A PROHIBITION SPEECH IN CORTLAND

Helen M. Gougar

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, September 6, 1889.

A Prohibition Speech.

   Mrs. Helen M. Gougar, of Indiana, delivered an address on the temperance question in this place Sunday evening, and on Monday and Tuesday evenings Taylor hall was filled with people to hear the gifted lady. Mrs. Gougar is a very fluent speaker, and is thoroughly well posted on history and politics. She had a faculty of proving all she said, and the way she walked into both the old parties was quite refreshing.

   On Tuesday evening she reviewed the first five months of Harrison's administration and proved pretty conclusively that his appointments in the main were totally unfit to be made.

   The hot shot fell from her lips so rapidly that most of the Republicans in the hall suddenly remembered that they had important business elsewhere. Her arguments were frequently illustrated with a story and they were always very pointed.

   In showing up the rascality of Republican methods during the campaign last fall and the duplicity with which the Republicans carried on the canvass, she told this story: "A gentleman in Indiana had a dream a few nights since and thought he was dead. Instead of going where good Prohibitionists go he brought up in the bad place. On looking about he found lawyers without number, a good sprinkling of doctors, not a few clergymen and merchants, and men of all trades and professions, but no farmers. It need not be said that he was greatly surprised, and finally he inquired of the master spirit if farmers did not come there? Oh, yes, there are thousands of them here, was the reply. He was at once conducted to a very large apartment nearby, which he entered, and there, sure enough, were thousands of farmers tied up by the heels, with their heads hanging down. He was more than ever dumbfounded, and again asked for an explanation, and was informed that these farmers all voted for Harrison and protection last fall, and that they were so green that they had to be kiln dried before they would burn."

   The address was an excellent one, and all who heard her must have been convinced that Mrs. Gougar is a Prohibitionist to the back bone and that she believes what she preaches.

W. C. T. U. Work.

   At the regular meeting of the W. C. T. U., held in their rooms Aug. 10th, the reports of the superintendents of departments proved the past year the most prosperous the Union has ever known. Forty members have been added, 1,994 persons have visited the reading room, and 995 have attended the Sunday afternoon Gospel Temperance meeting during the year. Bedding, canned fruit, jelly and apples have been sent to the temperance hospital in Chicago. Four barrels of literature, one barrel of literature and clothing, two twenty pound packages, also papers, have been sent to soldiers, sailors and freedmen. The Coffee Brigade have had occasion to serve coffee at only one fire, but they are prepared to serve it at any time when necessary. In two of the Sunday schools the pledge has been presented and generally signed, and other schools will undoubtedly follow in this direction.

   The Mothers' Meeting is a new line of work, having been taken up during the year, but earnest and efficient work has been done and the foundation laid for a still grander work in the future. In the department of scientific instruction all the teachers have been interviewed and see the necessity of work in this direction, and most of them have taken up the work earnestly. Work is also being done in the press, literature, law and heredity.

In Memoriam.

   Susan Wells Peck, wife of Hon. R. T. Peck, died at her home on Greenbush Street in Cortland, N. Y., August 31, 1889.

   She was born in King [City], Ontario, Canada, Aug. 22nd, 1835. Her father was a native of England, and among the early settlers of the county of York, in the Province of Ontario, of which Province her mother was a native. She formed the acquaintance of her future husband, while attending his school as a pupil, and they were married June 25th, 1859, by the Rev. Dr. James Dick, a Presbyterian clergyman, of whose church her family were members.

   Prior to her marriage about one year, she was baptised by Elder Lister, an Evangelist of the Disciple Church, with which she was connected, until she united with the First Baptist Church of Solon, in 1867. Afterwards upon her removal to Cortland in 1876, she united with the First Baptist Church of this village. Her eldest brother William, of Aurora, is a retired farmer; another, Gabriel, of Acton, is an Evangelist of the Disciple Church. The Hon. James P., of Aurora, another brother, was a member of the Canadian parliament for twelve years; a third Walter W. of Waterloo, is a doctor of Dental Surgery. Her only sister is Betsey, Mrs. Robert Norman, of Lexington, Mich.

   Her children are Louise N., wife of W. E. Albee, of Minneapolis, Arthur R., a merchant of Cortland, Frank J., cashier of the National Bank of Cortland, and Fred R. Peck.

