Frances Fuller Victor

“ They have been compelled to bear children to men whose habits had unfitted them for parentage—children not only tainted by disease endowed with debased appetites. They have seen themselves and families thrust into social degradation and cut off forever from all desirable life by the vice of the men they loved. What the women of this country from drunkenness, no mind, however sympathetic, can measure, and no pen, however graphic, can describe. ”

“ They have listened to lectures, they have signed pledges, they have encouraged temperance societies, they have asked for and secured legislation, and all to no practical good end. The politicians have played them false; the officers of the law are unfaithful; the Government revenue thrives on the thriftiness of the curse; multitudes of the clergy are not only apathetic in their pulpits, but self-indulgent in their social habits; newspapers do not help, but rather hinder them; the liquor interest, armed with the money that should have brought them prosperity, organizes against them ”

“ Ever since the close of our late civil war the morals of the country seemed to have been going from bad to worse with frightful impetus, until those who had the good of humanity at heart felt inclined to cry out, that our God was as deaf as the stone gods of the pagans. ”

“ Sons whom they have nursed upon their bosoms with tenderest love and countless prayers, have grown into beasts of whom they are afraid, or have sunk into helpless and pitiful slavery. They have been compelled to cover their eyes with shame in the presence of fathers whom it would have been bliss for them to hold in honor. ”

“ But it has been from the first, and will remain to the last, the work of women. The shackles of suffering submissiveness have fallen from their hands. Not that the war they wage is a conflict of blood, or hate, or contention. It is the peaceble war of the spirit of prayer and entreaty, beseeching men to abandon the wrong, and espouse the right.
The practice of relating in the noon and evening meetings the events of the day finally led to what is denominated the "ladies' meeting," held at first on Saturday evenings only, but subsequently on Tuesdays and Fridays of each week. ”

“ It is not surprising that so many rush into saloon-keeping when the profits of their business are from fire seven hundred per cent.?
What is surprising about it is, that men dare to make a business of poisoning their customers; or that men can be found who are willing pander to the basest appetites, and the lowest vices of other men have pride enough to he sensitive about their business being made diste liquors in Portland to-day, who have owned that they know that the end utable. ”

“ The subject of Temperance has been discussed from every possible stand-point, and reviewed in the light of Law, Science, Morality, Religion, Finance and Patriotism, and yet the people are not wearied with the discussion. So intimately is it related to every human interest, and to our immortal welfare, that it seems impossible to exhaust the subject. ”

“ What wonder then that like an electric spark, God's indication to women that he wished them to take up the work of overcoming this monstrous evil before it had destroyed the race, ran with electric rapidity from shore to shore of the continent, firing the hearts of women as they had never been fired before. Good men have helped us with their prayers, their words, and their works. ”

“ Men, it is true, had sinned past the power of redeeming their errors. They had consented to a corruption of public morals and private living that began at last to terrify themselves. In this emergency God breathed upon the hearts of women, and with one impulse and accord they thankfully accepted the trust. ”

“ If by that they mean boldness and assurance, they are very much mistaken; for the most patient and persistent laborers in this field are meek and quiet Christian women, who have never before so much as spoken aloud in their own churches; humble women who have never essayed to lead in anything, not even the fashions!—industrious women many of whom labor for their own support. And perhaps this is one reason why the ranks of the Crusaders have been so little reinforced A life of ease and indulgence seldom fits any one for real downright duty and self-sacrifice. ”

“ From the beginning of the Crusade the opposition of the liquor-dealers both wholesale and retail, has been steady and united. Secret meetings have been held from time to time to consider the most effectual means of combatting the growing temperance sentiment. They have two grievances that they complain of-loss of money by a falling off in their sales, and loss of reputation—for they say that this prayer movement is making their business disreputable. Is this not being condemned out of their own mouths ? Is saloon-keeping less respectable than formerly? ”

“ When the way was cleared, the ladies also took leave, having endured for three and a half hours such things as would have commonly driven them mad with fright, or caused them to faint or go into convulsions. If there are those who do not believe in divine interposition in certain cases, here is a problem for them to solve. Where did the strength of these women come from? If you were to meet any of them in the ordinary affairs of life, you would say they are not bold or courageous women. Are the weak made so strong simply by feeling that they are on the side of the right? ”

“ This, too, opened the eyes of many to the brutalizing effects of drinking, and led them to declare that if that was what whisky brought men to, they would never drink another drop; and every such convert only strengthened the resolution and faith of those who by their sufferings were able to save some. ”

“ Those ladies who could not see that God had indicated to them the more than one poor wanderer heard the call to return, while listening to those fervent prayers and solemn hymns. More than one man said what is here recorded of one who listened to the prayers of the women before the Web-Foot saloon, while Mr. Moffett was throwing fire-crackers among strangely; I feel that God is in this place. ”

“ Moffett's place is upon a corner, with a door upon each side, so that one can pass into one on Morrison street and out at the other on First street, almost at a stride. The two ladies, trembling, but full of holy zeal, paused at the entrance on Morrison street, and stepped into the saloon whose proprietor was as unknown to them as the proprietors of other saloons. ”

“ Their first visit to the jail had made them anxious to return to it that they might carry the truth and mercy and promises of God to its inmates. The feeling of duty towards those "in prison" impressed them very strongly, and remains with them to-day, a; it will always remain with them, and become a legacy to their daughters. Up to the time of this arrest of the Crusaders, only one woman in Portland of Christian character and feeling, had ever visited those in prison to converse with them and try to point them to ways of holy living. ”

