Mary- 52 History of the land, saw this door of unlimited usefulness standing ajar, she offered herself as a leader of the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society, and which, through thirty years, sowed the seed for the great harvest which we are now reaping in the Laymen’s Missionary Movement. When Frances Willard about the same time saw how all temperance organizations had failed to a large extent because of a lack of preventive measures, she was led to formulate a “Plan of Work” which has revo- lutionized the thought of the world on the subject of temperance, and developed the most invincible set of men touching prohibitory law known to history — the Anti-Saloon League. While God was calling leaders among women for these and other great enterprises. He was at the same time moving the hearts of all Christian women to pre- sent themselves for service. Thus a two-fold influence was brought to bear — the calling of some to lead and the calling of many to follow. This was ever the Divine method. As Peter was given a vision of dutj', Corne- lius was at the same hour commanded to send for Peter. As Frances Willard was led to visit the States and organize the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, the Spirit suggested to the mind of manj’ Chris- tian women throughout the United States the need of concerted action on the part of the women against the liquor traffic. This is the true explanation of Miss Willard’s warm reception in the conservative South. Had not God gone before, she nor any other human being could have induced the timid, reticent women of Georgia and other Southern States, with their precon- 53 Georgia W. C. T. U. ceived ideas of woman’s sphere, to have left their homes and engaged in a work which called for public activity. God spoke and they obeyed. In a letter written by Miss Willard to the New York Independent, on April 21st, 1881, a year prior to the State organization of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union in Georgia, she gives a vivid pen picture of her Southern reception in which it is manifest that the bond of sisterhood had sprung up even though they had not seen her face. “The Southern people,” says she, “have received me as a sister, beloved for the work’s sake. The utter- most kindness has been shown me by the friends of temperance, a cordial co-operation from the most lib- eral minded of the clergy, and on the part of the women, a sisterly welcome that crowns each day with thanks- giving and crowds friendship’s casket with choicest jewels. It has been said that the opposition in the South to hearing ladies speak was deep and resolute. This is not so. Churches as a rule were opened no less frequently than at the North. Ministers of the differ- ent denominations conducted the devotional services, and the audiences were large and to the last degree kind. Whenever members were called for and papers circulated with the pledge for men and women, the response was much more general than with us. It had been said that the expectation of securing associated effort on the temperance line from Southern women was quite Utopian; but instead of this they have been uniformly earnest and responsive, beyond what is usual in the North. True they have given immediate notice that they could not speak in public, which is the 54 History of the smallest part of the work; but at the same time have entered in with the utmost intelligence and heartiness into our plans of securing pledges, lending out of tem- perance books, planning for public meetings to be addressed by gentlemen, etc. When I have noticed the marvelous facility for utterance, the delicacy of appre- ciation, the varied vocabulary, and rare insight of these ladies, I have felt that in it all there is a prophecy of such achievement in the art of public as well as private persuasion as would dim the laurels of their Northern sisters if a sacred emulation did not rescue us. I could name ladies in all of the chief cities of the South who are no less worthy to become leaders of their people than was Deborah of old.” Two 3"ears later when the State work of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union was organized in Georgia, Frances Willard’s prophecy became a veritable reality. Those who witnessed the ease, gentleness of manner, sweetness of spirit, and power of utterance which char- acterized the first President of the Georgia Woman’s Christian Temperance Union — Mrs. William C. Sibley, will readily agree that God had set her apart as a leader of her people. She Avas a providential woman peculiarly endowed with the qualifications which that stage of the work demanded. A woman of less gentle- ness, less grace, less delicacy, less softness of voice, and the graciousness of bearing, less devoted to her home and children, wovdd have failed utterly to enlist Southern men and especially Southern women. She was typical of the South’s high ideals, governed by a tenderness and modesty that became the charm of all Georgia W. C. T. U. 55 she said and did. We remember as if it were yester- day, the first Convention over which she presided. As she gave her annual message with trembling, yet admir- ably modulated voice, standing before her hearers the embodiment of humility, the living expression of earnestness, all hearts instinctively felt that God had anointed her for this special ministry. Her character contained no jarring elements; a nature of tactfulness, a noble unselfishness, a consuming zeal, a fluency of speech in speaking and in writing, together with the attributes of the highest type of womanhood made her a leader of superior excellence. Miss Willard, with her quick discernment and wonderful ability in adjusting women to work, at once perceived Mrs. Sibley’s pre- eminent fitness for leadership. In 1881 she invited Mrs. Sibleyand Miss Missouri H. Stokes to attend the National Woman’s Christian Temperance Union which convened at Washington City, as representatives of Georgia’s interests. They were received not only with distin- guished courtesy, but with affection bj^ the entire Con- vention. There Mrs. W. C. Sibley, the first President of the Georgia Union, and Miss Missouri H. Stokes, the first Corresponding Secretary, came in vital touch with the w^ork at large. Inspired by its beneficent principles, and Christly aims, they each returned more fixed in purpose to press the battle in Georgia through the Local Unions. As has been showm in a previous chapter, the following year reaped a rich harvest in the growth of temperance sentiment, in enlarged membership of the local Unions of Atlanta, Augusta, Rome, Savannah, and Macon. 56 History of the In October of 1881 the National Convention came South, holding its session in Louisville, Kentucky. Because of its close proximity and because of Georgia’s increased interest, the delegation was doubled in num- ber, being composed of Mrs. W. C. Sibley and Miss Lillian Russell, of the Augusta Union, Miss M. H. Stokes and Mrs. E. C. Witter, of the Atlanta Union. By this time Georgia was on the forward march and felt the need of state organization. In answer to this need Mrs. W. C. Sibley was appointed Provisional President with the power to call a Convention. Immediately upon her return with the Crusade faith, she set to work to so adjust the machinery, meager as it was, to secure the attendance of a large delegation from the '’arious local Unions, representative business men and influential ministers of all the different denominations. God’s plans, like lilies pure and white, unfolded in her hands as she followed His leadings step bj'^ step. On January^ 11th, 1883, the body came together and the Georgia Woman’s Christian Temperance Union was organized in the basement of the First Methodist Church in Atlan- ta. A large delegation from the Unions of Savannah, Augusta and Rome, fraternal delegates from other tem- perance societies, and a number of God’s faithful min- isters, together with the presence of Miss Willard and Mrs. Sallie F. Chapin, of South Carolina, formed a group that was sufficient to put to flight the armies of the alien. Their verj^ looks were praj’^ers; they had counted the cost and deliberately settled the question forever; to or- ganize, to educate, and agitate against the liquor traffic until Georgia was free. Rev. Clement A. Evans, Pastor RESIDENCE OF MRS. WILLIAM C. SIBLEY AT AUGUSTA, GA. In Which Miss Willard was Entertained in 1883. Miss Willard Occupied the Room on the Second Floor at the Left. Georgia W. C. T. U. 57 of the Church and Ex-Confederate General, conducted the devotional exercises and introduced the speakers. Addresses of welcome were made by Judge George Lester, and Rev. Henry McDonald, of the Second Bap- tist Church, followed with responses by Miss Willard, Mrs. W. C. Sibley and Rev. G. A. Nunnally. Juvenile work, the only department hitherto inaugurated, was reported by Mrs. W. C. Sibley, Mrs. Richard Webb, Mrs. E. C. Witter, Mrs. Mary Shropshire and Mrs. J. C. Keyes. Wenona Temple, ofAtlanta, was reported by Mrs. J. C. Thrower, of the Good Templars. The following State officers were unanimously elected: President, Mrs. W. C. Sibley, of Augusta; Vice-President-at-Large, Mrs. Mary Shropshire, of Rome; Corresponding Secretary, Miss Missouri H. Stokes, of Atlanta; Recording Secretary, Mrs. Lawrence Lord; Treasurer, Mrs. M. E. McCalla; Librarian, Mrs. E. C. Witter; State Organizer, Mrs. Nannie Robb; Super- intendent of Juvenile Work, Mrs. Richard Webb. Of this Convention Miss Willard says: “I attended and helped to organize the first Convention