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McCORMICK MESSENGER, McCORMICK, S. C.. THURSDAY, MAY 18, 1939 League of Reformed Drinkers, Founded in '90's, Was Unique Among American Organizations National convention of the Kcelej League at Harrisburg, Pa. * By ELMO SCOTT WATSON © Western Newspaper Union. A MONG the many thousands of clubs, societies, associa- tions, leagues, federations and the like which have been organized in this country there once was one that was absolutely unique. It was composed exclusively of men who had been drunkards and at one time it had a membership of more than 30,000. Moreover it had auxiliaries in which the wives, mothers and sisters of its members were enrolled. It held national conven tions attended by thousands of delegates and its national and state officers were men noted in politics, the profes sions and literature. Instead of being ashamed of the fact that they had been drunk ards, its members honestly admitted it, but they took pride in the fact that they had conquered Demon Rum, alias John Barleycorn. And as a symbol of that fact they wore in the buttonholes of their coats this emblem: Why the horseshoe? That was because this league was founded in a blacksmith shop in the little city of Dwight, 111. And thereby hangs the tale of the National Keeley league and the man who was responsible for its organiza tion—a “horse and buggy doctor” named Leslie E. Keeley. Born in Potsdam, N. Y., in 1832, the son of an old-fashioned country doctor, young Leslie Keeley came west in the late 1850s and studied medicine for a time under a Doctor Littlefield in Beardstown, 111. In 1860 he en tered Rush Medical college in Chicago and was in his second year when the Civil war began. He volunteered for service as a medical cadet and was assigned to duty at Jefferson Barracks, pear St. Louis. He was soon made an assistant surgeon and placed in command of the medi cal staff there. Then he was pro moted to surgeon and ordered into active service as a brigade medical director on the staff of General Wright’s third division of the Army of the Cumberland, i When the war ended young Keeley resumed his studies at Rush and was graduated in 1866. He settled in the little com belt town of Dwight, 111., and became a successful country doctor which led to his appointment as divi sional surgeon of the Chicago & Alton railroad. While in the Union army, Dr. Keeley had become interested in investigating the various effects of alcohol and was soon con vinced that drunkenness was a disease that could be cured. So he began to experiment. He found that alcohol attacked cer tain nerve forces and being an experienced chemist he estab lished a laboratory and began his researches to discover a drug or combination of drugs which would combat the power of alco hol. | An impractical Visionary.’ People of the community in which he was practicing regard ed him as a dreamer, an “im practical visionary.” Alcoholism was a moral, not a medical, prob lem, they declared. But a young Irish chemist recently arrived in America thought differently. John R. Oughton was his name and he was employed as a pharmacist in a Dwight drug store in the building in which Dr. Keeley had his office. Oughton became interested in Keeley’s researches and soon he was assisting the doctor in trying to compound the medicine which would hold John Barleycorn in check. Finally in 1879 came the announcement that they had been successful and that a cure for al coholism had been found. At first the people of Dwight were in credulous, but when some con firmed drunkards around the town, to whom life had little to offer, “took the cure” and found that it worked, skepticism changed to belief in its efficacy. Soon inebriates from the sur rounding country were offering themselves for treatment. At the end of two years Keeley was able to establish a small san itarium, drawing his patients largely from Chicago whose “gin mills” were turning out more and more drunkards every year. Re quiring capital to operate his rap idly growing institute, Keeley en tered into a partnership with Oughton and Maj. Curtis Judd, who was engaged in the mercan tile business in Dwight. Keeley’s plan of treatment for alcoholism was an innovation. Whereas the oldtime asylum for inebriates was a place of horror with its strait jackets and other forms of restraint, Keeley’s insti tute was a place for voluntary patients where they met the doc tors on a basis of mutual con cession of responsibility for a cure. During the eighties further research and experiments devel oped new methods of treatment and by 1890 the institute began to attract public notice. The next year occurred the in cident which led to Keeley’s be coming a national figure. Joseph Medill, editor of the Chicago Tribune, heard that a country doctor was curing men of drunk enness. He sent a reporter to Dwight. The newsman came home and wrote up what he had heard. Not convinced, Medill sent another reporter. Dr. Keeley said to him: “Please tell Mr. Medill to send me six of the worst