THE LINCOLN LEGION: The Story of Its Founder and Forerunners by Banks, Louis Albert, D.D - 1903

New York: The Mershon Company, 1903. First Edition. . Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. Arthur I. Keller. The Rev. Banks was a late-19th/early-20th century Boston pastor and author whose books and sermons often dealt with social issues of the day, including alcoholism. The temperance movement in the U.S. began early in the 19th century, then gained momentum in the 1890s leading to the 18th Amendment and prohibition in 1920. The Lincoln Legion was a program created in 1903 by Howard H. Russell, who founded the American Anti-Saloon League in 1895, Russell and others saw the need for a campaign to increase the numbers of "total abstinence" members and decided on a pledge drive taking advantage of Abraham Lincoln's well-known stance on temperance and promoted through the country's religious organizations. The first part of Bank's book is an account of Lincoln's anti-alcohol position and lectures, followed by stories of the work of total abstinence movement leaders such as Russell after the Civil War. The final part of the book deals with Russell and the Anti-Saloon League leading to the Lincoln Legion program with the last chapter containing the text of the Legion's prospectus covering the three levels of pledging - red, white and blue -- and issues such as governance, enrollment and expenses. First edition, first printing (copyright date 1903, no other dates on title or copyright pages. The book's publisher, Mershon, was sold in 1906). About 5 1/4 x 7 1/4 inches, 256 pages including index and ten illustrations including frontispiece; bound in red cloth-covered boards with black lettering on front cover and gold lettering on spine. Also, bound-in between pages 236 and 237, an errata slip noting that "conclusive proof" has just been found that, since the pledge on page 224 was not only signed and advocated by Lincoln but also composed by him, it will be adopted as the "most-fitting" pledge to be signed by Legion enlistees. Boards and text are complete and unmarked. Sorry, no dustjacket. Boards show mild wear at spine ends and corners are lightly bumped. Text edges slightly foxed and lightly soiled. Inside covers and end pages lightly foxed. The half-title page shows a small tear on the fore edge and the upper corner has been folded over due to a cutting error during binding. Binding is tight, hinges uncracked. Text is legible and generally clean with occasional small stains; illustrations and pages adjuoining illustrations tend to show some foxing and staining. Overall and considering its 110+ years, this scarce first edition copy is in very collectable condition.