unday Bee.
A PAPER TOR THE HOMX
OMAHA DEE
TOUR MONET 3 WORTH
PART THEK
HALF-TONE
PAGES 1 TO 4.
The Omaha
VOL. XXXIX-NO. 20.
OMAHA, SUNDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 31, 1909.
SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS.
FAITH THE PROPELLING POWER OF W. C. T. U. CRUSADE
Human Interest Plays Big Part in the National Convention of White Ribbon Soldiers Camped for Five Days at the Auditorium in Omaha
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COLORED Urx.E(!rATE5 TO THE CONVENTIOM
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Jennie Smith
"THE RAILROAD EVANG-EUiST"
FOR FIVE days an army besieged Omaha. It was not the
army of militarism the battle-girded fighting force of
modern warfare with Its caparisoned troops, emblazoned
accoutrements and embroidered uniforms but the Army
of Temperance. It was a Christian army, following a white
flag which did not mean surrendei- and its roster was made up of
temperance soldiers. ;
These Christian soldiers are marching onward onward across
the 'country like the crusaders of heraldry, proclaiming to sweep vice
and desecration from their path and leave happier homes in their
wake. Behind the troops rolls a great wave with a high crest the
wave of temperance. The soldiers are women Christian women
and Christian soldiers whose assiduous endeavor is bringing in a
l.4fvest of victories.
One cold day in March, 1883, a gentle woman strolled along the
bleak shores of Lake Michigan. The storm-lashed beach was plied
high with ice and in the fissures made by the ice crags was snow of
purest white. Beyond the ice were the cold waters of the lake, black
against the dull horizon. Behind her was Evanston, the temperance
college town, and to her right on the south was black, sinful
Chicago.
"This entire country Is Just like this," said the woman as her
surveyed the picture. "There are white places among the
yes
black. Part of the country Is bad, part is good; part of our people
are black at heart, part are white. Why can't the whole country be
white? Why can't the bad people be good? Why can't Chicago be
clean like Evanston T Surely, if all cannot be good, the bad can be
better. They must be helped. There muBt be an influence."
The woman who thus soliloquized was a leading American re
former. She was at that time an active worker in the National
Woman's Temperance union, was on the staff of the Chicago Evening
Post and a prominent factor In the prohibition party.
Today all that is mortal of that wonderful woman has been laid
away she died thirteen years ago but though her life was only
ephemeral, a great Institution lived after her. She was the Influence
that started this crusade against intemperance. Today there is a
monument of stone erected on the campus on Northwestern univer
sity known as WHIard hall, but there Is a living organization, greater
than a mausoleum of brick and mortar, known as the World's
Woman's Christian Temperance nnlon. This organization was in
corporated in 1883. Its founder was Frances Elizabeth Wlllard.
For twenty-six years her followers have waged a battle against
Intemperance and they have fought a good fight. They are women
of the self-sacrificing nature, devoting their efforts to others. In
thla respect enters another touch of pathos. Many of the most ac
tive workers, the most persistent and most helpful, are women who
have lost througn death. Many of them hundreds of them are
widows or wives without children who have no household duties to
perform and who believe In centering their efforts where they may
prove the most valuable. On the other hand, many of the most per
severing workers are married wenen with families who find time for
public-spirited work.
Faith the Motive Power
Agreeing or disagreeing with the principle of these women's
work, the man must have been extremely lacking In philosophical
instinct who could not find a deep human Interest in the simple faith
of those crusaders who made up the thirty-sixth annual convention
cf the Woman's Christian Temperance union at the Auditorium.
Faith, faith, faith! It waa manifested in everything they said
or did. With a prophetic vision, to them as clear as that which an
imated the apostle of old who stood far back against the sky line of
history, "limned in heroic outline on the flushing east of legendary
time," and foretold the doom of the man who gave his brother drink,
these (prophets of the twentieth century proclaimed their belief in
the ultimate triumph of their crusade agsinat the Demon Horn.
