Communicators in the Women's Christian Temperance Union

Includes bibliographical references (pages 137-140)History documents the fact that the Women's Christian Temperance Union had a profound influence on this nation -- and 55 other countries -- culminating its initial major effort: in the passage of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It has also been a significant factor in the battle for universal suffrage, in laying the groundword for the feminism movement of today.\ud Lesser known are the facts about the women themselves. The women behind the movement are often anonymous creatures while public acclaim and recognition focuses on such persons as Frances Willard, worthy of that recognition and Carry Nation, who gained headlines with her hatchet, and a scattering of other individuals.\ud Little known for their efforts are other women -- and men ??? who were also the major communicators of the message. They were public relations practitioners. \ud The message was conveyed by speeches, songs, slogans, placards, pamphlets, newspaper releases, word of mouth, many of the tools recognized in modern public relations practice.\ud It is on this basis that this present study' has been undertaken. Part of the purpose has been to discover the error in modern misconceptions; the major purpose has been to document the professional public relations instincts that moved the people behind the movement.\ud Reference to the Women's Christian Temperance Union today in many circles is likely to evoke smiles. The smiles may be attributed to tales read about Carry Nation and others smashing the liquor bottles, bartenders' heads and erotic pictures behind the bars. And that's usually all that is remembered.\ud However, the planning, communication, political maneuvering and the thousands of male and female volunteers who spent 47 years seeking to make the sale of alcoholic beverages illegal in the United States. The WCTU was not for temperance; it was for abstinence.\ud Brilliant speakers and writers, such as Frances E. Willard, and organizers, such as Mary Clement Leavitt, who spent nine years traveling around the world organizing WCTU chapters, are among the persons central to the movement