A Dry Society
Throughout the United States there were many groups of people that wanted to prohibit the manufacture of alcohol. Groups like the Anti-Saloon League, Women’s Christian Temperance Union, Quakers, Methodists, Baptists, and Disciples of Christ saw many effects that were brought by alcohol. Reasons ranging from protecting families and alcohol being a sin were the most important to why they supported the idea of prohibiting alcohol. Eventually, these groups were known as the “Dries”, who had confidence that society would live a much healthier and safer life once the 18th amendment was ratified.
One of the leading organizations for prohibition was the Anti-Saloon League, who eventually “persuaded” Americans to agree with prohibition. Most of the Anti-Saloon’s support first came from the Methodists which felt that the world needed better lifestyles. Methodist saw the outcomes of prohibition to “turn our jails into corncribs, prisons wont have to exist anymore” and people would live with greater values. (1)
A letter was sent to the LA Times by Mrs. E. H. Cone in 1921, which emphasized the necessity of prohibition because “much of the crime comes from men and women after they have been turned to beasts from drinking liquor”. (2) Cone’s concern for children’s safety was repeated throughout her letter by claiming that “most of the child delinquency” in the State of Oklahoma is caused by “home environment”. (3) “I would say, unless the home is made attractive and filled with happiness and love, the boy and [girl will gradually drift away from the home, and sooner or later will fall into unclean ways by the many temptations...”. (4) Cone sees the importance of having a “clean environment”, and the only way to have that would be with prohibition so that sons and daughters will grow up in a world that isn’t intoxicated with violence. (5)
The Women’s Christian Temperance Union had their own definition of temperance movement. “Temperance may be defined as: moderation in all things healthful; total abstinence from all things harmful.”- Xenophon (Greek philosopher), c. 400 BCE. (6) Since the women from this Union “chose total abstinence from all alcohol”, they knew that supporting the idea of prohibition would lead to having “total abstinence” from family and society problems. (7)
Once the 18th amendment was adopted, some women claimed that the prohibition law wasn’t being followed, but even if that was true or not, most of the women saw improvement “under the dry law”. (8) Wives of professors at Yale and Harvard stated that their environment had positively changed. The Dries were receiving everything they had wanted with prohibition which brought the death rates, crime, and drunkenness to decrease, and have better economic conditions. One of the women’s testimony by Carrie Chapman, consisted of claiming that Chapman had not seen any man, woman, or child who “drinks, brew, smuggles, purchases, sells, or distributes any form of alcohol”. (9)
Quakers, which are the Religious Society of Friends had many beliefs that triggered many of them to stand with the Dries. There beliefs were known to be “the light of God is in every person and a person who lets their life be guided by that light will achieve a full relationship with God”. (10) They certainly had their necessity in wanting the world to be a better place to live in, which brought concerns with “peace, environmental issues, and community life”. (11) All of these beliefs were strong enough to make these groups support the prohibition of alcohol.
A large group in the drys were Methodists. The Anti-Saloon League was the organization that made Prohibition happen and from the beginning, Methodists were leading the group. Both Methodists and Baptist ministers made up the board of directors. These ministers raised money by using their churches to get people on their side. They sincerely thought they were helping though, as Bishop Edwin H. Hughes of Washington, a president of a Methodist church in 1939, states, “Unless we stop this rising wave of drunkenness, in one decade we will be the most drunken nation God ever saw staggering over this planet.” He goes on to add, “Social wrath will fall upon the liquor traffic, but we should not ask wickedness to do the work of righteousness” (12). Bishop Hughes is using liquor consumption as the reason for crimes such as robbery, lust, murder, and highway accidents. He believes that if liquor consumption was eliminated or even reduced the world would be a better place. Another preacher expressed similar beliefs regarding Prohibition, “We will turn our jails into corncribs, prisons won’t have to exist any more, people are going to be clean and proud and live upright lives” (13). Elimination of alcohol to them would solve all problems in society at the time, therefore implying alcohol is the root of all the problems.
Baptists were a large group in the Anti-Saloon League. Fred T. Barnett, a field worker in the Baptist Church, spoke at the Florida Women’s Christian Temperance Union and declared the “American custom of drinking cocktails is the most detrimental habit” (14). The Baptists believe that drinking alcohol is detrimental to America and were genuinely concerned about America’s health and therefore decide to abstain from alcohol. To this day many Christians decide to abstain from alcohol and Southern Baptists have strict rules regarding abstinence. Christians also claim biblical reasons to abstain, but there is no too much information regarding the reasons for wine and drinking being mentioned in the Bible. Some explain Jesus turning the water into wine as just an example for Jesus’ divinity, and some debate whether Jesus actually turned the water into wine at all.
