THE GREAT MORAL REVIVAL
Reform in the Age of Industry
The Drunkard's Progress: From the first glass to the grave.
Industrialization has brought great wealth to our shores, yet it has also brought a shadow. The increase of alcohol has birthed a nursery of crime, sickness, and poverty. It is the root of child neglect and the domestic abuse that plagues our homes. Reformers have rallied at a national level to promote Temperance—the noble art of drinking less, or ideally, not at all.
Four Schools of Thought
I. The Civil Compact
Fearing that drunkenness is a threat to a law-abiding society and prosperity.
II. The Spiritual Witness
Religiously motivated souls who view spirits as a direct sin against the Creator.
III. The Domestic Shield
Protecting the sanctity of the home from the violence visited upon women.
IV. The Physician's Warning
Scientific minds who have deduced that alcohol is a literal poison.
Mayor Neal Dow of Portland has achieved what many thought impossible: a total ban on the manufacture and sale of liquor. This is no mere moral suasion; it is Government Enforcement. His success has ignited a fire, with other states following en suite.
The Washingtonian Pledge
Focusing on the individual, over 600,000 members have pledged total abstinence. Notably, 150,000 of these were formerly hard drinkers.
