15The Temperance Zealots

The Temperance Movement was much in evidence after the First World War. During the war years the bars had been closed by government edict and most communities either came under the Canada Temperance Act or Local Option. The hotel bars remained closed until the Liberal government of the '30s created the beverage room and beer and wine could legally be dispensed by local hotels. Communities that voted to go dry in the early part of the 20th century stayed dry until the hotel outlets were created. Demon rum was not a temptation for the youth of the village; they drove to the city to drink.

During the period when temperance was a hot issue, the women of the country formed what was known as the WCTU, the Women's Christian Temperance Union. The white ribbon proudly worn by members of this society indicated they would do everything in their power to see that alcohol as a beverage was banned from sale and never again would bars be on the main street of the village.

Temperance education in the schools was a once, a month session. Young children were inveigled into signing the "Pledge" and given a L. T.L (Loyal Temperance League) button to wear as a symbol that for the rest of their lives they would never touch strong drink or tobacco or use course language.

A lady from the WCTU would come to the school on those special afternoons and talk about the evils of imbibing and how those who drank, smoked or swore would eventually become the dregs of society, the no-accounts, and how poverty and degeneration would be their lot. We would go home from school and pity our fathers, who all smoked, and wonder when they would start to degenerate and go down the road to join the wastrels of some other community. The home village had only one drunken degenerate.

One winter the WCTU arranged to have a group of travelling thespians stage a three-act temperance play in the Town Hall. The posters appeared telling everyone of the dramatic performance of "Ten Nights in a Barroom", a true to life presentation showing the evils of liquor and a family destroyed by intemperate ways.

The school children, displaying their LTL buttons, sold tickets for this eventful evening. I knocked on one elderly gentleman's door and gave the sales pitch for the tickets, only to be rebuffed by a gruff voice stating, "Ten nights in a barroom, hell, I've seen twenty", and the door closed.

I do not recall if the hall had an overflow crowd, but in all probability it did. Any form of entertainment would draw a crowd. I do recall the final scene of the play when Frank Slade, the hotelkeeper's son, while under the influence of strong drink, hit his father over the head with a bottle and killed him. Frank had ignored the pleadings of his mother to give up his evil ways and when he struck his father - with what looked like a bottle formed from a stocking - blood spurted out of the old boy's head and flew all over the place. The scenery used for the stage backdrop at the Town Hall bore ketchup stains from the Slade murder for many years.

We all knew it was a play, but the moral lessons of this drama were cited on many occasions, especially temperance lesson day.

Many of the families of the era subscribed to the doctrines of the temperance movement of the day. They raised their children to accept as fact the offerings of adults. You neither questioned or disputed, and in later life sometimes the comical side becomes apparent.
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