Disciples of Christ also have similar views regarding alcohol as well as similar reasons. In the denomination’s annual report in 1942, they state, “the (social welfare) department is gravely concerned over increasing evidence that the consumption of alcoholic liquors has reached a point where it is a menace to both our people and the national effort” (15). They also sent out a demand for “elimination of the alcoholic beverage industry” which is what they were hoping to accomplish. They believed that they would be helping everyone if alcohol consumption was to be completely eliminated.
One of the leading organizations for prohibition was the Anti-Saloon League, who eventually “persuaded” Americans to agree with prohibition. Most of the Anti-Saloon’s support first came from the Methodists which felt that the world needed better lifestyles. Methodist saw the outcomes of prohibition to “turn our jails into corncribs, prisons wont have to exist anymore” and people would live with greater values. (1)
A letter was sent to the LA Times by Mrs. E. H. Cone in 1921, which emphasized the necessity of prohibition because “much of the crime comes from men and women after they have been turned to beasts from drinking liquor”. (2) Cone’s concern for children’s safety was repeated throughout her letter by claiming that “most of the child delinquency” in the State of Oklahoma is caused by “home environment”. (3) “I would say, unless the home is made attractive and filled with happiness and love, the boy and [girl will gradually drift away from the home, and sooner or later will fall into unclean ways by the many temptations...”. (4) Cone sees the importance of having a “clean environment”, and the only way to have that would be with prohibition so that sons and daughters will grow up in a world that isn’t intoxicated with violence. (5)
The Women’s Christian Temperance Union had their own definition of temperance movement. “Temperance may be defined as: moderation in all things healthful; total abstinence from all things harmful.”- Xenophon (Greek philosopher), c. 400 BCE. (6) Since the women from this Union “chose total abstinence from all alcohol”, they knew that supporting the idea of prohibition would lead to having “total abstinence” from family and society problems. (7)
Once the 18th amendment was adopted, some women claimed that the prohibition law wasn’t being followed, but even if that was true or not, most of the women saw improvement “under the dry law”. (8) Wives of professors at Yale and Harvard stated that their environment had positively changed. The Dries were receiving everything they had wanted with prohibition which brought the death rates, crime, and drunkenness to decrease, and have better economic conditions. One of the women’s testimony by Carrie Chapman, consisted of claiming that Chapman had not seen any man, woman, or child who “drinks, brew, smuggles, purchases, sells, or distributes any form of alcohol”. (9)
Quakers, which are the Religious Society of Friends had many beliefs that triggered many of them to stand with the Dries. There beliefs were known to be “the light of God is in every person and a person who lets their life be guided by that light will achieve a full relationship with God”. (10) They certainly had their necessity in wanting the world to be a better place to live in, which brought concerns with “peace, environmental issues, and community life”. (11) All of these beliefs were strong enough to make these groups support the prohibition of alcohol.
A large group in the drys were Methodists. The Anti-Saloon League was the organization that made Prohibition happen and from the beginning, Methodists were leading the group. Both Methodists and Baptist ministers made up the board of directors. These ministers raised money by using their churches to get people on their side. They sincerely thought they were helping though, as Bishop Edwin H. Hughes of Washington, a president of a Methodist church in 1939, states, “Unless we stop this rising wave of drunkenness, in one decade we will be the most drunken nation God ever saw staggering over this planet.” He goes on to add, “Social wrath will fall upon the liquor traffic, but we should not ask wickedness to do the work of righteousness” (12). Bishop Hughes is using liquor consumption as the reason for crimes such as robbery, lust, murder, and highway accidents. He believes that if liquor consumption was eliminated or even reduced the world would be a better place. Another preacher expressed similar beliefs regarding Prohibition, “We will turn our jails into corncribs, prisons won’t have to exist any more, people are going to be clean and proud and live upright lives” (13). Elimination of alcohol to them would solve all problems in society at the time, therefore implying alcohol is the root of all the problems.
Baptists were a large group in the Anti-Saloon League. Fred T. Barnett, a field worker in the Baptist Church, spoke at the Florida Women’s Christian Temperance Union and declared the “American custom of drinking cocktails is the most detrimental habit” (14). The Baptists believe that drinking alcohol is detrimental to America and were genuinely concerned about America’s health and therefore decide to abstain from alcohol. To this day many Christians decide to abstain from alcohol and Southern Baptists have strict rules regarding abstinence. Christians also claim biblical reasons to abstain, but there is no too much information regarding the reasons for wine and drinking being mentioned in the Bible. Some explain Jesus turning the water into wine as just an example for Jesus’ divinity, and some debate whether Jesus actually turned the water into wine at all.
