| Show i League of Reformed Drinkers Founded in Was Unique r Among American Organizations tt I zy Tf I C i f R t F r y T T Ti i 4 t 4 fl National convention of the Keeley League at Harrisburg b Pa i By r ELMO ELl SCOTT WATSON VATSON 9 i Western Newspaper Union 1 HONG AMONG the many thousands of clubs societies associations associations i A leagues federations and the like which have been Tf organized in this country there once was one that was vas Absolutely absolutely unique It was composed exclusively of men who bad had been drunkards and at one time it had a membership of more than Moreover it had auxiliaries in which the Wives mothers and sisters of its members were enrolled It T Tf h held national l conven- conven O t tic s attended t nd th by by thousands s d-s of delegates and its national and state officers were men noted in politics the professions professions professions and literature Instead of being ashamed of the fact that they had been drunkards drunkards drunkards drunk drunk- ards its members honestly admitted it but they took pride in the fact that they had conquered Demon Rum alias John Barleycorn And Andas as a symbol of that fact they wore in the buttonholes of their coats this emblem 4 Why the horseshoe That was because this league was founded in a blacksmith shop in the little city of Dwight Ill And thereby hangs the tale of the National Keeley league and the man who was responsible for its organization tion tion-a tion a horse and buggy doctor named Leslie E. E Keeley Born Bom in Potsdam N. N Y in 1832 the son of an old-fashioned old I country doctor young Leslie Keeley came carne west in the late and studied medicine for a time under a Doctor Littlefield in Beardstown Ill In 1860 he entered entered entered en en- 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 near St. St Louis He was soon soan made an assistant surgeon and placed in command of the medical medical medical medi medi- cal staff there Then he was promoted pro- pro rooted Doted to surgeon and ordered into active service as a brigade medical director on the staff of General Wrights Wright's third division of the Army of the Cumberland When the war ended young Keeley resumed his studies at Rush gush and was graduated in 1866 He settled in the little corn belt town of Dwight IlL and became a successful country doctor which l led d to his appointment as divisional divi divi- divisional surgeon of the Chicago Alton AIton railroad While in the Union army Dr Keeley had become interested in investigating the various effects o of t alcohol and was soon convinced convinced convinced con con- vinced that drunkenness was a disease that could be cured So Soc he Je c began to experiment He J found und that alcohol attacked certain certain certain tain nerve forces and being ane an e experienced chemist he establIShed establish established lish ed a laboratory and began his researches searches to discover a drug or combination of drugs which hOuld would combat the power of alco- alco hol 01 An Impractical Visionary People eople of the lne community in ch he was practicing regarded regard- regard ed w P him as a dreamer an im lIim- practical vision visionary ry Alcoholism jas was a moral not nat a medical problem problem lem lem they declared But a young Irish h chemist recently arrived in inn America J enca thought differently John R. R n was his n name me and he heas was 5 as s employed as s a pharmacist n a Dwight drug store in the b building in which Dr Keeley had his office became interested in Keeley's researches and soon he was assisting the doctor in hi trying to compound the medicine which would hold J John olm Barleycorn in check Finally in 1879 came the announcement that they had been successful and that a cure for alcoholism alcoholism alcoholism al al- al- al had been found At first the people of Dwight were incredulous incredulous in in- credulous but when some confirmed confirmed confirmed con con- firmed drunkards around the town to whom wham life had little to offer took the cure and found that it worked skepticism changed to belief in its efficacy Soon inebriates from the surrounding surrounding surrounding sur sur- rounding country were offering themselves for treatment At the end of two years Keeley was able to establish a small sanitarium sanitarium sanitarium san san- drawing his patients largely from Chicago whose gin ugin mills were turning out more and more drunkards every year Requiring Requiring Requiring Re Re- quiring capital to operate his rapidly rapidly rapidly rap rap- idly growing institute Keeley entered entered entered en en- into a partnership with and Maj Curtis Judd who was engaged in the mercantile mercantile mercantile tile business in Dwight Keeley's plan of treatment for alcoholism was an innovation Whereas the asylum for inebriates was a place of horror with its strait straitjackets jackets and other forms of restraint Keeley's institute institute institute tute was a place