of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union of Georgia, with Mrs. W. C. Sibley at the helm, and Mrs. Sallie F. Chapin, your heroic Southern leader, by waj'^ of general inspiration. This was a great novelty, being so far as I have learned, the first State meeting held and conducted by ladies. Naturally enough, (she here refers to Southern oppo- sition to women speaking in public) the people were a little shy of it at first, but soon they attended in large numbers and found that they had nothing to fear by reason of short-haired women for there were none 58 History of the present, nor platform ranters for the meeting was as mild mannered and almost as mild voiced as if it had been held in a parlor. The ladies who had never spoken in public before were distinctly heard because of their admirable enunciation and rich Southern voices. They stood there to say what they had to say with modest self composure, and most convincing argu- ments. Their style was conversational, not declama- tory, and their spirit the spirit of the home. I shall never forget Mrs. W. C. Sibley who had come forward to take the collection; she was so bright and winsome in manner and words. Among other sentences I especially recall this one: “If you will help us dear friends, we will he very grateful indeed, and we need it, but if no one will help, so largety is my heart enlisted for the State, and for the protection of our homes from the curse of the saloon, that I will stand and plead for Georgia though I stand alone.” Such a spirit could not fail to win. From this convention Miss Willard went, upon the invitation of Bishop Haygood, the President of Emory College, to Oxford and organized a Union with Mrs. Scomp, wife of Professor Henry A. Scomp, at that time filling the chair of Ancient Languages in Emory College, as President. She addressed a large audience includ- ing the faculty and student body of Emorj’ College and offered a prize through the Union of ten dollars to the student who prepared the best essay on “The Relation of the Individual to the Temperance Cause.” This far- seeing woman recognized the potency of institutions of learning in the formation of public opinion. The 59 Georgia W. C. T. U. offering of that prize, which the Oxford Union has con- tinued through all of these years, has proved to be one of the most vitalizing temperance forces in the State. The research which essentially preceded the prepara- tion of these numerous essays, annually sowed the seed for hundreds of votes for prohibition in the years fol- lowing and fortified this noble company of Georgia’s sons against the exceeding danger of tampering in the least, with alcohol poison.* From Oxford Miss Willard went to Macon and reorganized the Union, thence to Columbus where she organized a large Union with Mrs. Mann, wife of Dr. A._ T. Mann, at that time one of the strongest preachers in the South Georgia Conference, as President. She also gave lectures at every point, wherever it was possible, to the colored people, who “were ready and respon- sive.” There was a marked incr ease, both in Jhe n^iber of Uliions and in the activity of their membership this first year of State~TG)rk. ' ^The mails at every point carried the best literature, with soul-stirring letters from Mrs. Sibley, the President, and Miss Stokes, the Correspond- ing Secretary. Abundant in labors they left no stone unturned, the children were organized into Bands of Hope, the colored people were instructed, special *It was at this time that Mrs. John S. Moore joined the W. C. T. U. and not only became a local leader but was for many years the State Treasurer. When there came times of difficulty, oppo- sition and discouragement to the whole State and especially to the Oxford W. C. T. U., Mrs. Moore stood firm, and persistently, bravely, faithfully went forward in the work. Her name can truly be placed prominently in the list of “Saints Courageous” of the Georgia W. C. T. U. — [Editor.] 60 History of the prayer services were held for counties that were about to vote on prohibition, hundreds of copies of Plans and Principles of the Woman’s Christian Tem- perance Union were sent out to the Christian women of Georgia, the press of the State was freely used to adver- tise the object and aims of the organization. State and National Legislatures were petitioned to pass prohibi- tory measures. Unions were organized by Mrs. Nannie Robb, the State Organizer, at Barnesville, Sunny Side, Martin’s Chapel, Lawrenceville, Gainesville, Ellijay, Mt. Zion, Habersham County and Hoschton. Unions were also formed at Trenton, Calhoun and Hamilton; the last named by Colonel James M. Mobley, of that place. Upon the resignation of Mrs. Robb, Miss Stokes, the Corresponding Secretary visited the Unions of Ringgold, Greshamville, Greensboro, Columbus, Hamilton, Chip- ley, Martin’s Chapel, Mt. Zion and Ellijay and organized Unions at Madison, Longview, Clarksville and Norcross. She also wrote four annual reports of State work for the National Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, the North Georgia Conference of the Methodist Church South, and the North Georgia Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Senator Blair, of New Hampshire, at his own request. As an immediate result of the two first reports the Conference named passed resolutions endorsing the organization, and pledging their support. When it is known that all of this work had been accomplished by these noble women, with an empty treasury, we will get some small conception of their unselfish devofion to the cause. Miss Stokes states in 61 Georgia W. C. T. U. her first annual report, that from January 11th to October 8th, only $121.88 had been paid into the treas- ury of State work. How was it done? From the purses of the faithful officers, who laid all upon the altar. By their side we see standing, in humble attitude, one of Georgia’s brave sons, the incarnation of unselfishness, a type of the highest and holiest patriotism — William C. Sibley, of Augusta. He not only encouraged his wife to devote her time and talents to the redemption of Georgia’s homes, but with open purse laid bare his means to further the movement. He is to-day enshrined in the heart of every true mother within the borders of our fair State, who will teach their children to rever- ence the name of one so consecrated to the loftiest philanthropy — the protection of the fireside. During the summer of 1883, when the General Local Option Bill again came before the Legislature, the Unions throughout the State not only watched its pro- gress with prayerful interest, but some of the members were in the House of Bepresentatives when, on August 7th, it came up for passage and was carried. It was, however, defeated in the Senate notwithstanding the untiring efforts of its ardent champion, Hon. R. C. Pringle, author of the Bill and Chairman of the Tem- perance Committee in the House. The second Annual Convention of the Woman’s Chris- tian Temperance Union was held in the Lecture Room of the First Presbyterian Church of Augusta, January 24-25, 1884. Mrs. William C. Sibley, President of the local Union and President of the State Union, drew lavishly upon her large powers and consecrated zeal 62 History of the in preparing the way for this to he a memorable occa- sion. At her invitation the attendance of many influen- tial ministers of different denominations, and noted temperance workers of other states, together with a full corps of home workers was secured. Her elegant and hospitable home was filled with delegates and its very atmosphere was permeated with the spirit of praise and thanksgiving that the God of Israel had thus far led His own people in an organized crusade of education against the saloon. Mrs. Sibley was queen alike in the home and on the platform, instructing and inspiring the delegates at every turn. Brought up under the old regime when it was counted unnecessary for women to have knowledge of parliamentar}' law, she yet handled the convention with a skill that v.ould have reflected credit upon any parliamentarian. Her fairness in ruling, graciousness and gentleness, together with a readiness of fitting words at eveiw juncture, and above all her implicit reliance upon God for guidance, united to make her one of the most effective presiding officers known to the organization. And can any who were present forget the faithfulness, earnestness and intelli- gent aggressiveness of our indefatigable first Corres- ponding Secretary, Miss Missouri Stokes? Her spirit seemed fired by a holy enthusiasm and a deathless determination to rescue Georgia from the thralldom of the liquor traffic. And there stood the gentle Mrs. Witter, her face aglow with love and fervor; and the saintly Mrs. M. S. A. Webb, in the very lines of whose countenance we could read child-like faith in God and a pledge to His service as deep as her nature; 63 Georgia W. C. T. U. and there was Mrs. E. E. Harper, who had glorified the prisons and jails of Atlanta by carrying into their dark cells the light of the Sun of Righteousness; and the blessed Mrs. J. G. Keyes, sounding a ringing note of victory that was to come to Georgia through the instruc- tion of the children of the public schools on the nature and effects of alcohol upon the human system; and Mrs. Grigsby Thomas of holy memory, pleading for the Sunday school instruction on this same important point; and the brilliant Miss Lillian Russell who was pour- ing out the gifts of youth upon this sacred altar, and many others of wondrous strength and dauntless courage stand before our mental vision charged with the spirit of Tennyson’s intrepid army who were ready “to do and to die!” The most notable features of this Convention, Miss Stokes tells us, were the stress laid upon the temperance instruction in the day schools and Bands of Hope, (this organization corresponds to our present Loyal Temperance Legion), and a pronounced disapproval of morphine and alcohol as remedial agents. A resolu- tion was adopted to petition the Legislature not to send juvenile offenders to jail or prisons. A strong paper setting forth the reasons for scientific instruction being given in the public schools, was read by the Superintendent of that Department, Mrs. J. C. Keyes, of Atlanta. A comprehensive and thrilling report was given by Miss Stokes from Mrs. E. E. Harper, of Atlanta, embracing a review of her ministry in that branch of the work from August 19th to December 31st, 1883. 