This faith at times was pathetic. It was so simple. And what
made It so, largely, was that it animated the hearts of women grown
old In the toll. Many a matron with the lines of anxious care unde
niably inscribed upon her serious countenance was there leading her
daughter or granddaughter on down into the line of battle for which
she had given the better years of her life. The zeal that drove that
Immortal reformer up and down tho land of Europe proclaiming his
frantic slogan, "Deus Vult," "Deus Vult;" the zeal that sent Mother
Thompson, the pioneer temperance crusader, out upon her mission
In Ohio far back In the last century; the zeal that Impelled the tire
less energy of Frances Wlllard this zeal burned and blazed In this
convention and was the motive power that drove Its machinery.
Believe they would one day wipe out of existence every saloon in
America? Tea, Indeed. They believed this with a faith, sublime.
In the things they did, the speeches they uttered, the songs they sang,
this one crowning fact stood boldly out.
Song!
When the movement that led up to the Woman's Christian Tem
perance union was young they must have had queer battle crys and
rr tlal airs, for quaint tunes were hummed, queer little songs sung
and slogans that seemed feollsh were shouted, and they told you
these were the shibboleths of the early warfare.
Back In the vast building some piping, squeeking little voice
would start up a wlerd old air and when a thousand eyes had fo
cussed out the inspirited leader 500 voices would Join and lift that air
in large volume until It swept from one end to the other of the Audi
torium. .
To this convention had come women with whom the current of
life had not always been smooth. Maybe they were caught In a tidal
wave and washed back upon the shoals, or maybe they had been
shipwrecked outright; anyway, they had been mariners on a rough
sea and the voyage was perilous. Some who had found the struggle
unusually hard had drifted out Into the west to take up land in an
endeavor to get what they might call home. On they had come to
this mecca of their faith and out they poured the libation of their
hearts on the altar of temperance reform and Into the swelling
chorus they had spent their hosannahs of Jubilee and In the quiet of
the intermittent prayer hour they had sent up their supplications to
their One Leader, "uttered or unexpressed."
We say this simple, living faith, approved or not by the looker
on, was striking, was a subject of serious thought.
But don't get the idea that this assemblage was one of women
who had known only misfortune. There wer women large enough
In material wealth to pledge a good sum of money from every local
union in their states and pay the pledge. Some of the roost aristo
cratic families of the south were represented by their women folks.
Jennie Smith, Railway Vigil
In the ranks of this Christian army that Invaded Omaha was one
little woman who has shaken bands with more railroad men than
any other woman In America; she is known to every engineer, fire
man and conductor on the entire network of American railroads. For
over thirty years she has worked among railroad men; for over
twenty years she lay prone upon a stretcher and traveled in the bag-
gage coach ahead, but she never let up In her great work. The train
men protected her and gave her every comfort within their power.
She has no use for money unless' It be to help someone less fortu
nate than she and she never needs a railway ticket.
This woman Is Jennie $raltb a plain, homely name, but of won
derful significance to the railroader. She is the national railroad
evangelist of the Woman's Christian Temperance union. But she is
more to the men of the road. She is the "white light ahead" to the
grimy engineer, the dirty fireman and the tmmaculate conductor.
She Is their Jeanne D'Arc. the Eva Booth among the worklngmen,
the Florence Nightingale to the Injured.
Twenty years ago Jennie Smith addressed the employes of the
Union Pacific railway at the Boyd theater. Wednesday noon during
the lunch hour she went down to the Union Pacific shops
and talked to the men. She was not a stranger there, for
they had all seen her or heard of her.
One of the first men to greet Jennie Smith upon her ar
rival In Omaha was a leading business man. That man Is
E. G. Hampton of the Hampton Lumber company. Thirty
five years ago Mr. Hampton, then a tender youth, used to
wheel Jennie Smith crippled Jennie about In her wheel
chair. She was an Invalid then, but today she is well and
strong. Can those two ever forget one another.
Another Omaha man to greet Jennie Smith upon her ar
rival iat the Rome hotel was J. T. Brilliant of the Indepen
dent Telephone company.
"God bless him," said Miss Smith afterward. "I'll never
forget him. Twenty years ago he signed the pledge before
me and I know that pledge has never been broken."
One Who Opposes Early Closing
This is the story of a Woman's Christian Temperance
woman who doesn't believe in closing the saloons at
8 o'clock. It's against net principles and she doesn't mind
telling about It. She is a colored woman. She halls from
the Lone Star state, where she Is known as "some worker."
Texas is a hot, dry state, where the men folks have thirsts,
and in that respect it's somewhat like the land somewhere
east of Suez.
