December 24, 1899 — Starr King African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, San Francisco CA

[She told the results of 25 years of organized effort in the temperance movement. She traced the advance that the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union had made since the woman’s crusade was promulgated in Hillsboro, Ohio]

In the first year of the peaceful war waged against the demon of intemperance, there were 250 saloons closed in that town, and the good work has been going on steadily since then. One of the good effects of the temperance movement has been to bring together representatives of all denominations, and they have allied themselves to the common cause of humanity. Another result is that the great evangelical churches have discarded the use of fermented wine. They use the pure juice of the grape instead.

But the most important result to my mind is that accomplished by the department of scientific instruction, whereby today 19,000000 children are taught in our public schools the evil effects of alcohol and narcotics. It was no easy task to go before the Legislatures of the different States to bring about this reform, but Mrs. Mary Hunt set about her task with wonderful energy, until now there are but three States in the Union where this important subject is not taught in the schools.

Source: San Francisco Call, December 25, 1899, Vol. 87, No. 25.