64 History of the The Principles, Plans, and Resolutions adopted were as follows : Principles — We believe in prohibition by law and total abstinence by practice, but recognizing the frailty and weakness of human nature, we only hope to accom- plish these by the power of God’s sustaining grace, relying upon prayer, study of the Scriptures and earnest effort. Pi .ANS — 1st. Preventive — including heredity, which shows the close relation of natal inheritance to the terrible appetite for liquor; h 5 "giene, teaching in addi- tion to, and explanatory of divine law, the rule of health as formulated bj^ medical science, which incul- cates the great importance of temperate habits. 2nd. Educational — embracing scientific instruction, temperance literature, influencing the press, relative statistics, conference with ecclesiastical, Sunday school, educational and other associations; juvenile work, including temperance schools. Bands of Hope, training and industrial schools. 3rd. Evangelistic — embodying prison and jail work, work among railroad employees; securing the use of unfermented wine at the Lord's table; securing days of prayer and weeks of prayer; Bible readings; and work among the colored people. 4th. Social — as young woman’s work, parlor meet- ings, flower mission, and state and county fairs. Resolutions — Whereas, we believe that the legalized manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors is an inex- pressible evil, and a National shame; Resolved, that we, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union of Geor- MRS. WILLIAM C. SIBLEY, OF AUGUSTA. First President of the Georgia W. C. T. U. Georgia W. C. T. U. 65 gia, do earnestly appeal to all Christians to aid us in our efforts, by legislative enactment and otherwise to banish the accursed thing from our State and nation. 2nd. That we invoke the assistance of all temper- ance organizations in petitioning our Legislature for prohibitory laws, and that we never cease our efforts until Georgia is a prohibition state. 3rd. That we petition the officers of the state and county fairs to discourage the manufacture of intox- icants, by offering no premiums for wines and liquors. 4th. That as intemperance is recognized as the greatest obstacle to the progress of the Gospel, and to the coming of the Lord’s kingdom, we earnestly entreat all Christian ministers to bring this subject often to the attention of their congregations and invite their per- sonal influence in all laudable efforts to banish this great evil of intemperance. 5th. That as early impressions are the most lasting, and it is easier and wiser to form than to reform, we ask the co-operation of all who have the training of children to aid us in teaching them the advantages, physical, mental and spiritual of temperance; and the inevitable moral and physical evils resulting from intemperate habits. 6th. That recognizing the great power of the press, and the essential importance of temperance papers, we most heartily recommend to the members of the W. C. T. U. and to the public at large, our national organ. The Union Signal, published at Chicago, and The People’s Advocate, published in Atlanta, Ga. (5) 66 History of the These principles, plans and resolutions were drafted by Mrs. W. C. Sibley, Mrs. E. E. Harper, Mrs. Young J. Allen, wife of Rev. Young J. Allen, of the Southern Methodist Church and a missionary to China for more than fifty years, Mrs. J. C. Keyes, Mrs. Richard Webb, Mrs. E. C. Witter and Mrs. W. T. Wheless. During the closing session of the Convention, Mrs. Sallie F. Chapin, Superintendent of Southern work for the National Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, and one of the most eloquent speakers among women America has produced, came in on her way home from an extended tour of organizing. As she appeared upon the platform there was a storm of applause and waiv- ing of handkerchiefs. Weary and dusty from travel, yet eager for the fight, she presented the front of a great warrior. With firml}’ set mouth, and piercing eyes her arraignment of the liquor traffic burned and glowed with the power of truth. In a perfect torrent of facts, she gave in a few moments a running histoiw of legis- lation proving the impossibility of regulating the traffic. At the close of a grand climax, she exclaimed: “My friends, you had just as well undertake to regulate the King of Perdition! The liquor traffic, like his satanic majesty, will not be regulated. The only effectual way to handle it is to cut off its head by legal prohibition and bury it forever.” As she concluded in a fier^,’ appeal to all temperance workers for renewed effort, pointing out that triumph would as surely follow as God reigned, the audience was deeply moved, some wept, others applauded, and all felt that every man, woman and child in that gi'eat assembly was fully com- 67 Georgia W. C. T. U. mitted to the cause. This was the glorious culmination of the Second Convention of the Georgia Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, small in numbers but great in purpose, great in the power of the Holy Spirit, great in absolute dependence each member felt upon God. Faith and humility, the joint armor of victory was written upon their foreheads. In the name of the Lord God of Hosts, they had set up their banners. Holy mothers, wives and daughters! Before you now we stand uncovered, With all men whom you have brothered. Glory and honor to God above Who crov»fned you with such wondrous love! CHAPTER IV. SEED SOWING THROUGH DEPARTMENTS — TRAINING THE CHILDREN — PRISON WORK — WITH THE COLORED PEOPLE — THIRD CONVENTION IN COLUMBUS IN 1885 — MRS. SALLIE F. Chapin’s eloquence — work of the w. c. t. u. in COUNTY ELECTIONS FROM 1883 TO 1885 — HOW FULTON COUNTY WENT DRY. Get the truth once uttered and it is like A star — new-horn that drops into its place, And which, once circling in its placid round Not all the tumult of the earth can shake. — Lowell. The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union being a preventive rather than a reformatory movement, the most of its early work was seed sowing. The clear visioned pioneers recognized the fact that if a great harvest w'as ever reaped the soil must be thoroughly prepared. They began where it w'as most fertile and promised the largest yield — in the minds of little children. Even prior to the state organization the chief leaders operated this branch of w'ork in every local Union. In 1883 Mrs. M. S. A. Webb, of Savannah, was elected Superintendent of the Juvenile Department and prosecuted it with a zeal unsurpassed. Earnesth" and eloquently she plead for the children’s enlistment, pointing out that their purity and innocence would disarm prejudice and enable them to plant the germ 69 Georgia W. C. T. U. of truth in hearts which would reject it from the strongest man or the holiest woman. By letters and personal appeal she secured the formation of Bands of Hope wherever possible and the children were taught through Temperance Manuals prepared by the National Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, the nature and effect of alcohol and other narcotics upon the human system, from a scientific point of view. These teachings were based upon the highest medical authority in Europe and America. Here was the stronghold of this woman’s movement. They claimed nothing of themselves, only presented the proof which came as a result of thirty years research on the part of the most eminent scientists. For a time these princi- ples were regarded as extreme and the representatives of the organization were commonly termed “fanatics,” but as the light revealed the facts through the various departments, many began to realize that the women were not mad, but only speaking “the words of truth and soberness.” Under this misjudgment and lack of sympathy from the people at large, the early workers stood as immovable as a stone wall in the face of a storm. Conscious that the truth had waked in all of its majestic strength and held the golden key which opened the palace of purity and protection for Geor- gia’s sons and daughters, they met opposing forces with such commanding earnestness that they were left to pursue their course undisturbed by some of the severest critics. Under these trying difficulties of the past which arose, not only from the prevalent thought that 70 History of the the organization was a progenitor of radical views on the temperance question, but was seeking a sphere of action outside of woman’s realm, none was more serene in spirit and steadfast in devotion than the saintly Superintendent of the Juvenile Department, Mrs. M. S. A. Webb. When the waves of opposition would sweep with almost destructive