April 20, 1870, the Lincoln Temperance Society celebrated its first anniversary. The membership had rolled up to 54. Female members had been admitted during the year, and the good the Society had accomplished was clearly perceptible in the elevated tone and manners of the young people. Several white friends were present on this occasion to listen to the speeches of the members. Miss Bowker was referred to in one of these as the “Mother of Temperance.” A few weeks later, in May, we left St. Augustine, not to return. Years passed, and only incidentally was the Society heard from. In September, 1878, I was rejoiced to receive a letter from the President, D. M. Pappy, giving an account of the nourishing condition of the Society, from which I will make a few extracts. “Our Temperance Society, that Mrs. Clift and yourself assisted us in organizing, numbers now about one hundred and seventy-five. I have remained President since you left, with an interval of two years. Our struggle was hard, and we had much to encounter. St. Augustine has considerably changed by so many young men abstaining from that great evil, the intoxicating drink. Our Society has also purchased a lot, and built a fine hall of two stories. The meeting room is on the upper floor, and a public reading room and library on the lower floor. The building is nicely lathed and plastered, and painted. The young men of the Society are using every means to elevate our people to respectability and intelligence: but, like everything else, it takes time. Already our Society has achieved much good, and we do tender many thanks to you and to Mrs. Clift for your influence. “All the young men that were in the Society when you were here are still with us, except one. The young men, including myself, have never regretted signing the pledge, and we promise forever to keep it, because we have found much good in it.” In 1881, they celebrated their twelfth anniversary, and Mr. Pappy writes: “Our celebration went off very nicely. We had the hall handsomely decorated with flags, flowers and evergreens. Over the President’s stand was a large anchor, with ‘1869’ above and ‘1881’ below it. On the right was your name, and on the left that of Mrs. Clift. In the centre of the hall was a mound of flowers. “The exercises consisted of a grand reception, speeches, singing, reading, essays, with excellent music by the brass band, an exhibition of fire-works and a balloon ascension. These were presented to us by some white friends. The celebration was a grand success, and has had a deep effect on those outside. Last Monday evening we received five new members, and shall on next Monday receive a few more. “I think we are just as strong and firm in the progressive spirit as ever we were, if not more so. We number nearly 200 members now. Our building is not quite finished yet, as everything costs so much. It has cost us already nearly fifteen hundred dollars.