CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION. A well-known organization which had its origin in the great temperance crusade of 1874. When the force of that remarkable rising had been spent, and reaction was felt, a call was issued from Chautauqua in August. signed by Mrs. Mattie AleCiellan Brown. Mrs. Jennie Fowler Willing, Mrs. Emily Huntington Miller. and others, summoning a national con vention of temperance women to be held in Cleve land, old°. November 17, 1874. Sixteen States were represented at the convention. Now there are State and Territorial organizations iu every State and Territory in the United States. (See 1,Votu.n's WomAN's CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE IThaos.) The condition's of membership in the W. C. T. U. are signing the total abstinence pledge. and paying annually into the treasury of the local union a sum of not less than fifty cents.
Part of the money is retained for local work, and a part is used for auxiliary fees to State, national, and world's unions. The total paid membership in the United States in 1902 was 160.736. New York State has the largest paid membership, numbering aisnit 25,000, and Penn sylvania stands second. The badge of the society is a bow of white ribbon. The motto is "For God and Home and Native Trysting hour is at noon, when white-ribboners all over I he world lift their hearts in prayer that God will bless the temperance cause. Mrs. Annie Wittemneyer was the first president of the national society. Miss Frances E. Willard (q.v.) succeeded her in 1879. She held the position until tier death in 1898. To Miss leadership and broad conception of the \rod: the Christian Temperance Union is indebted for its 'Do Every policy. The Christian Temper ance Union is the largest society of women in the world, managed and controlled by them. Its work is carried on by means of departments, un der six general heads: Organization. preventive, edneational, evangelistic, legal, and social. In addition to the departments there are two branches, the Young Branch and the Loyal Temperance Legion Branch.
Following is a list of the departments, under their proper groupings: (1) ORGANIZATION: Organizers, Lecturers and Evangelists; Young Itram:h; Loyal Temperance Legion Branch; Work Among Foreign Speaking People; Work Among the Colored; Work Among the Indians. (2) PREVENTIVE: Health and Heredity: Non-alcoholic Medication. ( 3 ) EDUCATIONAL:
Seientifie Temperance Instruction; Physieal cation; Temperance Literature; Presenting Our Cause to Influential Bodies; Temperance and Labor; Parliamentary Usage; W. C. T. U. In stitutes; the Press; Anti-Nareoties; School Sav ings Banks; Kindergarten; Medal Contests. (4) Evangelistic and Almshouse; Un fermented Wine at Sacrament; Proportionate and Systematic Giving; Penal and Reformatory, including Pollee Station Work Among Railroad Employees; Work Among Soldiers and Work Among Lumbermen; Work Among Miners; Sabbath Observance; .Merry; Purity; Rescue Work; Purity in Literature :And Art. (5) Soem: Social Meetings and Red Letter Days; Flower Mission: Fairs and Open Air ings. (6) LEGAL: Legislation; Christian Citi zenship; Franchise; Peace and International Arbitration.
In pursuance of the 'Do policy, the Christian Temperance Union has come to stand not only total abstinence, hut for an equal standard of purity for men and women. or. as Miss Willard put it, for "a white life for and for equality in the home, the Church. and the State. Under the leadership of Mrs. Mary 11.11unt,of Boston. every State in the Union has enacted legislation pro viding for the teaching of physiology and hygiene in the public schools, with especial reference to the effects of alcoholics and narcotics. Similar legislation has been passed by Congress provid ing such instruction in the Territories, in all schools tinder national control, and in all naval and military academies. Laws raising the age of consent have been passed in twenty-seven States as the result of the work of the Christian Temperance Union. The representa tive of the National Woman's Christian Temper ance Union at Washington. D. C.. Mrs. Margaret Dye Ellis, aided by local and State societies, helped greatly in securing the passage of the Anti-canteen Law. Airs. Ellis was influential also in securing the law prohibiting the sale of liquor and firearms to the native races in the Pacific islands. Quarterly temperance lessons for the Sunday schools, in the international series. have been secured by the Sunday-school department. The headquarters of the National Woman's Christian Temperance Union are at Rest Cottage, the former home of Aliss Willard, at Evanston, Ill.