I came across this posting on a list devoted to the history of
American Catholicism, and I wondered if anyone in the ATHG
community might be able to suggest sources that could otherwise
be overlooked:
 
    I expected to find temperance literature from the late
  nineteenth century absolutely riddled with nativism in
  general, and anti-Catholicism in particular. Certainly,
  temperance scholars have recognized the WASP provincialism of
  the movement for some time. To my surprise, however, I have
  found relatively little nativist and extremely little
  anti-Catholic imagery in the many temperance novels, plays,
  poems, and songs I have researched. Of course, Frances Willard
  made some really nasty comments about immigrants, and one can
  find plenty of examples of nativism if one seeks them out, but
  from the sources I've considered, nativism is decidedly not
  central. In fact, the drunkards are almost all Anglo, usually
  middle class. More surprisingly, so are the saloon keepers!
 
  The posting was by
       Elaine F Parsons <[log in to unmask]>
but I would be happy to pass on any suggestions or thoughts, and
I hope to follow this string for my own research purposes.
 
  Thank you.
Ernie Kurtz
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