Temperance Work of the Emmanuel Missionary College Young People’s Society
By Dudley C. Newbold
BERRIEN COUNTY has gone “dry”! To the students of Emmanuel Missionary College the local option forces concede a large measure of the credit.
Six years ago the question of local option was before the people of the county, and the “wets” won by a majority of 1,375 votes. This year the temperance forces prepared for a desperate fight. Speakers of renown from various parts of the country were brought into the county to assist.
The Young People’s Missionary Volunteer Society of the college thought the coming campaign for a dry county would give them a splendid chance to do some active missionary work. Even though there were no openings for public work in the campaign, the society decided to get ready to give temperance programs in country schoolhouses, and thus if possible contribute a little help in driving out the saloons. Three companies were organized, each consisting of a member of the faculty to act as chairman, three speakers, a quartet, and a person to recite.
After the companies were organized and thoroughly prepared, the next difficulty was to find places in which to give the programs. Considerable effort was required to secure a few small schoolhouses in which to give live, straight local option programs, thus demonstrating to the people that we were seeking to benefit humanity by fighting the saloons. Those who attended our meetings showed by expressions of gratitude and praise that they were pleased with our programs.
The leader of the local option forces, on receiving glowing reports of the meetings we held, decided we were able to handle larger places, and so secured for us a number of churches and halls.
COLLEGE TEMPERANCE CAMPAIGNERS
The teams from the college and our homeland neighbors were soon unable to supply the demand for transportation. Urgent invitations came from many parts of the county requesting that speakers or singers be sent, but many times, because of previous engagements, we had to refuse.
The manager of the Anti-Saloon League said, toward the close of the campaign, that “outside of Hall and Summers (well-known lecturers from Colorado), the college was the most potent factor in the campaign.” The part the college took in the campaign served to remove prejudice from the minds of the people in the county. One minister told us that any time the college wanted the use of his church for anything good, it was welcome to it. The newspapers gave the work of the society very complimentary write-ups.
The society collected for expenses $119.26, and distributed about 1,200 Temperance Instructors. The three companies gave twenty-one programs, reaching 3,370 people, and supplied music for twelve large meetings held under the auspices of the Anti-Saloon League.