drunkards he can find and in three days I will sober them up and in four weeks I will send them back to Chicago sober men; and, unless of their own volition, they will never seek liquor. At any rate they will never have need or necessity thereafter.” Medill’s Experiment. The challenge was met. Mr. Medill declared: “I selected a half dozen of the toughest products of alcoholism which the Chicago saloons were able to turn out. The experi mental cases were sent down to Dwight, one at a time, extending over a period of several weeks. And in due time they were all returned to me, looking as if a veritable miracle had been wrought upon them. They went away sots and returned gentle men. “But I did not &top with the half dozen specially selected cases, but sent down to Dwight a number of inebriate acquaint ances to take the treatment. When I had then become con vinced that drunkenness was a disease, the result of imbibing a poison and that a medicine had been discovered which released the victim from the irrepressible thirst, and that it restored the man to normal health of both body and mind, I felt it to be a duty which I owed to humanity to make known the virtues of the Keeley cure as fast and as far as it was in my power.” Newspapers throughout the United States began writing up the institute and soon the quiet little town of Dwight was over whelmed with visitors and pa tients seeking treatment. A boom developed rivaling the scenes of present-day oil discoveries. Soon it had become the most famous vil lage of its size in America and the saying “gone to Dwight” be came a familiar part of the argot of the day. As the demand for the treat ment grew, it was found neces sary to supplement the facilities of the parent institute. A far- flung system of branch institutes in principal cities grew up, total ing at one time more than 60. Dr. Keeley carried his treatment abroad and institutes were estab lished in London, Liverpool, and other foreign cities. The League Is Founded. As more and more patients flocked to this little city, an or ganization of “graduates” of Keeley’s institute was formed who began to hold reunions to proclaim their victory over Demon Rum. Out of this grew the National Keeley league with its 359 local lodges in every state of the Union and its membership that exceeded 30,000. The members of the league had qualifications for doing the most effective kind of temperance work. Knowing the danger of so cial drinking they were able to DR. LESLIE E. KEELEY caution the beginner and know ing the growth of the habit they were well equipped to admonish the moderate drinker to stop while he could still control him self. When Dr. Keeley died in 1900 at the age of 68, the work which he had pioneered had made him internationally famous. The town of Dwight was known throughout the continent. Dr. Keeley was fortunate in that the value of his discovery brought him public ap preciation during his lifetime. While the majority of those who took the “cure” remained cured, there were naturally some back sliders. Dr. Keeley himself said: “I cannot give a man a moral will. His Creator does that. But if he has not sinned away that moral will entirely, I can help him to say no!” All things considered, he did more for the victims of inebriety than anyone had before or since. Moreover, the change that has developed in the past half cen tury in the attitude of society toward the drinking man—of re garding him as a person afflicted by a disease rather than as an unregenerate sinner—is largely due to the teachings of Dr. Keeley. Some time perhaps the social historians will “discover” this country doctor whose pio neering temperance work entitles him to as much, if not more, credit than some of the politicians whose names adorn the pages of history and the value of his con tribution to the nation’s prog ress will be more widely recog nized than it has been up to now. COL. A. J. SMITH One of the league’s most fa mous presidents was Col. Andrew J. Smith, himself a “graduate” of Dwight, Colonel Smith intro duced the treatment into the Sol diers’ home at Leavenworth, Kan., when he became governor of the home and it was also ad ministered at soldiers’ homes at Milwaukee, Wis., Hampton, Va., Los Angeles, Calif., and other cities. In fact, at a time when the soldiers in our army were noted for being almost as hard- drinking as they were hard-fight ing, an institute was established exclusively for the use of enlist ed men at Fort Leavenworth. # • + Old-timers still living in Dwight remember Dr. Keeley as a man of wide human sympathies and a confirmed sense of justice. He was a large man physically, over six feet tall, of commanding pres ence, a natural leader who be lieved in equality and insisted that the men who took the treat ment should form in “line” with out any distinction as to wealth or social position. The story is told of a wealthy English nobleman who ap proached Dr. Keeley on the sub ject of getting private treatment after arriving. He was mildly and politely refused. He applied again