The Mercury (Hobart)/1898/The W.C.T.U. and our Burnie correspondent
THE W.C.T.U. AND OUR BURNIE CORRESPONDENT.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE MERCURY.
Sir,—Allow me to correct several erroneous statements made by the Burnie correspondent of your paper. In the issue of the 7th he says:—A franchise meeting, under the auspices of the W.C.T.U., is to be held in the Town-hall, when Mrs. Nicholls, the Australasian president, will endeavour to show that wine was not given "to make glad the heart of a man." The meeting alluded to was for address on the woman's suffrage and not temperance question, and the programme was adhered to Next he writes: "Other meetings are to be held, for the discussion of 'Purity.'" A meeting was advertised to a beheld, at which Mrs. Nicholls would give an address on Purity. The meeting was held, the address given, by meetings for discussion were neither advertised nor held. Farther, your correspondent, with inexcusable ignorance, says:—"Badges of white ribbon are vaunted as the outward and visible sign of chastity." This is utterly untrue. The W.C.T.U. came into existence as a distinct temperance organisation in 1874. Three years later at a national convention the small white ribbon bow was adopted as a badge, but it was not until 1886, nine years later, that the department of purity was formed, and became part of the plan and a work of the National W.C.T.U.—Yours, etc.,
JESSIE S. ROOKE,
Colonial President, W.C.T.U.
Burnie, May 12.