   Mrs. Peck was reared in the strictest manner by her parents, under the discipline of the Presbyterian faith. Her father's family were noted for longevity, most of a large family recording the age of nearly ninety years. She was a very active, exemplary christian, a member of Mr. E. P. Slafter's Bible class from the time she united with the church until her death. Mrs. Peck was a consistent christian and always ready to do her duty. She was sympathetic, a friend to the poor, and none came to her door needy who went away empty handed. Quiet and unostentatious, she sought no notoriety, but tried to fill well her place as wife and mother. During her sickness she said "if my time has come I am ready to go." She was exemplary in her life work and set a christian example before her children, whom she lived to see grown to manhood and become members of the church.

   We are forcibly reminded that we are now among the shadows. How heavy they sometimes be along our pathway. She died in hope. Very soon the shadows shall flee away. Weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning. Till the morning dawns let us who still are, where the shadows linger, be comforted with the comfort God gives, and do with all diligence the work given us.

Card of Thanks.

   The family of R. T. Peck desire to express their gratitude to their friends and neighbors and high appreciation of the cordial and kind assistance rendered them at the funeral of their loved and departed wife and mother.

HERE AND THERE.

   Be sure to attend the great International Fair to be held in Elmira.

   Richard Morris has been appointed special policeman for the Opera House.

   The Homer wire works commenced work last Monday after a two months' vacation.

   The Shamrocks were beaten by the East Homer nine, on Tuesday, Score, 22 to 8.

   Mr. Geo. Ripley, of Homer, has leased Keator Opera House in that place for one year.

   Chester F. Wickwire, of this place, has taken out letters patent on a loom for weaving wire.

   The Homer band will give open air concerts every Wednesday evening until cold weather.

   Last Saturday William Nichols had three fingers taken off by a circular saw in the desk factory.

   The annual parade of the Cortland Fire Department will take place Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock.

   Students desiring to rent rooms in the central part of the town can find them at No. 41 North Main street.

    Be sure and see the views representing the Johnstown flood in Cortland Opera House, this Friday evening.

   Last week the heading over our report of the Good Templars' meeting read I. O. O. F., when it should have read I. O. G. T. Mistakes, we suppose, must occasionally happen. [See prior post on this subject—CC editor.]

   The employees in the Howe stove works and in Wick wire Bros.' wire works observed Labor day last Monday. All the banks kept their doors closed. Otherwise the day was not observed in this place.

   The stone foundation for the Cortland Wagon Company's new building is being laid. John Harvey has the contract for the work. The walls are to be of brick, four stories high, and the building will be [80x200] feet. They expect to have the building ready for next season's business.

   No person living will ever be able to write a correct date without a figure 9 in it. The figure now stands on the extreme left. Next year it will be in the second place—1890, and there it will stay for ten years. It will then move up to the third place—1900, and rest there for one hundred years.

   M. E. Holton has sold his interest in the bottling works to his partner, Mr. Henry Corcoran.

   Chas. A. Rood and A. E . Ryan, of this place, went gunning on Wednesday and brought home twelve gray squirrels and three birds.

   Geo. McKean has moved his barber shop from rooms on second floor of Masonic Hall block to the store heretofore occupied by Sherwood Bros, as a crockery store on the first floor of the same building.

   The E. C. & N. Railway Company have made a station on Elm street, and will soon erect a new depot for the accommodation of the public. Parties desiring to have freight delivered at the new station should have the same marked "Elm Street, Cortland, N. Y."

   Mr. L. R. Hopkins has purchased of Mrs. B. E. Miller a building lot on Main street. The lot is twenty-one feet south of the new building in course of erection, and has a frontage of fifty feet. Consideration $10,000. The house is to be removed therefrom at any time after January 1, on notice.

   The Hitchcock Mfg. Co., the Cortland Wagon Company, the Cortland Mfg. Co., the Cortland Cart & Carriage Company and the Talmadge Cart & Buggy Co., each have a fine line of their wagons and carriages on exhibition at the Buffalo International fair. The DEMOCRAT job rooms furnished the special printing to be distributed at the fair for all but one of the above named companies.

   If the following recipe is what it is claimed, persons can clean their lawns of plantains easily and at little expense. "A gentleman who claims to know whereof he speaks, says that plantain may be easily destroyed with turpentine. To apply it put the turpentine in a small can and put two or three drops on each leaf. It is not necessary to put turpentine on every leaf. The turpentine dropped on a leaf makes its way down the stem to the root of the plant. A few drops are sufficient to kill any one plant. In a few hours after the turpentine is dropped on the plant, the leaves wither and the plant dies."

Editor's note: CC welcomes new members Frederick Lindley and Denise.