if the heady wars of temperance , fought in the dirt and grime of saloons , had been completed by the time of the mother , they were replaced by the quiet broader work of moral temperance ; negation gave way to the slow and steady march toward purgation and perfection , the work to winnow away the remaining illusions that distracted men and hid the rod of will that ought to be at the center of every soul and the subject of each mind 's eye , turning it from the eyehooks of the world .