That's what she says, anyway, and -she laughed a good
old southern laugh at the allusion to Kipling.
"That reminds me of an old story I once heard at a col
ored barbecue," she continued. "It just made me laugh so.
It was the story of a colored man that fell down the back
stairs with three bottles of brandy. He never broke a one of them,
no, sir, not a one of those bottles was shattered. He had drunk them
all before he fell." Ten she smiled out loud again.
"Well, the reason I don't believe in closing the bar rooms at
8 o'clock is this," she went on. "There's no lXernl use in saloons
anyhow. Down south If they closed those drinking emporiums early
the negroes and white trash would be hanging round the bars before
their suppahs had settled. They'd just simply work overtime to get
puffed before the doors closed."
"What do you mean by puffed," ahe was asked.
"Well, up north you men folks call It pitted, or pifllcated, or some
times orey-eyed, I guess, but down south it's Just puffed.
"Well, the principal reason I don't believe In closing the bars at
8 o'clock is because I don't believe In opening them. Isn't that a
good 'nuft reason? If they don't open them they won't need to close
them."
Second Ruler of This Dynasty
Mrs. Lillian M. N. Stevens Is the national president of the
Woman's Christian Temperance union. She not only Is, but has
been and will be for some time to come.
For a dozen years this woman has led this formidable host of
temperance werkers In Its march across the country. She Is now
entering upon her thirteenth crusade. She was the successor of
Francis E. Willard, the feunder of the order, and la therefore the
second of the reigning house.
If there's a better woman executive in America she would have
to be "going some" to beat Mrs. Stevens. When she stands up in
the front of the crowd, with head erect, shoulders back and straight
as an Indian maiden, and peers through her naje glasses, there's
bound to be attention to orders. She is a real executive. She Is an
errorless umpire on parliamentary law, and when it comes to han
dling the crowd she's there.
Mrs. Stevens Is not a large woman, neither Is she strong In ap
pearance. On the contrary, she is slight and one might imagine her
frail. She Is of medium height. Her hair Is dark, with possibly a
tinge of gray about the temples, and she has a mass of It, and parts
It In the middle. Her eyes and they are beautiful, powerful eyes
are grey, and they flash defiance at the liquor element. They are
also kind eyes, the eyes that rule by appeal.
Mrs. Stevens has the endurance of an athlete. Through seven
teen long sessions in the Auditorium she has been on duty. Most
of the time she was on her feet, standing before the convention, lead
ing work of legislation.
Her re-election as president was a foregone conclusion. 8he Is
the greatest woman executive engaged in temperance work; the Is
tireless In her efforts and never grows weary or discouraged. Like
Jane Addams of the Chicago Hull house, whom former President
Roosevelt called the foremost of American women, Mrs. Stevens Is
the very exponent of self-sacrifice for a great principle the princi
ple of temperance.
"How do you stand the work bo well?" she was asked.
"I'm well seasoned," she replied; "the more I do the better pre
pared I am to work."
And her loving eyes showed that she meant what she said, for
she is a part of her work.
Colored Heroine of the South
One of the most interesting characters at the convention was
Mrs. Frances E. Preston. Mrs. Preston is one of those good old
southern negro women with a great, big heart throbbing In her
breast, always willing to serve anyone worthy to be her "marster."
It is Mrs. Preston's charming personality, her marked Intelli
gence and executive ability that has won for her an Important post
In the Woman's Christian Temperance union. She Is the national
lecturer and organizer of the Loyal Temperance Legion and superin
tendent of the work among the colored people.
Her voice which, secondly to her kindly face, wins friends Is
like soothing syrup to a child. She is often called the "Golden-
Voiced Evangelist." When she talks there Is soft music and pale
moonlight combined in one. She has that soft, musical voice that
sounds good, for it is comforting
Mrs. Preston can tell a thrilling story of negro life In Alabama
and can recite and sing the favorite ealcs and lullabyes of the south
land. She often appears on the stage In various darky roles. "De
Valley an De Shadder" Is one of her most remarkable recitations.
She delivered this before the National Association of Elocutionists
at their annual convention in Chicago in 1893.
"I'm growing old In the work," says Mrs. Preston. "I've been In
it now for nigh onto twenty-eight years, but I reckon if the Lord Is
good I'll be there many more."