with the same result. The third time he said: “Dr. Keeley, I don’t want to go into line with the rest of these people. I am a man of wealth and family and will give you a thousand dollars if you will ad minister me this treatment pri vately.” Dr. Keeley replied: “My friend, I cannot do what you ask. But never mind. Get right into ‘line’ and if you behave yourself for a couple of weeks, you will be just as good as any of the other patients.” • • • The aims and purposes of the National Keeley league, accord ing to an article which appeared in the American Journal of Poli tics in December, 1882, were set forth in its constitution as fol lows: ft To further the cause of tem perance among all people by cur ing the drunkard of the disease of intemperance and preventing the youth of the country, by edu cation and example, from con tracting it. To bind together in one fraternal band, all who have taken the Keeley treatment for liquor or other diseases; to ex tend the knowledge of the Keeley remedies; to establish state and auxiliary leagues and by medi cal, moral and Christian meth ods, by the help of Almighty God to discourage and annihilate the ’use of liquor as a beverage in any way that may seem oppor tune, or the occasion may de mand.” * • • Just as do other organizations, so did the National Keeley league have its own publication. It was called the Banner of Gold and it circulated among the thousands of graduates of the Keeley insti tute. An interesting feature of this magazine was the poetry which appeared in it, written by nationally-known poets. Indicative of the fact that “gone to Dwight” was a by-word in the nineties is this poem by Nixon Waterman which appeared in the Banner of Gold: SINCE PAPA’S BEEN TO DWIGHT My papa’s awful happy now, and mamma’s happy, too, Because my papa doesn’t drink the way he used to do; And everything’s so jolly now— ’tain’t like it use to be, When papa never stayed at home with poor mamma and me. It made me feel so very bad to see my mamma cry, And though she’d smile I’d see the tears a hiding in her eye; But now she laughs just like we girls and never cries a mite, And sings such pretty little songs —since papa’s been to Dwight You ought to see my Sunday dress, it’s every bit all new; It ain’t made out of mamma’s dress the way she used to do And mamma’s got a pretty cloak all trimmed with funny fur, And papa’s got some nice new clothes and goes to church with her. My papa says that Christmas time will pretty soon be here, And maybe good old Santa Claus will find our house THIS year. I hope he’ll bring some candy and a dolly big and bright; He’ll know where our house is I’m sure—since papa’s been to Dwight. What to Eat and Why With Approach of Warm Weather, C. Houston Goudiss Advises Extra Care in Storing Foods in the Home By C. HOUSTON GOUDISS I T IS the proud distinction of America’s food industries that notwithstanding the infinite variety of perishable foods which are constantly available, and regardless of the dis tances they have been transported, even the most delicate foods are delivered to the consumer in a fresh, wholesome condition, with all their fine flavor unimpaired. The secret of this modern miracle is refrigeration. Vast sums of money have been invested in long trains of refriger- <® — ated cars, thousands upon thousands of refrigerated trucks, refrigerated ware houses and refrigeration equipment in stores. All this has been done for a single purpose: to keep food fresh and at its best until it reaches the home. At this point the responsibility shifts to the homemaker. And if she falls down on her job, then all previous efforts to keep food free from spoilage have been in vain. Homemaker’s Responsibility As guardian of her family’s health, one of the homemaker’s most important tasks is to see to it that all food is safe guarded against contamination un til it reaches her table. This means that perishable foods must contin ue to be refrigerat ed properly in the home. For only in this way can they be protected from the ravages of micro-organisms which are always ready to attack foods when conditions are favora ble for their growth. Two essentials are necessary for satisfactory food preservation in the home. First, perishable foods must be stored at a temperature of from 40 to 45 degrees Fahren heit—never at a temperature high er than 50 degrees. Second, the right degree of humidity must be maintained. Too much moisture will encourage the growth of bac- tetia; too little will dehydrate fruits and vegetables and make them unfit for consumption. Home Care of Foods Both requirements are met by a good household refrigerator; and the homemaker who appreci ates the importance of keeping foods sound and wholesome will regard an efficient refrigerator as an investment in good health. It is especially necessary that the food supply be properly refrigerat ed during the warmer weather of spring and summer, in order to prevent the consumption of dishes that may have become contami nated without any marked altera tion in appearance, taste