fury on everj'^ hand, she would say, “Let us teach the children and when they grow up, all things will come right.” She saw that the chil- dren were instructed concerning alcoholic poison, not only through the text books, but through the ringing notes of militant music, written by Miss Anna Adams Gordon, of Auburndale, Massachusetts, at that time private seeretary to Miss Willard- This gentle high priestess of childhood, in writing the temperance songs for the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union through- out the world, became to this organization what the poetic fire of Charles Wesley was to Methodism. While Illinois furnished the founder of the world’s united Womanhood who proclaimed the gospel of total absti- nence from the platform and through the press, let it never be forgotten that Massachusetts produced the founder of the world’s united childhood which chanted the melody of purity and prohibition from shore to shore with the sweetness of a chorus fresh from the bosom of God ! We shall never forget a moving picture of transcendent power at the National Woman’s Christian Temperance Union in Atlanta in 1890. It was an evening hour in Trinity Methodist Church. A platform had been built which ran the full width of the building and extended about thirty feet front. Miss 71 Georgia W. C. T. U. Gordon sat at the piano and played to march measures that song which makes the liquor traffic quake with fear — “Saloons, Saloons, Saloons, Must Go!” and more than three hundred children in the national colors came upon the platform bearing banners upon which were inscribed such mottoes as “Tremble King Alcohol for We Shall Grow Up!” “The Future is Ours!” “The Right Will Conquer!” and sang with rapturous enthusiasm, clapping their hands and waving their banners. Strong men wept amid a great deep hush, in which all felt that God was present giving pledge that they should be protected in the j^ears to come from the curse of the liquor traffic as surely as He sat in majesty upon His throne! This scene was repeated upon a smaller scale in every city, town and hamlet where Bands of Hope were formed. Children became the messengers of the Most High in countless homes and led their parents into the light of truth touching the danger of alcoholic poison. Mrs. S. J. Blanchard, of Columbus, one of the most gifted and consecrated workers for children in the State, tells how a little five year old girl whose father made a practice of taking a toddy before breakfast each morning and giving it to his children, after she became a member of the Band of Hope and learned that alcohol injured the brain, told her father that she was unwilling to take it any longer. At first he laughed at her, but when she returned from the Temperance meeting each week with a fresh supply of reasons for her fears and gave them to him with the inimitable earnestness known only to a child, he at last decided with her that it was better 72 History of the to be on the safe side and became a total abstainer. A small boy of this same Band of Hope in Columbus was used of God to close one of the largest and most dreaded saloons in the city. These are only two of many instances which could be given where baby hands pointed the Way of Life and with the aid of the Holy Spirit transformed the heart of stone into a heart of flesh. Notwithstanding the potency of the children’s move- ment, so vast were the proportions of the drink evil, and so multiform its victims, that it called for every possible agency to uproot it. It demanded a “do every- thing policy,” as Miss Willard aptly phrased it, that would convert the smallest and greatest forces into means of its overthrow, therefore the Departments were instituted which touched at wellnigh all points that led to the main line — Scientific Instruction in the Public Schools, and in the Sunday Schools, Prison and Jail Work, Relative Statistics, Unfermented Wine at the Sacrament, Work among Colored People, Influencing the Press, Flower Mission, Legislation and Petition, Health and Heredity, State and County Fairs, Work among Foreign Population, Social Purity, Work among Railroad Employees, and various other depart- ments were adopted as means and laborers provided. Perhaps none of these avenues of temperance educa- tion sowed the seed for a great harvest more effectually than that of Influencing the Press under the super- vision of the State President, Mrs. W. C. Sibley. Recog- nizing the power of prejudice against the temperance cause, she directed her forces throughout the State to 73 Georgia W. C. T. U. solicit a column in the daily and weekly papers to be edited by local superintendents of Press Work. In most cases the space was cheerfully granted, especially in the weekly papers. This counted largely in the spread of temperance truth particularly through the rural sections where the people at that time had but little to read outside of their county paper. In many instances they read the temperance column, not that they were in sympathy with the temperance reform, but because it was before them and they had nothing else to read. The wise editors used the finest common sense in stating the truth- It was put in pithy para- graphs, clothed in simple language and characterized by a spirit of friendly persuasion that was irresistible. Another Department of importance in preparing the soil for the reform was that of Scientific Temperance Instruction in Public Schools. While Georgia at that time had no law requiring her children taught the nature and effect of alcohol upon the human system, and while the physiologists gave but meager reference, if any, at this point, prior to 1870; yet in a few isolated cases the Union secured the co-operation of teachers and the truths as demonstrated by science were faith- fully given. An illustration is found in the experience of a young lady teacher in Harris County in 1885. She had joined the Union through the deepest convictions of duty and had pledged to sow beside all waters. Being at the head of a school of about forty students, she resolved to give a daily temperance drill- The father of one of her pupils was a distiller, and when his son told him of the truths he was being taught touching History of the Ik alcohol as a poison, the father grew angry and told his son to tell the teacher that he was sent to school to learn “readin’, writin’, and ’rithmetic,” not to be lectured on “temperance,” that such instruction had to cease or he would take his boy from school. The wise teacher sent a kind note in reply giving assurance that his son would no longer be required to recite the temperance lesson. But the truth had already taken root in the mind of his bright boy and the father could never uproot it. For twenty j^ears the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union of Georgia thus sowed seed in this Department through sjmipathetic teachers. It was done as silently as the falling snow, and yet was in the minds of the generation who rceived it, as powerful as the forces of nature. Another department which struggled into existence through manifold difficulties was that of Prison and Jail Work, under the Superintendency of Mrs. E. E. Harper, of Atlanta. Timid and reticent j’et wholly given to God this heroine of the Cross became a minis- tering angel to minds darkened by sin and hands stained with blood. In her first report covering a little more than four months, a record is made that is suffi- cient of itself to give the Woman’s Christian Temper- ance Union a place among the most beneficent influen- ces. She distributed in prisons and convict camps 2,622 religious papers, 357 lesson books, 54 hymn books, 8 Bibles, 3 Testaments, 435 Tracts, 5 Sunday School books, 1,402 bouquets of flowers to which Scripture Texts were attached, a Thanksgiving dinner to 115 pris- oners, made 35 visits to prisons, wrote 13 letters, and 75 Georgia W. C. T. U. gave 26 Gospel talks- Under her earnest appeals at- tended with the Holy Spirit, many came to a knowledge of Christ, and when their term of imprisonment was served they were not only free according to the law but were free from the bondage of sin. Numerous letters were received by Mrs. Harper from wives and mothers and even children overflowing with praise and thanksgiving for the wonderful change that had been wrought in their loved ones. A small boy sent a pic- ture of himself with a letter to the “kind lady who made papa a good man.” A little girl sent a shell saying, “I Vv'ant to thank you for giving my papa a Bible, and tell you he loves to read it.” On Flower Mission Day when Mrs. Harper carried hundreds of tiny boquets tied with the White Ribbon, and cards bearing Scripture Texts, distributing them to the prisoners, hearts were melted that never before seemed moved. After the usual Scripture lesson, talk, song and prayer, many came with earnest faces asking that their texts be explained. Through this medium the teaching of God’s Word was lodged in the hearts of some who had never heard it proclaimed. As the searching light con- tinued to be turned on by the hand of love and faith, darkened consciences began to see their condition and plead for pardon. Depraved prodigals “came to them- selves and went back to their father’s house.” Mrs. Harper wrote the glad tidings to many wives and mothers whose broken hearts were made to sing with rapturous praise- Through the years which followed, messages bearing the testimony of faithfulness on the part of ex-convicts and ex-prisoners came to this saintly 76 History of the laborer, which was an unspeakable reward