charles] THE NA TURE-STUD Y SITU A TION IN ILLINOIS 2 89 



While its sources are understood, be it said that it did not emanate 

 from the State headquarters. The document reads: 



To the President and Members of the Board of Trustees of North- 

 western University, Evanston, Illinois: 



Whereas, the name of Professor G. A. Coe, of Northwestern 

 University, appears in the list of members of a teacher's commit- 

 tee which propose to ask the Illinois legislature to repeal the law 

 requiring instruction in the public schools of the State in Phy- 

 siology and Hygiene with special reference to the nature and 

 effect of alcoholic liquors upon the human system. We, the 

 undersigned members of the Methodist Episcopal Church hereby 

 enter our protest against the use of an institution so conspicuously 

 identified with Methodism as Northwestern University, or any of 

 its professors or representatives, for the purpose of depriving the 

 children in the public schools of Illinois of the law which provides 

 for their instruction against the great evils of alcoholic liquors and 

 other narcotics. 



We demand the withdrawal of the name of Professor Coe from 

 such effort, or his resignation from the faculty, for we cannot 

 conscientiously send our children to Northwestern University or 

 recommend the institution to others for the education of their 

 children unless this stigma on our temperance principles is re- 

 moved. 



Such a document savors of the middle ages or the inquisition. 

 To the credit of the State president, Mrs. Mary E. Kuhl, the fol- 

 lowing was issued immediately from State headquarters: 



BULLETIN No. 4 

 Most Important 

 Dear Comrades: 



A circular letter, with a petition to be circulated against Pro- 

 fessor Coe, of Northwestern University, one of the members of 

 the Committee of Educators appointed to confer with us, has 

 been sent out to the several unions of the State. 



Said letter and petition are unofficial and unauthorized, nor 

 has such petition or such action ever been ordered bv the State 

 \V. C. T. U. 



Our mid-year executive body did order that a committee of 

 one hundred leading educators of the State be asked to make care- 