or odor. Highly Perishable Foods Milk is often regarded as the most perishable of all foods, be cause it is an ideal medium for the growth of bacteria. It is, there fore, essential that this splendid food be kept at low temperatures at all times. It should be put into the refrigerator as soon as possi ble after it is delivered, and kepi there until the moment it is to b« used. Milk should never be al* lowed to stand at room tempera* ture for any length of time. For it has been demonstrated that when it is held at 40 degrees—an ideal temperature—before deliv ery, then allowed to stand at a room temperature of 75 degrees for an hour and a half, and again refrigerated, a rapid increase in bacteria occurs. Other types of protein foods also present a favorable medium for bacterial growth when they art held at temperatures higher than 50 degrees. These include meat, fish, meat broths, gelatin, custards and creamed foods. It is advisa ble to keep these foods, as well as the milk supply, in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Fruits and Vegetables Fruits and vegetables soon loso their moisture content unless they are protected against warm, dry air; and they are likewise subject to the action of micro-organisms which result in decay. But when stored in a modern refrigerator, these mineral- and vitamin-rich foods can be kept in perfect condi tion for considerable periods, thui making it possible to take advan tage of favorable market offer ings. Guarding Against Mold As a rule, warmer weather also increases the problem of combat ing molds. For given moisture and warmth, molds will grow on almost anything. However, the most hospitable hosts are acid fruits, such as oranges, lemons, berries or tomatoes; sweets, such as jams and jellies; bread and meat. While molds are physio logically harmless if eaten, they definitely spoil the taste and ap pearance of food. Mold growths can be killed by boiling. They are retarded by the dry circulating air of an efficient refrigerator. It is to allow for air circulation that berries should be stored uncovered—if possible, spread out so that the air can reach more than just the top layer. Frequent inspection of all food supplies, including those in the bread box, and the prompt elimi nation of any items showing signs of mold, will help to keep it from spreading. Constant vigilance on the part of the homemaker in caring for foodl on hand will avoid a needless drain on the food budget and will safeguard the health of every member of the family. ©—WNU—C. Houston Goudiss—1939—69. FIT COVER AROUND SUPPORTS, AND FASTEN, WITH SNAPS - MAKE SOE OPENINGS^ LONO ENOUGH TO SUP OVER WIDEST PART OP BACK. ««r\EAR MRS. SPEARS: Your books have shown me how to do so many things that I am turning to you for help. I want to make slipcovers for the living- room furniture because with three young ones the upholstery is soon going to be ruined. The job com pletely baffles me. I am enclos ing a rough sketch of one of the chairs. Can you suggest any way that a removable cover can be made for it? B. A.” If you are prepared to make many neatly fitted openings al most any type of chair may be slipcovered. Either bindings or facings may be used to finish edges where seat and back covers are cut around arms and supports. Where there are so many open ings of different lengths, snap fas teners are generally more satisfac tory than zippers. If snap fasten er tape is obtainable it saves time to whip it to the long edges. The narrow frill for this chair covers a curved line across the front and carving at the top of the front legs. You can make slipcovers, all types of curtains and many other things for your home with the help of Book 1—SEWING, for the Home Decorator. Just follow the pictures, and you learn to make the lovely things you have been wanting for your home. Book 2 is for those who enjoy fancy work on useful articles for the home; and useful novelties, to be made in spare time. Books are 25 cents each; don’t forget to ask for the free leaflet on patchwork quilts, when you order both books; the leaflet is FREE with two books. Address: Mrs. Spears, 210 S. Des- plaines St., Chicago, 111. Isn’t This Why Ton Are Constipated? What do you eat for breakfast? Coffee, toast, maybe some eggs? What do you eat for lunch and dinner? White bread, meat, pota toes? If* little wonder you’re con stipated. You probably don’t eat enough t, bulk. ,t And "bulk” doesn’t mean the amount you cat. It’s a kind of food that forms a soft "bulky” mass In the Intes tines and helps a movement. If this Is your trouble, may we sug gest a crunchy toasted cereal— Kellogg’s All-Bran—tor bre&kl&st. All-Bran Is a natural food, not a medicine —but St’s particularly rich In "bulk.” Being so. It can help you not only to get regular but to keep regular. You won’t have to endure constipation, you can avoid It Eat All-Bran dally, drink plenty of water, and life will be brighter for you I Made by Kellogg’s in Battle Creek. MERCHANDISE Must Be GOOD to be Consistently Advertised BUY ADVERTISED GOODS