for all she suffered through the mis judgment and criticism at the beginning of the work. This service was rendered in every town and city of the State where Unions were established by the Local Superintendents of Prison and Jail Work. God’s seal of approval was so manifestly set upon this Holy Ministry that prisoners were not only blessed themselves but those who bore the message were strengthened and built up. We have sat in Con- vention of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union year after year and witnessed the unvarying power which rested upon the body as these prison reports were given. Many timid girls offered their first audi- ble prayer in the darkness of prison cells and we do not doubt that the very angels and archangels of Heaven made their flight to strengthen the heart that was plead- ing through sobs and tears for a fallen brother. No less important was the work among colored P people directed by this same devoted toiler, Mrs. E. E. I Harper. She attended Schools, Sunday Schools and X, Churches for the colored population of Atlanta from j week to week, giving talks, distributing literature and, wherever possible, organizing Unions. Mrs. Sallie F. Chapin, of South Carolina, on her frequent visits to Georgia as Superintendent of Southern Work became a tremendous force in this branch of service. Her heart was essentially enlisted, she was a typical woman of the old South, lived under the ante-bellum regime, witnessed the filial care of Christian masters for their slaves and the motherly interest of Christian mistresses. She knew how these faithful dependents trusted their 77 Georgia W. C. T. U. masters and leaned upon them as a child upon a parent, how, through the long struggle of the Civil War, they protected the home while their masters went out to fight for the principles of liberty, and after it was over, with its fearful havoc of manhood, bitterness, broken hearts and buried dead, she saw these thousands of slaves thrust out upon their own resources as ignorant of self-provision as a child and as unfitted to cast a ballot. She saw how low politicians and degraded white men courted their favor with the bribe of whiskey, telling them that they were now free and no man had the right to rob them of their personal liberty, to drink and vote for liquor. The fiery indignation of her great soul was so aroused that she went among them, not only in Georgia, but in every Southern State as a flaming evan- gel of truth. In their churches, school houses, in rail- way" stations and everywhere she could gather an audience, by private and public persuasion she plead with them as a friend. With the co-operation of the State Superintendent, Mrs- E. E. Harper, and such col- ored ministers as Rev. S. E. Lathrop, of the Colored Congregational Church, Macon; Rev. D. Sherril, of the same church. Savannah; Rev. J. M. White, of the Col- ored Baptist Church, Augusta; Rev. C. H. Lyons, of Rome, and Rev. E. R. Carter and W. J. Gaines, of Atlanta, she set in motion influences among Georgia’s colored citizenship that will never die. Colored Unions were organized and systematic teaching on scientific temperance was given in many of the colored schools. Especially was this true of Macon where the noted temperance worker among his own people. Rev. Stanley 78 History of the E. Lathrop, utilized every possible force in the colored churches and schools in behalf of reform. The Lewis High School, of Macon, with which he was connected, became a center of light for colored workers. Spellman Institute, of Atlanta, under the presidency of H. E. Giles, ' also heartily co-operated in the teaching of scientific temperance through Bands of Hope. The children were organized at East and West Atlanta colored schools as early as 1885 and became the means of many colored mothers discarding tobacco and whiskej'. IMi’s. Vj2. G. Ball, General Superintendent of these schools, writes that snuff also was excluded in their pledge, which shows the earnest effort to lift their people above r degrading and unhealthful habits. One hundred copies i of the Temperance Banner were taken at that time by the Atlanta colored Unions, and the Union Signal, the official organ of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, was also circulated. The Department of Unfermented Wine at the Sacra- ment was another pioneer agency which caused an arrest of thought along temperance lines. It was regarded as a little extreme until the facts were made known that some, through inherited appetite for strong drink, could not commune without being tempted to resort to intoxicants to allay their thirst. It was also shown that the children of the Bands of Hope who were pledged to abstain from all intoxicants could not par- take of the Sacrament when fermented wine was used without feeling that they had at least approximated the point of violating their trust. To meet these conditions wellnigh all of the ministers consented to adopt the Georgia W. C. T. U. 79 unfermented wine at the Lord’s table. The faithful Superintendent of this department, in the early years, Mrs. Mary Shropshire, of Rome, not only by letters and personal appeal urged its claim, but sent a recipe for preparing the pure juice of the grape or unfermented wine to everj^ local superintendent in the State that the churches might be provided with a supply. From May 7-8, 1885, the Third Annual Convention of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union was held in Columbus, Georgia, in St. Luke Methodist Church. Rev. Walker Lewis, pastor of the church and the strong friend of temperance, conducted the devotional exer- cises of the opening session. Addresses of welcome were delivered by the Rev. A. M. Wynn, pastor of the St. Paul Methodist Church, Colonel Grigsby Thomas and Mrs. W. J. McAllister, President of the local Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. Mrs- William C. Sibley, the State President, gave in her annual mes- sage thrilling exhortations to renewed endeavor and recounted with praise the advanced steps which had been taken the past year. Miss Missouri H. Stokes, the Corresponding Secretary, gave a resume of the work accomplished by each Union and affectionately urged increased diligence by the Unions already formed and the vital necessity for further organization. Nine Unions were represented by delegates and eleven reported through the Corresponding Secretary. State Superintendents gave encouraging progress in their respective Departments. Special emphasis was placed upon Physiological Temperance Instruction in schools, and a committee appointed to memorialize the next 80 History of the Legislature to enact a law requiring such teaching in the public and State schools. The local Band of Hope, under the leadership of Mrs. S. J. Blanchard, filled an evening hour with a most enthusiastic exercise of tem- perance drills, songs, recitations, and talks. One hundred and fifty children marching on the platform and singing with ringing melody, “Temperance Boys and Girls Are We,” formed a moving picture of thrill- ing interest. A memorial service, tender and beautiful, was held in commemoration of the faithful laborers who had fallen at their post during the year. Among the num- ber was the strong, bright spirit of the Superintendent of Sunday School Work, Mrs. Grigsby Thomas, of Columbus, and the apostolic Mrs. Man,' E. Howes, of Atlanta, who for forty years illustrated the doctrines of the Lord Jesus Christ with one of the most saintly lives the world has produced. Mrs- Wright, Mrs. iMer- rill, and Mrs. Inglesby, of Savannah, were also com- memorated at this meeting for their faithful service. Early in the Convention Mrs. Sallie F. Chapin arrived and was at once voted a member of the body. This opened the waj' for her strong common sense and deep spirituality to bear their marks upon the proceedings. At an evening hour in the First Presbyterian Church she delivered an address, which to this day, is recalled by those who heard it with great enthusiasm. Many from the National have wrought well and made an indelible impression upon the temperance reform in Georgia, but \ t:^ p 3 & CC r-^ r-h rD tr CD c 3 CD P o i-h O CD o ■-I °[S. p’ p V t3 rD P O *<: o p p t3 p 3 fV CD ti 3 - o ^4 tf cr O) o ^ p O '-! O CD P ^ 8 :: P h— < P^ a Tfi 'f o V! cr CD P o O-^ c *. 