They Are One by Ellet Joseph Waggoner

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Nov 27, 1889

FromThe American Sentinel, Vol. 4, No. 44.

They Are One.

By Ellet Joseph Waggoner

The Christian Statesman, of September 5, contains a report of the Lakeside Reform Assembly, by the editor, T. P. Stevenson. This assembly was a joint convention of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and the National Reform Association. The first three days were devoted to the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union work, in which addresses were given upon “Woman Suffrage” and “Sabbath Observance.” Addresses were delivered on “The Limits of Religious Liberty,” and “The American Sabbath, and How to Maintain It.” After noting the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union Conference, Mr. Stevenson introduces the work of the days devoted especially to the National Reform Association, with these words:—

“There was no perceptible transition between the foregoing exercises and those properly relating to the National Reform Association.”

This strikes us as very significant. It shows how rapidly the great Woman’s Christian Temperance Union is losing sight of the object for which it was established, and is becoming simply a National Reform organization. The meetings of one cannot be distinguished from those of the other.

From Mr. Stevenson’s report, we would not get the idea that the subject of temperance was mentioned in the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union Conference. Of course we are not to suppose that the subject of temperance was entirely ignored, but the report warrants us in believing that temperance received less attention than woman’s suffrage and Sunday legislation. We are sorry that this is so. We are sorry that in combating religious legislation, which is evil, and only evil, we are placed in antagonism to the work of a professedly temperance organization.

We believe in temperance of the strictest kind, and wish to support every temperance measure and every temperance organization; therefore we hope that the women of the National W. C. T. U. who believe that it should be devoted exclusively to temperance work—and there are very many of them—will be able either to convert the national association, or else to form a branch which will work in a legitimate way for real Christian temperance, and which we can support.

E. J. W.