“ To resist this force of custom, and dare to invade the hiding-place of vice, requires the most entire consecration—a preparation by prayer, and absorption of the soul in the work of doing good, without regard to popular estimation, such as the few only ever attain. Hence it was that only fourteen arose upon the second call for volunteers to visit the saloons The hearts of many other ladies were with these elected Crusaders, and many shed tears because they could not decide to go. ”

“ He wastes his fortune or his earnings; but his family suffers the loss; for in the insensibility of drunkenness he is conscious of no loss. He gives the blows and curses; they bear them; He loses his soul ”

“ Tradesmen were reluctant to do so, for fear of losing the custom of the liquor men. Clerks and salaried men often refused through fear of their employers. Men frequently said they did not drink, themselves, but did not wish to have anything to do with this movement. Others had wines at home, and so could not consistently take any action against the free sale of liquors. These last generally advised the ladies to teach their sons to be temperate at would be well with them. They could see no inconsistency in teaching temperance, and practicing social drinking under the same roof. ”

“ On the 17th of March, it was agreed to send an appeal in a printed form to the saloon-keepers that they might know the action the ladies were taking, and be prepared to act on their own part as they should decide. It was also agreed that the church bells should be rung when the ladies started out with the pledges, in order that united and earnest prayer might be offered for their success; and that the gentlemen, friends of the Temperance cause, who could, should unite themselves in an auxiliary society to assist the ladies in any way desired. ”

“ It is well known to women that men protect themselves from intrusion by holding out the fear of insult, and seek to cover with shame the woman who shall dare to thrust herself into their company in certain places set apart by themselves for questionable practices. ”

“ Yet, with all their discouragements, the Crusaders received much spirit- ual help and almost daily evidence, not in their own hearts merely, deeply impressed as they were, but in the incidents attending their work from day to day. It was no small thing to them to see the signs of awakening conscience in men who were apparently hardened in sin. Was it not that which Christ chose for himself—the joy of joys—to see men turn away from sin to purity and a godly life? More than one man gave his testimony to the efficacy of their prayel visited. ”

“ Atkinson chiefly, so lessened the number of drinkers that saloon-keeping became anything but the profitable business it had been hitherto. Several of the principal places resorted to giving free drinks in order to collect a rude crowd about their places to interrupt the reading, singing, exhorting and large assemblages of people gathered to witness them. But on the other hand, out of these crowds almost daily some man was drawn who had been brought by the efforts of the ladies to see the error of his ways, and led to strive after a better life. ”

“ The reason for this must be, we think, in the floating character of our Pacific Coast population, the saloon-keepers, generally, being unknown to the women, either by sight or name; the great number of reckless men known to frequent such places; as well as to the reluctance of ladies in general toward intrusion into places which men have set apart for their vices. ”

“ Notwithstanding the inconsistency of this tabooing of the place and not of the men, women shrink from the mere mention of the one, while they receive the other to their homes, and too often to their hearts. ”

“ If some one will volunteer to take a line through the surf, we are saved!" And then a prayer had been offered, and the most consecrated person of all that trembling company had launched himself into the stormy surf to try to reach the firm land with the life-saving line. ”

“ Any business ought to have odium cast upon it that lays not one claim to good reputation; and there is not one saloon-keeper of average intelligence, who attempts to defend his business on any ground except that of money; nor a wholeale dealer who pretends to call it right. Then why must the public be compelled to tolerate a wrong, and a wrong of the most des- perate character ? For these liquor men admit that bad as alcoholic drinks are in their purity, they do not sell pure liquors. ”

“ If God hears prayer, or regards tears, theşe men will be saved to themselves, to the world, and to God.
There are several places in the city where it has seemed impossible to produce the slightest effect upon the hearts and consciences of the keepers or inmates. One of these is the "Oregon Exchange." Frequently when a visit from the ladies was anticipated, some ridiculous or scandalous performance was gotten up to divert the ladies from their purpose; such as a man fantastically dressed, a la Negro Minstrels, dancing, and drinking from a bottle, etc. ”

“ More than one man that day was convinced of his sins; and quite a number of drinking men declared themselves converted to temperance simply by witnessing the depths of degradation to which the habit of selling liquor could bring a man. These men went by the name of "Moffett's converts." Among the children whom Mr. Moffett was trying to press into his ser- vice, was a little son of one of the Crusaders. Being told to beat a drum, he took the sticks and threw them among the crowd. ”

“ Many a slattern gave this wholesome advice to the neat and intelligent sister who was laboring for the good of every boy and man in the city, as well as every woman and girl; for it is ever the feminine half of the world that suffers for the sins of the masculine half.
About this time, also, besides the labors of the clergymen already mentioned. Gov. Gibbs and H. H. Northup, of Portland, and Judge Greene of Olympia, expounded the laws relating to the granting of licenses, by the sufferance of the people-not a justification of the traffic that make one necessary. ”

“ And when it is considered how much money is spent at houses of ill-fame in this city, by those who but for the stimulant of drink would never degrade themselves by such associations, it is easy to compute something of what this abominable vice costs the city of Portland.
THE REAL SUFFERERS
And although men are the sinners in its vending and its use—with few exceptions—women and children are the sufferers. A man does not break his own heart by his drunkenness and debauchery ”