Disciples of Christ also have similar views regarding alcohol as well as similar reasons. In the denomination’s annual report in 1942, they state, “the (social welfare) department is gravely concerned over increasing evidence that the consumption of alcoholic liquors has reached a point where it is a menace to both our people and the national effort” (15). They also sent out a demand for “elimination of the alcoholic beverage industry” which is what they were hoping to accomplish. They believed that they would be helping everyone if alcohol consumption was to be completely eliminated.
(1) Jacobs, Mary. " The United Methodist Portal." The United Methodist Portal. http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=7007 (accessed April 9, 2013).
(2) MRS. E.H. CONE. “Prohibition is Necessary” Los Angeles Times, September 25, 1921. http://search.proquest.com/docview/160973957?accountid=10351 (Accessed March 27, 2013)
(3) Ibid.
(4) Ibid.
(5) Ibid.
(6) "Welcome to the WCTU." Welcome to the WCTU. http://www.wctu.org (accessed April 1, 2013).
(7) Ibid.
(8) “Prohibition Stands Test Say Score of Women Drys, 'Speaking for 12,000,000'” New York Times, March 13, 1930. http://search.proquest.com/docview/98777830?accountid=10351 (Accessed March 28, 2013)
(9) Ibid.
(10) 1696, and Quakers established the first recognised anti-slavery movement in Britain in 1787.. "BBC - Religions - Christianity: Quakers." BBC - Homepage. http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/subdivisions/quakers_1.shtml (accessed April 3, 2013).
(11) Ibid.
(12) “Fight Revived on Alcohol.” The Southeast Missourian, May 8,1939.
http://news.google.com/newspapersid=Hg0oAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GdIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3657,2413738&dq=methodists+alcohol&hl=en (Accessed March 28, 2013).
(13) Jacob, Mary. “Q&A: Anti-Alcohol Movement's Rise and Fall” The United Methodist Reporter.
July 30, 2010. http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=7007 (Accessed March 28, 2013).
(14) “Church Body Asks Death of Alcohol.” The Miami News, July 28, 1942. http://news.google.com/newspapersid=dgYtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Z9QFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3693,4671665&dq=disciples+of+christ+alcohol&hl=en (Accessed I 28, 2013).
(15) “WCTU Convention Berates Liquid Holiday.” St. Petersburg Times, Oct. 26, 1944. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qp5aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zE4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4261,1633784&dq=baptist+alcohol&hl=en (Accessed March 28, 2013).
(2) MRS. E.H. CONE. “Prohibition is Necessary” Los Angeles Times, September 25, 1921. http://search.proquest.com/docview/160973957?accountid=10351 (Accessed March 27, 2013)
(3) Ibid.
(4) Ibid.
(5) Ibid.
(6) "Welcome to the WCTU." Welcome to the WCTU. http://www.wctu.org (accessed April 1, 2013).
(7) Ibid.
(8) “Prohibition Stands Test Say Score of Women Drys, 'Speaking for 12,000,000'” New York Times, March 13, 1930. http://search.proquest.com/docview/98777830?accountid=10351 (Accessed March 28, 2013)
(9) Ibid.
(10) 1696, and Quakers established the first recognised anti-slavery movement in Britain in 1787.. "BBC - Religions - Christianity: Quakers." BBC - Homepage. http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/subdivisions/quakers_1.shtml (accessed April 3, 2013).
(11) Ibid.
(12) “Fight Revived on Alcohol.” The Southeast Missourian, May 8,1939.
http://news.google.com/newspapersid=Hg0oAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GdIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3657,2413738&dq=methodists+alcohol&hl=en (Accessed March 28, 2013).
(13) Jacob, Mary. “Q&A: Anti-Alcohol Movement's Rise and Fall” The United Methodist Reporter.
July 30, 2010. http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=7007 (Accessed March 28, 2013).
(14) “Church Body Asks Death of Alcohol.” The Miami News, July 28, 1942. http://news.google.com/newspapersid=dgYtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Z9QFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3693,4671665&dq=disciples+of+christ+alcohol&hl=en (Accessed I 28, 2013).
(15) “WCTU Convention Berates Liquid Holiday.” St. Petersburg Times, Oct. 26, 1944. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qp5aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zE4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4261,1633784&dq=baptist+alcohol&hl=en (Accessed March 28, 2013).