June 21, 2007

Nevada's Online State News Journal

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[From The History of Nevada, edited by Sam P. Davis, vol. I (1913), pp. 776-779]

Nevada History:

776      THE HISTORY OF NEVADA

CHAPTER XLII.

WOMAN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION.

BY NETTIE P. HERSHISER.

Miss Frances E. Willard, president of the National W. C. T. U., with her secretary, Miss Anna A. Gordon, toured the Southern and Western States in the interests of the temperance work in 1883. They arrived at Reno in May, where they organized the Nevada W. C. T. U., with Mrs. H. Elizabeth Webster as president. A local union, which had been formed in Reno the year previous, became auxiliary to the State union. The first convention was held there in 1885 and the second met at Carson City in 1887. Mrs. Lucy Van Deventer was elected president and continued in office until 1895, with the exception of two years when Mrs. A. M. Ward (Clara S.) was president. Dr. Eliza Cook, of Sheridan, succeeded Mrs. Van Deventer and retained the position until 1901. At that time Mrs. J. E. Church, of Reno, was acting president.

A young woman's branch existed for several years at Reno, another at Carson City, and a third at Elko. The children's Band of Hope was merged into the Loyal Temperance Legion, and several unions reported this branch of endeavor as part of their work. The most complete report of organization is that given by Mrs. Emma Pow Smith in 1888. She delivered one hundred addresses, added three hundred members to the W. C. T. U. and organized two hundred boys and girls into Loyal Temperance Legions.

There were fifteen unions in the State in 1888. Other national workers who visited Nevada and strengthened the cause were: Miss C. S. Burnett, Mrs. Henrietta Skelton, Mrs. E. M. J. Cooley, Miss Esther Pugh, Mrs. M. L. Wells, Mrs. Emily Pitt Stevens, Miss I. C. Develling and Major Hilton.

Legislation.—The W. C. T. U. was instrumental in having laws passed through petitions, circulation of literature and holding public meetings as follows: scientific temperance instruction in the public schools; an

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anti-treat law; also legislation relative to the sale of cigarettes and obscene literature; and a restriction placed on immoral houses relating to distance from churches and public schools; the age of protection for young girls was raised from twelve to fourteen years; also efficient work resulted in the defeat of the State lottery bill in 1888. Petitions on behalf of suffrage and prohibition were presented but ignored. The Legislature of 1891 was the third to be petitioned for woman suffrage.

In 1890, the Reno union purchased a lot on Second street, corner of West, for State headquarters.

A convention was held at Virginia City in 1895, at which time the president reported that the last payment on the State tablet in the Temperance Temple, at Chicago, had been made. In 1897, a convention was held at Reno, but the record is lost. The departments adopted were: Evangelistic, Sunday School, Scientific Temperance Instruction, Health and Heredity, Flower Mission, Legislation and Petition.

The first delegate to represent Nevada at a national convention was Mrs. Flora McRae, of Reno, who went to Seattle in 1899. In the spring of the same year, the national president, Mrs. Lillian M. N. Stevens, and Miss Anna A. Gordon visited Reno and addressed a meeting at the Opera House. In 1901 Miss Florence Murcutt stopped at Elko and came on to Reno, spending a week, encouraging the local union to call a State convention, which was held in October. Miss Marie Brehm, of Illinois, was present and gave two addresses.

Mrs. A. E. Hershiser, of Reno, was elected president and a new era began for the State work.

It required almost heroic efforts to again place Nevada in working order. But a few of the faithful members cooperated effectively with the new officers. Mrs. Hershiser attended the national conventions at Fort Worth, in 1901; at Los Angeles, in 1905, also Mr. and Mrs. O. G. Church, of Logan; at Denver, in 1908. Miss Gertrude Bonham, of Reno, went to Cincinnati in 1903; Mrs. W. E. Bell, of Sparks, to Omaha in 1909; Mrs. Alice Chism, of Reno, to Baltimore in 1910, and Mrs. S. G. Blum and Mrs. Sarah Roberts, of Reno, to Portland, Oregon, in 1912.

Organization.—The main objects of the temperance army being to create sentiment and to aid in the enactment of good laws, the divisions of organization and legislation rank first. The State president has arranged routes for fifteen or more national organizers, entertained them

778      THE HISTORY OF NEVADA

and the lecturers in her own home, and followed up their work by personal letters and literature.

Mrs. Alice Elder, of Reno, organized a Y. W. C. T. U. at the University. Mrs. Ella Becker, of Sparks, organized a young people's branch there and at Fallon.

Mrs. Wm. Van Buren, when president of the Reno Union, presented a fine drinking fountain to the city, the gift of the Union and the Red Cross Society, combined.

Sixteen local unions have been organized. The largest paid up membership was one hundred and seventy-five, in 1910. Washoe and Churchill Counties are organized for the first time. Eleven Loyal Temperance Legions were started, but most of them soon failed for lack of leaders.

Nevada has been aided by money from the National Organizing Fund, raised by offerings at the meetings held on February 17 of each year all over the nation, in loving memory of Miss Frances E. Willard.

Legislation.—The bill incorporating the W. C. T. U. was passed in 1903, at our request. An amendment to a bill increasing the fine for selling to minors also passed and became law.

Under the inspiring influence of a lecture by Miss Marie Brehm, the W. C. T. U. took the initial step in the anti-gambling crusade.

Petitions have been presented to three legislatures pleading for an industrial school for boys; while this has not been granted, the agitation paved the way for the juvenile court, with a salaried probation officer and an assistant.

Three times petitions for local option have been presented and lost. In 1911 over 2,000 signatures were obtained. In 1905 the Legislature repealed the law protecting girls, from sixteen years down to fourteen years; and in 1909 a petition was sent to Carson City asking that eighteen years be the limit, but the law was passed making sixteen years again the age. The question of suffrage was considered by the State Executive Committee, but was not adopted on account of the pressure of the work for the boys and girls.

A marked influence has been exerted on behalf of purity, of uniform divorce laws, for an anti-polygamy amendment, to regulate or suppress the white slave traffic, to abolish prize fights, and also to obtain and retain the anti-gambling law. The law forbidding to sell to minors was re-

WOMAN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION 779

enacted by the 1911 Legislature; also at the same time a law was enacted not to sell to habitual drunkards, nor drunken men.

Evangelistic.—The spirit of the early crusade days has been kept alive by faith and prayer, by work in mothers' meetings, among railway men, by literature sent to mining camps and isolated places, by teaching the principles of pure living and the results of impurity, and by efforts to raise the moral tone of the community. The children's rescue work has benefited and saved infants and children and cared for a girl lured by a white slaver. Mrs. Jennie G. Nichols, of Oakland, is endorsed and aided in this grand work of mercy and redemption.

Social.—Under the social division, we note many parlor meetings in homes and churches, with their gains in membership; the flower mission department, including all forms of charity, through the distribution of flowers, with Scripture text-cards attached, is the chief line of work.

Educational.—Under this division, there have been held prize essay contests in the public schools, six silver medal declamation contests and one gold medal contest, at Reno. Through the State Sunday School Association, literature has been sent to over one hundred Sunday Schools for use on the quarterly temperance Sundays. Lessons in physical culture were given to contestants and white ribboners by an expert teacher. Temperance literature, also petition work, have gone to fifty towns in the State. A convention has been held each year save one, Reno, Sparks and Fallon sharing in the entertainment. One of our honorary members, Major G. W. Ingalls, has supplemented the work by forming boys' anti-cigarette leagues at Reno, Sparks, Fallon, and Elko.

May, 1913, will witness the close of three decades of temperance endeavor in Nevada.