5’ CD Oi i/5 o £ 3 ►c p o '-! O' p X CD X X o p O > line of her countenance, illuminated the scene. As she resumed her seat after her address had been given, Mrs. Jennie Hart Sibley fastened about her neck an exquisite chain as a souvenir of the “Jubilee Convention,” and Mrs. T. E. Patterson, at that time Vice-President of the State Union, and Secretary of the Loyal Temperance Legion, stepped to the rear of Miss Gordon and grace- fully threw over her head a string of two hundred and ten one-dollar bills, representing eight hundred and forty subscriptions to the Young Crusader, the official organ of the L. T. L., of which Miss Gordon is Editor- in-Chief. A great wave of enthusiasm swept over the crowd and the audience could not refrain from vigor- ous hand-clapping. As the children filed out of the chancel, each throwing into Miss Gordon’s lap, a rose- bud, typical of their relation to the work, the people were thrilled with the power of organized innocence. Another distinguished visitor. Miss Rena E. G. Mosher, afterward National Superintendent of the “Y” branch, was present and delivered an able address on the even- ing of the “Y”’ and Grand Gold Medal Contest. While these strong women from the National gave of their best, Mrs. Armor, Georgia’s President, was indeed at her best. The magnificent fullness of a great char- acter cannot be seen until an occasion arises which de- velops it. Thus it required the largeness of this historic Convention to fit the largeness of Mrs. Armor’s endow- ments. The women caught a vision of her masterful 245 Georgia W. C. T. U. command of every situation. Nothing arose but she seemed superior to it. A leading physician of the Statt in writing to the Wesleyan Christian Advocate, after the Convention said he was profoundly impressed with many features. “The zeal and devotion of the body, the intelligent dispatch of business, the eager, wide- awakeness to learn anything that would advance the cause, the spirit of loyalty and love which pervaded the atmosphere, the commanding personel and strong in- dividuality of the speakers, but,” he said, “there was one outstanding star above all the others, the brilliant gen- ius of Mrs. Mary Harris Armor, the President of the Convention.” If this eloquent tribute had been paid in open session, every member would have sprung to her feet and given assent to the Chautauqua Salute and White Ribbon Cheer, for the women of the National W. C. T. U. were not more devoted to their immortal leader, Frances E. Willard, than the Georgia W. C. T. U. were to Mary Harris Armor. On “Welcome Night” when her annual message was delivered, instead of following the beaten track, giving the conventional, and we might say, stereotyped address on the status of the work, with a review of the various departments, includ- ing recommendations, looking to the advancement, she gave a brilliant utterance, burning with the fires of conviction on “Prohibition, and How to Enforce It.” This was typical of her great individuality. She had the vision and the courage to rise above form and the strength to break away from custom when it clashed with duty. At the close of the service hundreds rushed to her side and gave assurance of loyalty to the cause 246 History of the and expressing gratitude for the inspiration of her message. On “Jubilee Night” a sea of faces, glov.dng with the joy of victory, made a picture never to be forgotten. The large auditorium of St. Luke Church was literally packed. White ribbon and banners were everwhere in evidence, the great flag of Georgia, especially loaned for the occasion by the authorities at the State House in Atlanta, being conspicuously draped in the center, back of the pulpit. At the opening of the service the great audience joined in singing: “Georgia has gone dry, Georgia has gone dry. Praise the Lord who helped us, Georgia has gone dry!” As this mighty wave of song arose from that great multitude, there was a mingled feeling of power, pathos, gratitude and triumph, that no words can de- scribe. Some were weeping, others smiling, while still others sat with the light of conquering victory in their faces. Gray-haired heroines who had climbed the rugged path for twenty-five years were trembling with emotion. God was there owning their labors and speaking to their hearts. They had lived to see the seed they sowed in tears come to glorious fruitage. Twenty-three years ago they had met in the same city, in the same church with scarcely a handful at their side, without means or prestige, their President (God bless her) ridiculed for extreme and “fanatical” views. To-day they saw their chief executive an uncrowned 247 Georgia W. C. T. U. queen, and the treasury receiving from eighty Unions, through thirty- two departments, $3,134.88, in a single year, more than they collected in ten of the first years. As these jewels of a glorious past, set their faces home- ward, they heard ringing in their ears the words of the Scriptures: “Behold! What hath God wrought?” On November 8-13, 1907, following the “Jubilee Con- vention,” the National Convention was held in the First Presbyterian Church of Nashville, Tennessee. Georgia never had a warmer welcome, for all wanted to hear how her victory was won. Mrs. Armor inspired the largest delegation to attend that had ever gone front the State. The following members of the “Jubilee Con- vention” were elected to represent Georgia and accom- pany Mrs. Armor: Mrs. W. T. Gautier, of the Colum- bus Union; Mrs. J. F. DeLacy, of the Eastman Union; Mrs. M. L. McLendon, of the Atlanta Willard; Mrs. W. A. Sumter, of the Albany Union; Mrs. G. A. Cochrane, of the Atlanta Willard; Mrs. W. G. Cotton, of the Columbus Union, and Mrs. J. J. Ansley, of the Buena Vista Union. Mrs. Jennie Hart Sibley, Honorary President; Mrs. T. E. Patterson, Vice-President, and many visitors joined the party. Never were joys season- ed higher as they steamed along the way and reached Nashville, where Mrs. Armor, who had gone in advance of the full delegation to meet the National Executive Committee, met them at the station with glowing face and open arms. As her Georgia comrades gathered about her, she turned to the local committee and asked with rapturous enthusiasm: “Don’t you think our Georgia women look well?” Of course there was a 248 History of the unanimous affirmative answer, for it was Georgia’s day. “Come right on,” Mrs. Armor said, as she made a path through the crowd, “Georgia is placed in the front rank, you all have the best homes in the city. You will be given the front pews in the church.” “Hurrah! for Georgia !” she exclaimed, with girlish enthusiasm. When the Convention opened the next morning the Georgia delegation filled two lengthy pews, at the left of the platform, where they could hear the proceedings without the least effort. Every courtesy was extended by the Convention. Mrs. Stevens announced that Geor- gia would have right of way because “she had gone dry.” When the services of the Sabbath were given out by the committee Mrs. Armor was placed at McKendree, the largest and oldest Methodist Church in the city, to fill the eleven o’clock hour. It was well advertised that she would speak and when the hour came there was scarcely standing room in the large auditorium. She delivered her famous address on “How Georgia Went Dry.” Beginning in that simple, unaffected, earnest, vigorous manner, which character- izes all of her public speeches, the people at once recog- nized that one stood before them whom God had called to fight His battles. As she proceeded with thrilling descriptions of the intensive methods used in Georgia’s struggle towards victory, growing in fervor at every step, the people listened in wonder and there was a manifest effort on their part to hold themselves down. All at once they seemed to forget that they were in old McKendree Church, with its solemn dignity. Georgia W. C. T. U. 2k9 and they began to cheer so that she could scarcely be heard. The preachers at her back in the pulpit, among them the venerable Dr. G. D. Kelly, rapped their canes upon the floor and said: “Praise God.” When she reached the closing scenes in the Georgia Legislature, where every man was brought face to face with honor and duty and could find no place for hiding, in the grand climax showing the heroic allegiance of such men as Seaborn Wright, Dr. L. G, Hardman and Judge W. A. Covington, there were cries of “Hear! Hear!” all over the house. At the close of the service she could scarcely make her way through the crowd, so great was the throng that gathered about her, asking that she repeat the address at the evening hour. When she returned to her stopping place the city reporters began to call her up over the telephone, asking that her address be given them for publication in the next day’s paper. It was striking to hear her answer them in that straightforw^ard, matter-of-fact way which is the expression of her sincere and un- affected character, “I don’t know how to write,” said she, “I only know how to talk. I never wrote a speech in my life.” When they asked if she could not give them a synopsis of her address, she replied: “I can’t write, I tell you. I know what I want to say and I say it right out of my heart. You will have to get some one else to write the speech I made this morning if you want it. I have a friend here, Mrs. Ansley, from Georgia, who writes. She may con- sent to do it for you.” The writer was sitting in hearing distance of this telephone conversation and at Mrs. 250 History of the Armor’s request, went to confer with the reporter. He wanted the substance of Mrs. Armor’s address with some facts touching her parentage and historj". The promise was given to prepare as best I could, what he desired. In the course of the article I had occasion to call Mrs. Armor the “Joan of Arc of the Temperance Reform.” This was copied in the Northern papers and in a few days Mrs. Armor had calls to service in almost every state in the nation, where a fight was on for pro- hibition. The representative delegates in the Conven- tion urged her to make engagements two years in ad- vance. She was literally beseiged to speak and work in states from Maine to California. The Literary Editor of the Taylor-Trotwood magazine, came to the Convention church for an interview and requested her to write her noted address for that periodical. This call she declined in short order, as she had done in the case of the city reporter. She again referred the editor to her Georgia friend, the result of which appeared in the January issue of the Taylor-Trotwood magazine under the head of “Progress of Prohibition in Georgia.” Even a greater test of Mrs. Armor’s powers was made towards the close of the Convention, when Mrs. Stevens called upon her to take the annual collection for National work in the Sam Jones auditorium before