Temperance And The Home

(Conductedbp the II. C. T. U.) The floral emblem of the "WorUVs W C. T. U. is the water Iily. The roots of this blossom are in the mud but its white radiance comes from Ita passion for the sunslune, and the homo finds in it a true emblem becauso only as the sunshine of love and truth keep its atmosphere wholesome and pure can üttle children hope to giow up according to the law of God. THE FRUIT OF THE SALOOX. "Wliy toes the Womans' Christian Temperance Union wage its relentless war against the saloon ? Because It invades our homes, it destroys our Ioved 'ones, it is a menace to our country, it hinders the coming of Christ 's kingdom. Some Unies the molher ivho lives in a quiet ■.■ountry homo imagines lier boy is safe. Xo dramehop is near to Jure him with its witcliery of music, and its painted screens that shut in the hideousness that lurks in the bottles and decanter behind the bar. But only a f ew years, and her boy i.s giown to manhood. On either hand, only a few miles away, i.s soine greal. city, with its numberless pitfalis spread for unwary feet, and the ones who oftenest stumble into them are these eame boys. Many a young man reared in the country lias become so debased by rum as almost to lorget the home of hls childhood, witli its meadow grasses and waving gralu and mellow fz-uits. As almost to forget the little church and Sunday School, and the Fatlier, who gave His only begotten Son, and the Christ Tvho died to save him. Il seems strange that this can be, but to my mlnd it is not one-half so strange as the fact that cvery sober, industrious, intelligent, rightminded man and Avoinan in this great land is not thoroughly awake to the peril of their homes and dear ones, and arrayed against their deadüest loe. You talk oí "hard times." If the $1,000,000,000 tliat each year go into the till of the rum seller, could bo placed in the legitímate channels of commerce and trade, there would lx; no -'hard times." If the 100,000 who sink each year into dishonored graves, drunkard's graves, with the 100,000 just back of them ready to take their jjlaces, eould be clearheaded, kind-hearted, steady, industrióos citizens, that they would be 1J the evil of drink could be put away, they would be both producers and consumers, and their families would be fed and clothed and housed instead of buying beer they would buy beei and mutton and pork, instead of buyIng whlBky they would buy f lour and vegetables. They would patronizc the clothing house and the shoe store and the merchant and the grocer. We would not be taxed to support an army oí constables and sheriffs and la yers and courts. Our country wQuJd not be dotted over with almsliouses and work houses, reformatories and prisons, for there would be no wreeked. wretched. non pioducing multitud to fill them. Is this to go on f ore ver, each year bringing in a large harvest of pauperUm and crime, and disease, and death, and everalsting .woe ?