Another colored woman of national prominence was Mrs. Eliza
E. Peterson of Texarkana, Tex. Mrs. Peterson Is the national super
intendent of the colored Woman's Christian Temperance union and
state president of the Loyal Temperance Legion.
Mrs. Peterson is a slender little woman, but thero'o dynamic
power in her heart. She has done effective work in Texas and points
to the fact that the Lone Star state Is going dry "powerful fast."
There are 157 totally dry counties In the state, ninety partially
dry and only eighteen totally wet 4
Some Humorous Spots in 15
With all its solemnity. Its religious character and Us purely busi
ness motives, the convention was not without its humorous features.
There were happy incidents galore and funny situations Innumerable
that will linger in the memories of many, even though they may be
unchronlcled.
Twice during the convention parliamentary rules were laid aside
in order that business at hand could be attended to. The election of
Mrs. Stevens as president to succeed herself was entirely unconstitu
tional, but It will never be questioned. According to the order of
business the election should have been bold Thursday morning.
It was long after noon when the balloting took place. Mrs. Stev
ens appealed to the parliamentarian for her decision as to the legality
of the proceeding, when someone chirped up, "Turn the clock back."
The clock was not fumed back, but the election was declared
legal. That was more Important than the rules of order.
The resolutions committee made its report Wednesday afternoon.
According to the bylaws of the union the report should have been
made following the election of officers. Thus the constitution waa
shattered in two specific instances.
Another instance of unparliamentary procedure was the long ses
sion of Monday morning, when - the women spent hours trying to
figure out just what they had done at the previous session Saturday
afternoon. It was a tangled mass of explanations that remained,
after all, to unravel.
v At the Saturday session Important legislative action was pending
regarding the use of the white ribbon and the fluttering or waving of
handkerchiefs as a sign of recognition between members. When
Monday doming dawned none seemed to know what had been done
previously and It took heated debate, long-winded arguments and
frantic appeals to settle the question.
Girls' Are Kept Busy
The girls in the bureau of Information not only answered ques
tions sensible and otherwise, but were called upon to furnish notions
of fifty-seven brands. In the category of varieties were pins, button
hooks, hairpins, hatpins, handkerchiefs, lead pencils, paper, time
tables, street maps and nose glasses.
When one of the girls was asked If she thought the Schllti hotel
was the proper place for a woman to stop she didn't know tho answer,
as she had glowing recollections of the name being associated with
the place made famous by a name.
Some women, too, have that propensity of taking short routes.
It was not an uncommon thing for delegates to file through tho Romov
vineyard or the hotel bar room on their way to tho Auditorium. It
was time they were evidently after, even though they migrated as
the crow wings it.
The woman who asked a man with an Eaglo badge on the lapel
, of his coat and an Elks' tooth hanging from his watch guard if ho
'I knew where she could get a drink, certainly knew where to get tho
Information. The kindly man piloted ber over to the distilled water
tank and "drew one." She said it tasted "flat," but that wasn't any
fault of the man's.
Mrs. Ruth M. Thompson of Texas has gone back to the rolling
ranch lands with a new hat. All women are proud of new headgear,
Mrs. Thompson placed her old bonnet on a hot radiator one morning
and when she went bareheaded back to the hotel she was carrying a
warped piece of felt and some straggling feathers which had besn
steam-cleaned to perfection.
Mrs. Thompson didn't figure things out quite right when she In
quired at th bureau of informaUen if It would be possible for her to
leave Omaha Saturday noon on the Burlington, as she did not like to
travel on SundayB.
Who is Who in the Gallery
Lydla Pearl Edworthy, whose picture Is shown above, was ono of
the convention pages. At 2 years of age Francis E. Wlllard, tho
founder and first president of the Woman's Christian Temperance
union, tied a white ribbon about the girl's chubby wrist as she nestled
in her mother's arms at the convention at St. Louis. This was in
1896. Mrs. Anna McPherson Edworthy, the mother of the girl, waa
a granddaughter of Ruth McPherson Morris, who died last year, aged
102 years. She was the oldest "white ribboner" of her day.
Three prominent missionary workers present were Mrs. Jennie
Connor, missionary to Alaska; Mrs. Abble B. Hllleman, to tho canal
(Continued on Page Four.)