perhaps five fhousand people. If might be claimed that it was not remarkable that one should grow eloquent over Georgia’s victory before a sympathetic audience in McKendree Church, but this was a duty from which the strongest drew back, and for which the fewest num- ber had gifts, the gift of raising money for an unpopular Georgia W. C. T. U. 251 cause. After speaking only a few sentences, Mrs. Armor brought the audience so perfectly under her con- trol that $8,000.00 was contributed in a few minutes, the subscriptions being given faster than the secretaries could take them down. It was absolutely without prec- edent in the history of the organization. Since that wonderful occasion when all so forgot themselves as to give freely, even lavishly to God’s cause under the in- fluence of Mrs. Armor’s blazing eloquence, she has been in demand for difficult duties in the National W. C. T. U. from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Who wonders that: Georgia lifts her heart in gratitude sublime To Him who sent her a gift so divine — This woman, toiling on in faith through heat and cold To free her native State from curse of liquor’s gold! Fight on, Oh woman, ’till the nation is redeemed. And citizens of all the states have esteemed It crime to foster aught save peace and purity — Crown jewels rare of Christian love and amity. APPENDIX. ORIGINAL CHARTER. Georgia, I Fulton County, f Superior Court of said County. The petition of Mrs. J. E. Sibley, Miss Missouri H. Stokes, Mrs. W. B. Hill, Mrs. R. A. Felton, Miss Emmie Stewart, Mrs. Cora C. Snead, Mrs. E. C. Witter, Mrs. M. L. McLendon, Mrs. Mary S. Webb, Mrs. S. J. Blanchard, Mrs. M. W. Scomp, Mrs. J. L. Camp, Mrs. M. C. Rowe, and their associates and successors desire to be incorporated under the name of “the woman’s CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION OF GEORGIA.” The object of their organization for which this charter is asked is to promote the cause of temperance by religious influence, by moral suasion, by educational methods, by legal prohibition of the traffic in intoxicating beverages, and by all such collateral means and agencies as will tend to the same purpose. They have no one fixed place for carrying out said objects, but operate through local branches of the organization in the differ- ent counties and a State Annual Convention, in which said local societies or Unions are represented, but they desire to establish permanent headquarters in Atlanta, Fulton County. Said organization is not formed for the purpose of gain or financial profit and has no capital stock. Petitioners pray that they may be incorporated under said corporate name for the term of twenty years, and that they 254 Appendix. may be invested with all the powers mentioned in Section 1679 of the Code of Georgia. WALTER B. HILL, Petitioners’ Attorney. Filed in office, this 25th day of February, 1891. G. H. TANNER, Clerk. Upon hearing the foregoing petition, it appearing that it has been filed, recorded and published as by law required, and that the same is legitimately in the purview and intention of the Code, it is ordered that the application contained in said petition be and the same is hereby granted, and the petitioners and their successors are hereby incorporated for the term of twenty years under the corporate name of “the woman’s CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION OF GEORGIA,” with all the powers mentioned in Section 1679 of the Code of Georgia. In Open Court, April 8th, 1891. MARSHALL J. CLARKE, Judge. State of Georgia, | Fulton County, j I, G. H. Tanner, Clerk of the Superior Court in and for said County, hereby certify that the above and foregoing is a true copy of the petition and order granting Charter to “The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, of Georgia,” as appears of record in this office. I also further certify that the original petition, together with the order and original legal advertisement has been recorded in the record of Fulton Superior Court Charters. Witness my hand and seal of said Court, this the 8th day of April, 1891. G. H. TANNER, Clerk. Appendix. MRS. ELIZABETH C. WITTER. 255 SKETCHED BY MISS MISSOURI H. STOKES. Mrs. Elizabeth Clayton Witter was born August 3rd, 1829, near Forsyth, in Monroe County, Georgia. She was one of the daughters of William W. and Eliza K. Oslin. Her paternal great-grandfather was Rev. William Waters, the first American- born Methodist preacher. There were from time to time, forty ministers in her family connection. She herself was converted and united with the Methodist Church when but eight years old. Mrs. Witter’s early girlhood was spent in LaGrange, Georgia, where, at school, she manifested unusual mental power. In July, 1852, she was married at Oak Bowery, Alabama, to Mr. Henry Witter. They came to Atlanta in the stormy days of “The War Between the States,” where they spent the greater part of their married life; but removed a few years ago to Decatur, Georgia, where, on November 25th, 1901, Mrs. Witter met her sudden and tragic death. She was noted for her devotion to church work and was prom- inent for many years in the Woman’s Home and Foreign Mission- ary Societies. Her philanthropic labors among the poor and lowly, knew no bounds, and to the sick and afflicted she minis- tered with her own hands and her own means. As a friend, she was ever hospitable and true. In her dispo- sition she was ever cheerful, hopeful, charitable and forgiving. As a student of the Bihle, few persons read it more constantly or with better results. She was coming from a Bible reading in Atlanta when the fatal railroad accident that ended her life, occurred. She was returning to her home in Decatur on December 25th, 1901, and stepped from the street car to the track of the Georgia Railroad and was instantly killed by the locomotive of a freight train. Clasped tightly in her dying hands was a Bible she had so long read and carried with her to religious and temperance meetings. 256 Appendix. On the 2nd of December, 1880, Mrs. Witter joined the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union of Atlanta, and on the 14th of April, 1881, she was elected to its Presidency, a position which she held at the time of her death, and had held (except for brief period of ill health), all those twenty years. She was the first President of the first local W. C. T. U. ever organized in Georgia. With her in its earlier years, were associated such women as Mrs. Jonathan Norcross, Mrs. M. E. Howes, Mrs. A. C. Kiddoo, Mrs. E. P. O’Connor, Mrs. Hester A. Auten, Mrs. Mary N. Callo- way, Mrs. E. E. Harper, Mrs. D. 0. Dougherty, Mrs. J. G. Thrower, Mrs. Stainback Wilson, and Miss Missouri Stokes. It is doubtful if any woman in Georgia ever did more or sacrificed more for the temperance cause than Elizabeth C. Witter. For several years she also held the State Superintend- ency of the Department of Unfermented Wine at the Sacrament. How faithfully she performed her duties, many, not only in Atlanta, but all over the State, can testify. A volume would fail to tell of her almost superhuman labors in the Local Option Campaigns of both State and County; and in the mission work of her Union as carried on in jail, hospital and the most neglected parts of the city; and of her labors for Social Purity among the outcast of the city; and of how she worked in Gospel Temper- ance Prayer-Meetings and Sunday Schools. Even after Mrs. Witter moved to Decatur, and with the weight of three-score and ten years years resting upon her, there was no abatement of her zeal, energy and punctuality. The key-note of her wonderful character, so energetic and yet so modest, sweet and humble, was her likeness to Christ in whom she believed with all her heart and loved with a deep, abiding love. AUTO-BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF MISS MISSOURI H. STOKES. Miss Missouri Horton Stokes, daughter of Joseph Hale Stokes and Mary Watson Stevens, was born in Gordon County, Georgia, Appendix. 257 July 24th, 1838. On her mother’s side she was of English, Welsh and Scotch descent; on her father’s of Welsh and Irish ancestry. Until her thirteenth year, her education was almost wholly car- ried on at home, her mother and her half-sister. Miss Mary A. H. Gay, being her teachers. At this period of her life, her then widowed mother and the little family moved to Decatur, near Atlanta. Here, after a few years at the Academy, Miss Stokes became a pupil of Rev. John S. Wilson, D. D., pastor of the Presbyterian Church and Principal of the Hannah More Female Institute, from which school she graduated in 1858, after a three year’s course in the usual collegiate studies. Next to her mothei’, this noble man had more to do with the forming of her character than any other person, for he was her pastor as well as her teacher, she having united with the Decatur Presbyterian Church in 1853. Her religious impressions, however, she dated back to her earliest years and her mother’s teachings and to a three year’s residence in Marietta where, at the age of seven, she began to read the Bible for herself and to take a deep interest in the Sabbath School and the preached word. From her early years Missouri Stokes had a penchant for teaching, instructing children younger than herself, and the negro servants wherever she found them. After her graduation, she taught at various points for several years, including those of the War Between the States. From 1874 to ’77, she had charge of the Departments of English Literature and of Mental and Moral Science in the Dalton Female