The Address By Lillian Phelps

In spite of the inclement weather a large audience gathered in the Congregational church Sunday evening to hear the address given by Miss Lillian M. Phelps, of St. Catherines, Canada. The meeting was under the auspices of the W. C. T. U. After devotional exercises conducted by Revs. Grafton and Patton, Dr. Wood-Allen, who presided, introduced Miss Phelps, who held the closest attention of her audience for over an hour. The topic of the address was the "Power of the Liquor Traffic." She began by referring to the ancient story of St. George and the dragon, the beast had devastated the land for years, destroying all youth, bravery and beauty. At last St. George discovered his vulnerable spot and bravely attacked and killed him. The speaker likened the liquor traffic to this beast, for it too destroys much that is brave and noble and beautiful in our land. Who will be brave enough to destroy it? The speaker refuted the old idea of "demand and supply," "the people will have it," arguments that we hear so much of and proved that it is the constant supply forever on hand that creates the appetite which causes the demand. She arraigned the churches for not taking a more decided stand against the traffic, the apathy of good people is largely responsible for the continuance. There are lots of good people in Ann Arbor, but their goodness counts for little because it is negative and not positive. The devil knows the power of the church and when he wants to accomplish any great work he hides behind it. So we have a spectacle of a bishop and a doctor of divinity in New York favoring the open saloon on Sunday. Their names are lauded in every liquor paper in the land; but the same papers fail to mention the hundreds of faithful pastors who are raising their voices against the traffic and are trying to arouse their people to take effective action.

The power of the liquor traffic is money and politics, and so great is this power that it is almost impossible any more for a good man to be elected to office, or if one occasionally is elected he has to stand alone, crippled in his efforts for lack of sympathy and assistance. The use of liquor is largely the cause of impurity and these two are responsible for most of the poverty and crime of the land. The speaker lately gave an address in the McGregor mission in Detroit, and asked those of the audience who were brought to their miserable condition by drink and impurity to rise. Of the audience of 400 depraved men, 395 rose.

For reply to the stock argument that "the liquor business always has existed and always will" Miss Phelps referred to the laying of the Atlantic cable. When Cyrus Field said it could be done, people only laughed at him and said, "You cannot do it." When he failed they laughed again and still said, "You cannot do it." But after persistent courage and effort the feat was accomplished and the message "Peace on earth, good will to men" rang across the wires. People still sneer and laugh at hose who are working for the abolition of the liquor traffic and say "You cannot do it." But persistent faith, courage and effort will do it some time, and again the message of "Peace and good will" shall be heard throughout the land.

The address was scholarly throughout, showing Miss Phelps to be a student of sociology and also an accomplished historian of all lands and periods of the world's history.