for voluntary patients where they met the doctors doctors doc doc- tors on a basis of mutual concession concession con con- cession of responsibility for a cure During the eighties further research and experiments developed developed developed devel devel- new methods of treatment and by 1890 the institute began to attract public notice natice The next year occurred the incident incident incident in in- which led to Keeley's becoming becoming becoming be be- coming a national figure Joseph Medill editor of the Chicago Tribune heard that a country doctor was curing men of drunk drunk- enness He sent a reporter to tc Dwight The newsman came home and wrote up what he had heard Not convinced Medill sent another reporter Dr Keeley said to him I 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 rale they will never have need or necessity thereafter Mcdill's Medill's Experiment The challenge was met Mr Medill declared I III selected a half dozen of the toughest products of alcoholism which the Chicago saloons were able to turn out The experimental experimental experimental mental cases were sent down dawn 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- gentle m men with the But I did not stop half dozen specially selected cases but sent down to Dwight a nu number ber of inebriate acquaintances acquaintances acquaintances acquaint acquaint- ances to take the treatment When I had then become convinced convinced convinced con con- drunkenness was a vinced that disease the result of imbibing a medicine had poison bison and nd that a been discovered which released the victim from the irrepressible thirst and that it restored theto the theman to normal health of bothman both an to man body and mind I felt it duty which I lowed owed to be a to the known make humanity ity r to 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 overwhelmed overwhelmed overwhelmed over over- whelmed with visitors and patients patients patients pa pa- seeking treatment A boom developed rivaling the scenes of present-day present oil discoveries So Soon on it had become the most mast famous village village village vil vil- vil- vil lage of its size in America and md the saying gone to Dwight became became became be be- came a familiar part of the argot of the day As the demand for the treatment treatment treatment treat treat- ment grew it was found necessary necessary necessary sary to supplement the facilities of the parent institute A far- far flung system of branch institutes in principal cities grew up totaling totaling totaling total total- ing at one time more than 60 Dr Keeley carried his treatment abroad and institutes were established established established in London Liverpool and other foreign cities The League Is Founded As more and more patients flocked to this little city an organization organization organization or or- of II graduates of Keeley's institute was formed farmed who began to hold reunions to proclaim their victory over Demon Rum Out of this grew the National Keeley league with its local lodges in every state of the Union and its membership that exceeded The members of the league had qualifications for doing the most effective kind of temperance work Knowing the danger of social social social so so- cial drinking they were able to F r r Jd f t OL N 4 1 4 fk r a DR LESLIE E. E KEELEY caution the beginner and knowing knowing knowing know know- ing the growth of the habit they were well weIl equipped to admonish the moderate drinker to stop while he could still control himself him him- self When Dr Keeley died in 1900 1000 at the age of 68 the work which he had hod pioneered had made him internationally famous The town of Dwight was known throughout the continent Dr Keeley was fortunate in that the value of oC his discovery brought him public appreciation appreciation appreciation ap ap- ap- ap during his l lifetime While the majority of those who took the cure remained cured there were naturally some back back- sliders Dr Keeley himself said I cannot cannat give a man a moral maral will His Creator does daes that But if he has not sinned away th that t moral will entirely I can help him to S say Y no nol l lAll All things considered he did more for far the victims of inebriety than anyone had before or since Moreover the change that has developed in the past half century century century cen cen- tury in the attitude of society toward the drinking man man of of regarding regarding regarding re re- re- re garding him as a person afflicted by a disease rather than as an unregenerate sinner sinner sinner-is is largely due to the teachings of Dr Keeley Some time perhaps the social historians will discover this country doctor whose pioneering pioneering pio pia temperance work wark 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 contribution contribution con con- to the nations nation's progress progress progress ress will be more mare widely recognized recognized than it has been up to now naw |