College. From ’79 to ’81 she taught a private school in Atlanta. After that she had charge for four years of the Mission Day School of the Marietta Street Methodist Episcopal Church, visiting the parents of the pupils and sometimes holding Bible readings among them. In 1880 Miss Stokes became a member of the Atlanta Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, the first local Union organized in Georgia. In 1881 she became its Secretary, and when the State W. C. T. U. was organized in 1883, she was appointed State Cor- responding Secretary, holding both oflBces until her resignation in 1893. With enthusiastic zeal, she literally threw herself into ( 17 ) 258 Appendix. this work, seizing every opportunity to advance the cause. For years she was the Georgia Special Correspondent of the Union Signal, and for various papers in her own State, she furnished temperance articles. Miss Stokes was one of that heroic band of Georgia women to whose efforts the State was largely indebted for the passage of its General Local Option Law and also for its Scientific Instruction in the Public Schools, thousands of petitions for both these measures being sent through the post office by her hands. During her connection with the State W. C. T. U. Miss Stokes made several organizing tours in its behalf, and was everywhere received with great kindness and respect. In 1892 there came to Miss Stokes a most crushing bereavement in the death of her nephew, Thomas Hale Stokes, the last male member of her family. After a few months, she resigned the office she had held for eleven years, and for five years her connection with the State Union ceased. In 1897 she accepted the State Superintendency of the W. C. T. U. Press Work, but resigned that office in 1902.* MRS. SALLIE F. CHAPIN. A TRIBUTE FROM MRS. W. C. SIBLEY. Among the workers who came to the help of Georgia in the pioneer days of the W. C. T. U., none gave more valuable assist- ance than Mrs. Sallie F. Chapin, of South Carolina, the honored and well-beloved President of the W. C. T. U. of that State, and National Superintendent of Southern Work. She was always ready and willing to come, at every call for “help.” She attended nearly every State Convention, and by her wise counsel, motherly advice, and executive ability, gave valuable help to the business meetings, and in public meetings 'Miss Stokes died November 27th, 1910, very soon after the Madison Convention at which there was a special re-union of the pioneers of the Georgia W. C. T. U. She was too ill at the time to attend the Convention. — [Editor.] Appendix. 259 was always the favorite speaker, with her personal magnetism, her thrilling eloquence, wit and humor, and stirring appeals to the hearts and consciences of the people, creating enthusiasm, swaying her audiences at will, making many friends and con- verts to the cause, adding to the membership of the W. C. T. U., and securing financial help for its treasury. She lectured in many cities of the State, organized a number of Unions, and assisted in several local option campaigns for prohibition, and was one of the most well-beloved and successful temperance workers that ever came to the State. She loved Georgia next to her own state, but worked most faithfully, lovingly, and self- sacrificingly throughout the whole South — and in some places at the North — never being deterred or conquered by difficulties and opposition, but always ready to speak, do and dare, and “if need be, to die,” for the cause so dear to her heart, ’till health and strength failed, the tired body gave out, the brave, loyal heart ceased to beat, and the faithful, consecrated soul took its flight to the better world, to meet with its blessed reward. THE SECOND CHARTER. In Re Mrs. J. H. Sibley, et al Petition for Charter. I In Spalding Superior Court. January Term, 1906. Whereas, Mrs. Jennie Hart Sibley, of Greene County; Mrs. Mary Harris Armor, of Dodge County; Mrs. Mary R. Patterson, of Spalding County; Mrs. R. V. Hardeman, of Ribb County; Mrs. C. H. Smith, of Schley County; Mrs. Leila A. Dillard, of Troup County; and Miss Theresa Griffin, of Muscogee County, Georgia, on November 6th, 1905, filed their petition in this Court on behalf of themselves and their associates and successors, praying to be incorporated for a term of twenty years under the name and style of “the woman’s CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION OF GEORGIA,” And said petition has been published as required by law, it is therefore ordered that said petition be granted and said petition- 260 Appendix. ers, their associates and successors, are hereby incorporated under the name and style of The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union of Georgia, for the period of twenty years with the privilege of renewal at the end of said time, for the purpose of reclaiming the inebriate, suppressing the traffic in intoxicating liquors, and creating a high moral and religious sentiment in favor of total abstinence from all that may intoxicate, and further in their corporate capacity to have the right to establish local Unions wherever desired in said State, to have and use a common seal, to buy, own and sell real estate or other property, to receive gifts and bequests for the purpose of advancing the object of said corporation, to make and adopt by-laws for the government of said corporation, and to have all the rights, powers and privileges, and subject to all the limitations, duties and restrictions, which, by the laws of Georgia, appertain to such corporations. In open Court, January 19th, 1906. E. J. REAGAN, Judge. S. C. F. C. State of Georgia, ) Clerk’s Office, Spalding Superior Court. Spalding County, j Griffin, Ga., February 20th, 1912. I, W. H. Wheaton, Clerk of the Superior Court of Spalding County, Georgia, do hereby certify that the above and fore- going is a true and correct copy of the order of Court granting charter to “the woman’s CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION OF GEORGIA,” as the same appears of record on the Minutes of said Court, in Minute Book “L,” pages 437 and 438. Witness my signature and seal of the said Court, this the day and year last above written. W. H. WHEATON, Clerk. Appendix. 261 THE ATLANTA RACE RIOT. It was during this Convention in LaGrange that the Race Riot occurred in Atlanta and the news of it coming through the press telegrams profoundly stirred the women assembled there. The origin of it was that several outrages had been committed by negroes upon unprotected white women in the suburbs of the city, and the police could not discover the criminals. The popu- lace became greatly incensed and the lawless and degraded element among the whites began to terrorize the negroes so that many of them fled from their homes. The affair culminated in the gathering of a mob upon the streets which dragged two or three innocent negroes from a street car and shot them to death. The mayor immediately ordered every saloon in the city closed, the authorities took hold vigorously of the situation and there was no more trouble. It was said that the whole thing was caused by drinking in the low dives on Decatur Street and the occurrence had a direct influence upon the public mind in favor of State-wide prohibition. In the Convention the matter was fully discussed; the noon- tide prayer was made by Mrs. Juliette Nix, of Atlanta, and very earnest and solemn it was. She prayed for the peace of our capital city even at that moment convulsed with internal and bloody strife. A resolution was offered by Dr. Lillis Wood Starr, also of Atlanta, and adopted as follows: “To Mayor Woodward, Atlanta, Ga.; Greetings: “We, the Georgia W. C. T. U., in session, do praise the Lord that by your act of closing the saloons you have declared the saloon to be a menace to peace, the hot-bed of anarchy, crime and bloodshed. Our prayers ascend for their permanent closing and for God’s protection and peace in our capital city.” Signed, MARY HARRIS ARMOR, President, JENNIE HART SIBLEY, Honorary President, M. THERESA GRIFFIN, Ass’t. Recording Sec’y. 262 Appendix. MRS. ISABELLA WEBB PARKS. Mrs. Isabella Webb Parks was a member of the “old original Atlanta Union” several years before the National W. C. T. U. Convention was held in Atlanta in 1890 in Trinity Church. Mrs. Parks was one of Frances E. Willard’s many pupils at the North- western University, Evanston, Illinois, where both Mrs. Parks and her husband graduated. She was very active in assisting in enter- taining the delegates to the National and had many of them in her own home. She was a most valued member of the Frances Willard Union when she left Atlanta for Washington City where she and her husband and family have since resided. She was for years Associate Editor of the Union Signal and a remarkable woman in many ways. MRS. FRANCES PRIDE PARKS. Mrs. Frances Pride Parks, our present splendid National Cor- responding Secretary, was also at one time connected with the Atlanta Frances Willard Union, though in no way related to Mrs. Isabella Webb Parks. She came to Atlanta with her hus- band and two little daughters in 1888, and joined the Union which was then called the Atlanta South Side, where she was greatly loved for her zeal and ability. Mrs. Parks was for several years President of tbe West Virginia W. C. T. U., and when she became National Corresponding Secretary, the Atlanta women who knew and loved her, were rejoiced at it. iv,;: I "'i Date Due Library Bureau Cat. no. I! 37 iiii D003972210 ^78 W872G’ Ansi R' 2^4058 jj j^R torv of Hn jn Jlhr i Q ^ ^ It? WgtS^ 234058