PERSISTING IN PRAYER AND PRESSURE
In 1873 a group of women at Hillsboro, Ohio, met and prayed and then read the 146th Psalm. Then they prayed and pleaded with the saloon keepers to give up their business. Church bells tolled simultaneously with the crusade of prayer and persuasion. On the second day one saloon keeper capitulated. He gave his entire stock to the women saying, “Do as you please with it.” At the end of eight days, every one of the eleven saloons in the town closed. The brewers of Cincinnati offered $5,000 reward to anyone who would break up the movement. One usually courageous male tried to do so. In four days he threw up his hands and surrendered to the women. This crusade of prayer and persuasion led to the formation in 1874 of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, page 127.
To view this resource, log in or sign up for a subscription plan