Two Decades | Page 4

yourself to cease the traffic here in these drinks, forthwith and forever. We will also add the hope that you will abolish your gaming tables.
The women then retired to the room below, organized for work, and arranged a line of march. The men meanwhile prayed and planned, twenty-three of them pledging to pay the percentage of $1,000 placed opposite their names for carrying on the work.
At half-past twelve o'clock the procession marched out of the basement of the Baptist Church, over one hundred being in line. These were the wives of Fredonia's most respected citizens, venerable and revered matrons, as well as many young women. Headed by Mrs. Judge Barker and Mrs. Rev. Lester Williams, they quietly walked across the park straight to the Taylor House saloon. The band of women filed in, nearly filling the place. Mrs. Barker immediately made known their mission. Mrs. Williams read to the proprietor the appeal. A hymn was sung to Pleyel's sweet air, and all joined in the Lord's prayer, after which Mrs. Tremaine, a venerable and gifted woman, offered a prayer full of Christian tenderness. Mr. Taylor was then asked if he would not accede to their appeal. He finally said, "If the rest will close their places, I'll close mine." His brother and partner did not consent so readily. The ladies asked him to consider the matter, promising to call the next day for his decision. The proprietor replied "That he would be pleased to see them every day," and politely bowed the ladies out. This visit was a sample of those made until every saloon, hotel, and drug store had been visited. This work was continued daily, and during the week union prayer-meetings were held every night. One drug store responded to the appeal; one hotel closed its bar; the visits became distasteful to one dealer, and he locked the women out.
The Fredonia Censor, a weekly paper, in its issue of Wednesday, December 17, 1873, contained the following headlines:
A TEMPERANCE REVIVAL.
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Enthusiastic Meeting Sunday Evening--Every Place where Liquor is Sold in Fredonia Visited by a Band of One Hundred Women on Monday--They Appeal to the Proprietors to Stop the Traffic--A Season of Prayer and Hymns in Rum Shops.
On Monday afternoon, December 21, the women met to perfect a permanent organization, which they did by adopting the following pledge and name:
PLEDGE.
We, the undersigned women of Fredonia, feeling that God has laid upon us a work to do for temperance, do hereby pledge ourselves to united and continuous effort to suppress the traffic in intoxicating liquors in our village until this work be accomplished; and that we will stand ready for united effort upon any renewal of the traffic. We will also do what we can to alleviate the woes of drunkards' families, and to rescue from drunkenness those who are pursuing its ways.
NAME.
This society shall be known as The Woman's Christian Temperance Union of Fredonia.
Two hundred and eight members were enrolled, sixty-four of whom were young women. The first officers were: Mrs. George Barker, President; Mrs. D. R. Barker, Vice-President; Mrs. L. A. Barmore, Secretary; Mrs. L. L. Riggs, Treasurer.
Thus was the wonderful movement called "The Crusade" begun, and the first local Woman's Christian Temperance Union organized.
That the local paper was keeping a keen watch on the movements of the women is evidenced by the following headlines in the Censor of December 24, 1873:
TEMPERANCE REVIVAL.
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One Less Bar to Practice At--A Permanent Temperance Union Formed--Over Two Hundred Women Pledged "Until this Work is Accomplished."
CHAPTER I.
"THE SOBER SECOND THOUGHT OF THE CRUSADE."
It soon became apparent that the methods of the crusade could not be continued indefinitely; that in order to strengthen and perpetuate the work already begun organization was necessary. This sentiment prevailed in the State of New York, and many local societies, bearing various names, had already been formed.
The initiatory for a state organization was taken by the Woman's Temperance Union of Syracuse, which, at a meeting held September 10, 1874, decided to call a state convention of all women's temperance organizations, to be held at Syracuse in October, preparatory to the great national convention which was to be held in November. A central committee of five was appointed to make all necessary arrangements, and on September 19th was issued the following:
CALL.
The Syracuse Woman's Temperance Union respectfully invite the working temperance women throughout the state to meet in convention in this city on the 14th day of October, at nine o'clock A. M., at the First Methodist Church, for the purpose of organizing a state temperance league, and to appoint delegates to the national convention to be held in Cleveland, Ohio, November next.
It is hoped that every town and city in the state will be represented. All newspapers are requested to give the above an