See books and magazine articles by Jane Addams, Ida Tarbell and Mrs. Ida Husted Harper. See also: The Modern Woman's Rights Movement, by Schirmacher.
III—THE PROHIBITION MOVEMENT
Prohibition is an attempt to abolish the manufacture and sale of alcoholic liquors, except for purposes of industry, science, art and medicine. It declares that the capital now in the liquor traffic would, if invested in legitimate business, give employment to hundreds of thousands of men. It would promote commerce, protect labor, preserve health, conserve the interests of home and state. It would prevent cruelty, pauperism, disease and crime.
The movement for prohibition was merely local until 1851, when the Neal Dow law was passed, making Maine a prohibition state. The nation and state also combined at this time to prevent the sale of liquor to the Indians. At the close of the Civil War new conditions arose; German beer was imported, and huge breweries and distilleries were built at home. Numerous states then took up the matter of prohibition, and many have had laws passed prohibiting manufacture and sale of all intoxicants, most of them repealed or declared unconstitutional.
In Ohio there was a remarkable movement called the Women's Crusade which is worthy of study. Mention some of the leaders; study also the careers of John B. Gough, and Frances Willard.
South Dakota was admitted to the Union as a prohibition state; Kansas and Georgia, Oklahoma and Alaska have prohibition also, and some states have local option by counties or towns; cities in many parts of the country have it by precincts.
The history of the political Prohibition Party is a subject to be taken up by itself. Mention its prominent leaders, their methods and the results of the campaigns.
Discuss: Would enforced prohibition be beneficial to the state? Is local option a success? Is there open violation of the law in prohibition states? What of the legislative work of the Anti-Saloon League?
IV—MODERN MEDICINE AND SURGERY
The new day in medicine and surgery began, when, in 1846 ether was discovered, and chloroform a year later, and Warren, in the Massachusetts General Hospital, popularized them. All operations, however, were still attended with danger because of infection, till Pasteur discovered the dangerous bacteria and Lister invented sterilization. Then modern methods really began.