From the start, clergymen played a prominent role in the temperance movement. This was particularly true of those from the Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches. But it was never essentially a religious movement. It was, rather, a movement of an upward striving group sometimes defined as lower middle class. The churches were drawn into the movement because they were dominated by such people and often reflected their values. It is notable that the preacher in this cartoon is pointing the way to prosperity as well as morality.
Courtesy: F.S. Spence, The Campaign Manual, 1902 Collection of the author.
